White Rose
by Aondehafka
Summary: A story about love, and irony, and second chances. Just how far will Kodachi go to be with Ranma?
1. Close the World, Open the Next

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.   Also, there is something loosely inspired by one of Neil Gaiman's Sandman stories, and some Forgotten Realms elements.  I used the same names for the Kuno parents as in Jim Robert Bader's story Knights and Warriors; since I didn't know if those names were ever actually given in the original series or not, I figured I'd use someone else's and hope for the best.  

                This is my first fanfic to be broken into different chapters.  Warning:  the prologue is a little dark, but the rest of the story won't be so bad.

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                Prologue:  Close the World, Open the Next

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                "Mistress?"  Kodachi didn't look up.  "Mistress, I've brought you some tea.  And... some food..."  Sasuke's voice trailed off.  He stood there for a quite a long time, before setting down the tray and walking slowly out of the rose garden.

                Kodachi remained kneeling in front of the largest of the black rosebushes.  She was clad in the gown she'd expected to wear at her wedding to her darling Ranma... the same dress she'd worn two years ago, at the opening of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics match in which the pig-tailed girl had defeated her for the first time at her own game.

                The pig-tailed girl... who was her darling Ranma.

                Over and over the events of the previous morning played through her mind.  She'd been chasing after her beloved, amused at his constant attempts to play hard to get, when a group of children with Super Soaker water guns had decided the pair of them made good targets.  And before her disbelieving eyes, her husband-to-be had transformed into the very person who'd fought hardest to keep the Black Rose away from him.

                Kodachi was now facing a truth she couldn't handle.  Ranma didn't love her, had never loved her.  He didn't return a thousandth of the feelings she had for him.  And so she retreated to her rose garden, and waited for the misery to end.

                That was yesterday.  Four untouched trays of food and drink lay near her, proof of Sasuke's well-meaning but ineffectual service.

                Probably it would take at least another day, one part of her mind calmly noted.  She'd lost a lot of fluid to tears in the early hours, and was definitely experiencing dehydration, but the Kuno clan were extremely tough and she was not yet close to unconsciousness.

                                _-mortal child-_

_                -why do you grieve-_

                Kodachi's gaze focused on the rosebush in front of her.  She frowned in bitter anger.  She'd already seen all the unnatural sights she wanted the previous day.  This hallucination was no welcome visitor.

                                                _-we are real-_

_                -not demons of your mind-_

_                                -we are the Kindly Ones-_

_                                                                -we heard your heart breaking-_

_                -we tasted your despair-_

_                                -tell us what troubles you-_

                "Very well," Kodachi's voice rasped.  Perhaps playing along would end the hallucinatory episode more quickly.  She addressed the rosebush, whose flowers were now glowing strange colors and moving in a wind that did not reach her.  "The man I love does not love me.  Now begone."

                _-so quick to reject us-_

_                                                                -so quick to spurn aid-_

_                                -we can help you-_

_                -we can grant solace to you-_

_                                                -we can turn your love's heart to you-_

                Kodachi's eyes narrowed dangerously.  "Do not make promises you cannot keep, phantoms."

                                                                _-we do not-_

_                                -we have power beyond your comprehension-_

_                                                -we will grant you one wish-_

_                -if you first pay the price-_

                "I will pay any price for Ranma to choose me," whispered Kodachi, not sure she'd accepted that what was happening was real, no longer daring to assume it wasn't.

                                _-stretch out your arm- _

                Kodachi did so, and a branch of the bush snaked out to wrap around her limb.

                                                _-will you pay the price-_

                "Yes," she whispered, and the thorns drove into her flesh.  The tone of the voices changed then.

                                                _-foolish mortal-_

_                                -you should first have asked what the price was-_

_                                                                -it is everything-_

                And Kodachi Kuno screamed as the Furies began to drain her life.

                                                _-so sweet-_

_                                -the despair and doomed love-_

_                                                                -the anguish-_

_                                -and yet it seems muted somehow-_

_                -look closely-_

_                                                                -she wears a mask-_

_                -she hides her true self-_

_                                                -she wishes to be appealing to her love-_

_                                -let us see the true Black Rose-_

                By now, she could only whimper... and then not even that as her tormentors concentrated and broke the persona she'd worked so hard to build for Ranma to love her.  The Furies dived through the glittering fragments, entered Kodachi's mind, and looked into the core of her soul.

                For one fatal instant they stopped dead.

                And then they tried to flee, but it was too late.

                Cords of thought in the shape of thorn branches wrapped around the spirits.  Kodachi's hand closed convulsively on the actual branch, which was desperately trying to let go of her.  "Do you like pain, Kindly Ones?" she whispered.  "You liked mine, just now."  The spectral thorns ripped into her oppressors.

                The Furies thrashed, but could not free themselves.  Their power over the physical realm was enormous... and meaningless in spiritual combat.  She'd hidden the depth of her psychosis well.  It was far too strong for them to break through,  now that the inhibiting mask was gone.  They were trapped like beetles pinned to collector's cards, pierced... but still living.

                                                _-please-_

_                -we will grant your wish-_

_                                -only spare us-_

                Kodachi detected a false note in their offer.  "You LIE!" she snarled.

                _-we cannot force your love to choose you of his own free will-_

_                                                -this is what you desire-_

_                                -but it is a paradox-_

_                                                                -yet we have great power-_

_-we can break his will-_

_                -and bind his heart to you-_

_                                                -only free us and we will do this-_

                The Black Rose regarded her captives.  This was true, she sensed.  They were obligated to grant her a wish if she paid the toll, and the price had just been renegotiated.  "Not good enough."

                                _-what do you want of us-_

                Kodachi's eyes narrowed.  "All your power.  And all your knowledge."

                _-you are mortal-_

_                                                -this would break you-_

                "But I am broken already," Kodachi answered, smiling sweetly.  "If you are incapable of finding a way to bring Ranma to love me freely, then give me what I need to do it myself."

                                _-very well-_

_                -free us and this is yours-_

                "I'm afraid you have the order of the exchange reversed."  When the Kindly Ones didn't respond quickly enough to this, Kodachi ground the thorns in deeper.  A bit more, and she'd be doing permanent damage.  The Black Rose shivered a little at the thought.

                                                _-take that which you desire-_

                A flood of power and especially knowledge hit Kodachi.  The Furies were ancient, and had uncovered many of the secrets of creation in the millennia of their existence.  Kodachi couldn't even begin to apprehend the information available to her on a conscious level.  The Furies had known this, and expected her to be reduced to a mindless vegetable -- just like the last person to make that wish.  Instead, after a brief period of disorientation, she closed the surplus information away from her conscious mind, began to instinctively search the different strands of probability for scenes in which Ranma had chosen her, and tried to find a way to bring them from possibility to actuality.  This took almost an hour, even processing at her newly-enhanced near-computer-level speed.

                Eventually she had a plan that had almost an 80% chance of success.  It was ambitious beyond belief, and it would bring her much more than Ranma if it worked as it should... but then she realized she wouldn't be able to muster the power to activate the critical first phase.  What the Kindly Ones had donated to her was just slightly insufficient.

                _-we kept our bargain-_

_                                                -now release us-_

                Her attention was drawn back to the Furies, still in her grasp and drained of all active strength.  It was clear they were frightened nearly to incoherence by her continued survival.  Kodachi smiled  She would show them just how far the Black Rose would go for love.  "For Ranma, I would do far more than hurt you, miserable demons.  I would burn the world if that was what it took to create a new one just for the two of us.  I will even give up myself and all that I am, to be a new person that Ranma can love.  But I'm afraid I do need a little more power for my plan to work."  She smiled, and slowly drained all their life force.  Their dying curses were quite inventive, but powerless.

                Kodachi gasped as the new surge of energy hit her.  Yes, this should be enough.  She paused one moment, saying goodbye to the Black Rose, then filtered a tiny fraction of the power through the tissues of her body.  Two fairly significant changes took place, though she was careful not to make them something that would pass on to her children.  Kodachi then began to form a template of energy in the air before her -- a triple helix, oddly contorted, that spiraled in toward a central point.  She took a deep breath, knowing that if what she tried next failed, the entire planet would be torn apart in a subspace anomaly.  Meddling with the underlying laws of the universe wasn't something that a mortal should attempt.

                It had been a long time since Kodachi had considered any limitations to apply to her.  She focused all her stolen power into the spiral, except for one scrap hidden deep within her, and collapsed it into the central point.

                And time turned backward eighteen years.

***************

                Moemi Hamabusa looked sympathetically at her husband.  He'd obviously had a hard day at the hospital.  "Do you want to talk about it?"  she asked gently.

                Jin sighed deeply.  "A little girl was born today with both albinism and hemophilia.  The delivery was touch and go, and she still may not survive.  Telling her parents was the hardest thing I've done so far as a doctor.  They gave her a warrior's name, and she'll definitely need all the fight she can muster.  Poor little Kodachi."

***************

Kodachi at age five...

                His little sister might be entranced by this, but Tatewaki was bored.  He didn't know why Dachi liked to watch their mother practise all the time.  It might have been Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, but it was nowhere near as exciting as when their father trained in the kendo forms.  He couldn't wait for Father to start teaching him.  He felt a little sorry for his sister; Kodachi had wanted to learn to do what their mother did, but she'd been told it was only for big girls, and she wouldn't be able to start learning until she was at least twenty.  Neither child realized this was their parents' way of dodging until Kodachi would be old enough to realize her condition made such things impossible.

***************

Kodachi at age seven...

                Godai Kuno held his daughter as she cried.  His poor little Dachi was so tired of living as if wrapped in cotton wool, like some fragile treasure that would break at the slightest pressure.  Unfortunately, that was more or less the case.

                "Daddy?"  she sniffled.  "Will I ever have adventures like Tokiko?"  That was the heroine of the bed-time story he'd read with her the past few nights.

                "Maybe someday, little one," he said, hating himself but unable to stop the comforting false promises.  "Maybe when you're older."

                "Maybe when I don't bleed forever from cuts Tachi wouldn't even notice."  She'd accidentally cut herself today, which had meant stitches.  Kodachi hated it.  "I wish a magical prince would come and heal me, like Shakujo did for Tokiko."  The only remnant of a future that would never be kindled to life at this.  A long-dormant pulse of energy awakened, imprinted a compulsion into her father, and expired.

***************

Kodachi at age eight...

                Hitome Kuno looked in at her daughter.  She was sleeping like a little angel, bathed in the warm glow of a very special night-light.  Hitome breathed a deep sigh of relief.  That had been the worst nightmare she'd ever had.  She'd dreamed that Kodachi had been born normal, which was not in itself bad; in fact some of her most pleasant dreams over the last year had been of teaching her little girl the basics of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics.  In those dreams Kodachi had had black hair like her own, instead of snow-white.

                And in those dreams, since Kodachi was perfectly healthy, her husband had never gone off on his quest.  A quest to find a cure for their little girl.  He was determined to find a way to succeed with magic where medical science was powerless.  She remembered the arguments they'd had when he first told her of his decision to relinquish control of Kuno Pharmaceuticals to subordinates and leave on what his wife considered a fool's errand.  But he had announced in front of the children that he would find a cure for Kodachi, and after seeing her daughter's joy, she couldn't refuse him.  Hitome had hated him, then, for what he had done.  She'd never believed there was any chance for success.

                Now, though, at least she had hope.   Though her husband had yet to find a cure, he had brought back many gifts for his family that quickly ended her disbelief in magic.  She now dared to believe a cure might exist, somewhere, and her husband would never give up on searching for it.

                Far better the way things were than what she'd dreamed tonight.  She shuddered at the memory.  Her husband had still been the active head of Kuno Pharmaceuticals, and he had recently fired an overpromoted executive.  This particular man had not chosen to accept his fate with resignation.  Instead he had hired an assassin, who had crept into their home and brutally murdered her in front of her children, then told them it was their fault their mother had to die.  The dream had ended with the knowledge that no member of her family would ever recover from that experience.

                But it had just been a dream.  Hitome gazed upon her daughter's colorless form, and the softly glowing crystal globe that floated in midair, and smiled.  Her father's first gift to Dachi was still her favorite.  It had let her know for sure that magic wasn't just in stories.  And someday, maybe she'd have adventures of her own.

***************

Kodachi at age nine...

                The man in front of her didn't look like a magical prince.  More like someone's kindly old gaijin grandfather, Kodachi decided.  His skin was wrinkly and his hair was white, but his eyes were bright and clear.  He wore long red robes.  Kodachi supposed they could be magical, but armor would have been much more impressive.  And his long staff just looked like plain wood.

                "My dear, your Daddy has told me a lot about you.  He said if any little girl deserved to be able to have adventures, it was you."

                "Can you really cure me?"  Kodachi asked shyly.

                "Well, that depends.  What do you want from me?"

                "I want to be able to run and jump and do Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics like Mother and stay out in the sun as long as I want without burning and go on adventures and never ever have to worry about getting hurt again!"  Kodachi could see her outburst had taken the old man by surprise, but she'd thought he might be offering her a wish, and she'd already planned out what wish she'd make if given the chance.

                "I think I can do MOST of that," he said to her.  "If you want it, I can wake the dragon in you."

                "What's that mean?"  Kodachi knew from stories that some dragons were good and others weren't.  She'd never known one was in her!

                "It's an expression for increasing the amount of chi energy in your body.  It's not a real dragon -- it just fills you full of power.  Once I've done it, you'll heal almost instantly from just about any wound, and never get sunburned again.  You can learn to use the energy to run longer and jump farther, and lots of other things, but that will take practise."  He took note of her confusion.  "Don't worry, little one.  I'll leave some scrolls with your parents for you to read and learn from.  For now, all that will happen is you won't get hurt anymore."  He winked at her.  "But eventually you'll be able to do something like this."

                Kodachi's eyes widened as she began to float in the air.  Her brother looked a little envious, so Elminster levitated him too.  Off to one side, Hitome forced herself not to dash over to protect her daughter.  Her husband put his arm around her.  "Don't worry, dear.  She's safe in his care.  Elminster would never allow a child to be hurt."

                "Can he really cure her?"

                Godai thought back to the evidences he'd seen of the archmage's power.  "Beyond a shadow of a doubt," he replied.  "The old man may know the meaning of the word limits, but he hasn't experienced them in either of our lifetimes."  'Or our fathers', or their fathers', or...'

                "Did you have to pay a... very high price for his aid?" his wife asked haltingly.

                "It will be fairly expensive, but it's nothing the company can't handle."  Kuno Pharmaceuticals had been one of the most profitable firms in Japan for eight years now.

                "You mean... he's only asking for money?"  By now, Hitome had read many legends of magic, and the price of a wish was usually much less mundane in the stories.

                "More like services.  We'll be purchasing several thousand square miles of land in the American West, and helping a group of people obtain American citizenship and settle there."  Someday he'd tell his wife about how he and a band of allies had raided the underground cities of the Drow in that other world, stealing the dark elven children before they could be sacrificed or corrupted by the evil of Lloth.  The infants had been adopted by childless light elven couples, and the new families would find a new life in a literal New World, aided by Elminster's disguise magic.

                "I can't wait to start training our little girl.  And Tachi will be so glad you can spend more time on his kendo lessons."  Hitome looked wistfully at the husband she'd seen for less than six months total time in the past two years.  "Do you think you could wait at least a few months before going back to your position at the company?"

                "I'm not going back at all.  Why should I?  They're doing fine without me, and even if they weren't we have enough money saved to live the rest of our lives on.  My long journey has taught me there are only three things truly important to me... and you're all here in this room."

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                Author's notes

                A second chance.  How many people would give everything for that?  Even better if you can make others pay the price for your shot at redemption (no, I personally don't believe that, but you'd better believe the Kodachi we're familiar with would).

                After the point of restart (Kodachi's birth), everything not somehow affected by the ripples of the newly-introduced change will happen again as it happened before, due to the law of relativistic inertia.  Occurrences of déjà vu will be unusually common, though.

                Nobody has any true memories of the way things have gone previously (although Hitome's dreams are accurate glimpses of the original timeline.  Don't expect any more of those now that time has progressed past the point where she once died).  The Black Rose could have kept the knowledge, but understood she needed to make a clean start.  So what will Kodachi and Tatewaki be like this time around, with a stable and supportive family instead of a devastating childhood tragedy?  And what impact will this have on the life of our favorite pigtailed martial artist?  Read on and see!


	2. The Great Escape

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  Also, I've heard that in Japan, the usual custom is for students to attend school six days out of seven.  For the purposes of this story, however, both Furinkan and St Hebereke only go on Monday through Friday.  Why?  Because I said so.

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                Chapter 1:  The Great Escape

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                'Girls sure got it easy,' Ranma-chan gloated to herself as she licked her ice cream cone.  Being given a free scoop because she was so cute was something she could get used to.  'Huh?  What's that?'   She stopped, noticing a strange pale-skinned girl with white hair in a side-poneytail.  The girl was surrounded by three girls in leotards and bandages.  Looking closer, Ranma-chan recognized the trio were in her class at Furinkan.

                "This is where we pay you back for the way your team always ambushes us!" shouted Nanami, twirling her clubs menacingly.

                "Please -- I only just became captain of the St Hebereke team this week!  I want to stop the ambushes!  I promise, we'll fight you fairly from now on!"  Kodachi didn't have much hope for heading off this confrontation; in the last three days, she'd already had five like it with students from other schools that St Hebereke had offended, and none of those girls had been willing to give her a chance either.

                "Shut up!  Get her, girls!"  Nanami jumped forward with her weapons raised.  Noriko and Ayeka did likewise.  Kodachi sighed, and leaped straight up into the air.  There was a resounding CRUNCH as her attackers collided in the space she'd just vacated, knocking each other unconscious.

                Ranma-chan watched openmouthed as their former target sailed almost twenty feet straight up.  'Wow, if I didn't know any better I'd say she knew the Saotome secret technique for using chi energy to boost your jumping skills.'  The redhead actually already knew that many of what her father grandiosely proclaimed 'Saotome Secret Techniques' had been adapted and refined from other schools, but somehow she didn't quite make the connection here.  The other girl turned a somersault at the height of her jump, which somehow gave her lateral momentum, and landed in front of Ranma-chan.

                "You're getting ice cream on your shirt."

                Ranma-chan looked down.  Sure enough, the ice cream had begun to melt and several drops had splattered on her.  She wolfed down the remainder of the cone in one gulp.  "Thanks.  Pretty smooth work there, by the way.  I can't stand it when people fight dishonorably like they did."  Both girls began to walk away from the lot.

                The white-haired girl looked sad.  "It shouldn't have been necessary.  I'm not responsible for what they were blaming me for.  In fact, I'm trying to stop it."  

                "Whaddaya mean?"

                "I attend St Hebereke school for girls.  Our Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics team has been undefeated for the last six years, but that's because the team always ambushes their rivals before matches and wins by default.  Those girls are from Furinkan High School... they have a match with us next week, and I guess the St Hebereke assault squad must have been up to their old tricks just before I became team captain.  I fought my way to the position so I could stop things like that.  But it's going to take a long time before the other schools believe in me, I guess."

                Ranma regarded the girl, and was pretty certain she was sincere.  "I'm Ranma Saotome.  Pleasure to meet a fellow martial artist."  Even if Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics sounded totally lame, this girl seemed to have a good bit of honor and dignity.  To someone who followed Bushido, that was more important than the fact that her discipline was a bad joke.

                "Kodachi Kuno, also known as the White Rose, and likewise."  Kodachi grimaced a little as she noted Ranma-chan's reaction to the title.  "I know, I know, it's pretentious and trite.  But as captain of the team, I have to have a title like that.  And at least mine fits me, and keeps me from taking myself too seriously."  She smiled.  "So what's your discipline?"

                "Saotome Anything Goes Martial Arts.  We specialize in unarmed combat, midair attacks, and absorbing the best techniques from styles used against us to work into our own."

                "Really?  That's very different from Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics -- hand-to-hand combat isn't allowed.  You have to attack with gymnastics tools."

                "Like those flimsy clubs and that silly ribbon those girls were carrying?"  Ranma-chan was amused, but tried not to show it.  Unsuccessfully.  Kodachi smiled a little at the opportunity she saw here.

                "I don't know if I'd call the ribbon 'silly', Ranma."  Quicker than thought, Kodachi produced hers and sent it snaking out to one side of her... slicing a large boulder completely in half.  "Of course, that technique would never be used in anything less than a life-or-death challenge match."  The White Rose also didn't mention that she was certain she was the only person who could put that big a chi-energy charge into a ribbon.

                Ranma-chan whistled.  "Good thing you just got out of the way of those other girls.  Maybe we could spar sometime, after the match between our schools next week."  That would give her an opportunity to watch the techniques in use and plan counters.

                "Oh?  You attend Furinkan?  Then perhaps you know my brother Tatewaki."

                THAT was the reason for that funny feeling of recognition!  She'd said her name was Kodachi KUNO, but it had slipped past Ranma-chan's conscious notice.  "Yeah.  He seems like a pretty cool guy.  A little weird the way he always challenges Akane Tendo and completely lets her win."  Since Akane wasn't around to go ballistic, Ranma-chan didn't hesitate to say what she knew to be the truth.  "Is he tryin' to date her like the rest of those guys or what?"

                "I shouldn't speak for my brother... but I will say that he's not trying to force himself on Akane."  Kodachi looked around, seeking a change of subject, and noticed an ice cream parlor.  "Would you like to get some ice cream?  My treat."

                "Sounds good to me!"

***************

                Ranma walked back to the dojo, in an unusually thoughtful mood.  He'd had a good time with Kodachi.  It seemed like they had a lot in common.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a girl born with albinism would have had a tougher childhood than most, like him (of course, Ranma was firmly convinced that Kodachi's could NEVER have equaled his for sheer torture) .  Like him, she'd recently begun attending a new school.  He got the impression that Kodachi didn't have any real friends there, but hadn't given up hope yet.  Ranma felt like the White Rose would make a good friend, and for sure a measly little thing like being born with pale skin and white hair didn't faze someone who'd survived Jusenkyo, but there was the slight problem that she thought he was a girl.  At this point, the level of complication meant that he decided not to think about matters anymore for a while.

                As Ranma approached the front door of the Tendo residence, he was surprised when the three girls from earlier that evening walked out.  Ignoring the way they stole glances at him and giggled a little (he got a lot of that at school, after all), he stepped out of his shoes and went in.  Nabiki pounced on him almost immediately.

                "Hey, Saotome, do you know anything about Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics?"

                The question surprised Ranma, but he seized the opportunity to appear knowledgeable.  "Sure -- it's a martial arts style based on grace, control, and finesse.  Hand-to-hand attacks ain't allowed.  Instead, you use gymnastics tools, like clubs, hoops, balls, and especially the ribbon.  It's usually fought in a ring, and knockin' someone out of the ring means you win.  Or you can just knock them out, period," Ranma said, drawing on his conversation with Kodachi in the ice cream parlor.  She'd gone into a lot of detail about the discipline, telling Ranma-chan proudly that her mother, who trained her, was a Rhythmic Gymnastics champion.

                "Good.  Maybe you can train Akane so she won't embarrass herself next weekend."

                "Huh?!"  What was Nabiki talking about now?

                "Furinkan has a Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics match with a school named St Hebereke next Sunday.  Those girls who just left are on our team, but they got ambushed tonight by the captain of the other team.  They won't be able to compete, and so they asked Akane to fill in for them.  She agreed, and they showed her the basics in the dojo for a while, then left.  She's there now, training.  And I think it would be a good thing for you to help her, Ranma."  Nabiki smiled sardonically.  "After all, what are fiancés for?"

                "That uncute tomboy is NOT my fiancée!"

                Nabiki's face lost its amused look.  "Fine, but she IS my sister, who made a promise she shouldn't have, and I want her to be as prepared as she can be for that match.  I've heard nasty stuff about the St Hebereke team.  Just do it, Saotome.  I'll even forget about that money you borrowed from me last week."

                Ranma trudged to the dojo, mumbling under his breath about uncute tomboys making stupid promises.  He stood in the doorway and watched Akane toss her clubs up into the air, somersault forward, and come up with her hands extended for the clubs to fall into.  He smirked as one landed in the corner, and laughed out loud when the other smacked down on P-chan.

                Akane glared furiously at him.  "You could help, you know, instead of just standing there LAUGHING at me!"  At this, P-chan scurried off.

                "Yeah, that's what Nabiki said.  Geez, Akane, why'd you make a stupid promise like that anyway?  You don't know this junk and there's no way you're gonna learn it in a week!"

                "For your information, I promised because I was Furinkan's only hope!  St Hebereke always wins by cheating.  The captain of their team ambushed Nanami, Ayeka, and Noriko tonight.  I'm the only martial artist they can turn to!"

                Ranma snorted the snort of a lifetime.  "Is that what they told you?  As a matter of fact, it was those three who ambushed Kodachi!  She didn't even fight them, either, just jumped out of the way.  They ran into each other and knocked themselves out!  If you ask me, they just don't wanna face her for real, and are settin' you up instead."  Ranma was absolutely right about this, not that that was going to do him any good.

                "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, ANYWAY?!  And what would you know about it?!"

                "Gee, Akane, I only saw the whole thing tonight.  Kodachi admitted to me that her team is usually the ones doin' that kinda stuff, but she just became captain and put a stop to it."

                Akane's eyes narrowed dangerously.  "Sounds like you got to know her pretty well.  I suppose THAT was where you were for the last hour?"

                Ranma's danger sense kicked in.  "Hey, I was trying to get information on Rhythmic Gymnastics techniques.  You want me to help train you?"  Ranma didn't really think that the measly little bit of time he'd spent hearing about this new style made him competent to teach it, but he figured he'd pass on what Kodachi had told him and serve as a moving target for Akane while she got used to the tools.  It would have helped if he'd phrased his offer like that, but that's Ranma for you.

                "For your information, Ranma, you're NOT the Kami's gift to martial arts!  I don't need your help!"  Akane tried to demonstrate this by flinging a ball at Ranma's head.  She put too much spin on it, however, and it curved to one side, hit the dojo wall, rebounded, and knocked her off her feet.

                "Yeah, right.  Akane, you're strong as a gorilla, twice as slow and half as graceful.  If I were you, I wouldn't turn down my help!"  Wait, had that last part come out right?

                "Would you allow me to help you in your training, Akane?  Unlike Mr Hotshot here, I actually have some experience with Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics."

                The look of sheer fury on Akane's face turned to gratitude as she turned and saw Ryoga standing in the doorway.  "Ryoga!  Where have you been?"

                "Wouldn't we all like to know that, Pork-Brain,"  Ranma muttered.  Akane ignored him.

                "Oh, just wandering around, trying to find my way to somewhere I actually recognize."

                "Well, I'd really appreciate it if you helped me train."

***************

                "2500 yen apiece."

                Kuno's eyes bulged a little.  Nabiki's prices kept on going up.  He looked again at the photos she'd spread on the table before him.  There were several different pictures of Akane in a leotard, practising what looked like Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics.  Nabiki had carefully chosen shots that didn't reveal her sister's ineptitude at the sport.  Tatewaki could just imagine the reaction of the hormone-crazed boys that challenged Akane each school morning if they'd seen these.  "Agreed, but if your prices rise any more, I fear my allowance will not stand the strain."  He passed over a wad of bills, gathering the photos up and placing them in a pocket.

                "Oh, and Kuno baby, there's something else you might be interested to hear about Akane... and why she was dressed like that in those photos.  Buy me some ice cream, and I'll fill you in."

                From past meetings like this, Tatewaki knew her favorite dessert was a triple fudge sundae.  He ordered one, and waited for her to go on.  After the dessert had arrived and Nabiki had enjoyed a few bites, she continued, "It's like this.  My sister is now our sole hope for fame and glory in the upcoming Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics match with St Hebereke.  The real team is indisposed.  So yesterday she agreed to take their place and is trying to learn the style in a week."

                "I see."  There was only one thing he could do.  "I wish to place a bet that Furinkan will win the match.  20,000 yen on our champion!"  

                Nabiki's eyes widened almost to the dimensions of tennis balls.  "Tell you what, Kuno.  Why don't we discuss that Tuesday afternoon."  She wondered if two days would cool him down at all.  Nabiki finished the remainder of her sundae, excused herself, and left.

                Kuno watched Nabiki walk away.  Once she was out of sight, his expression changed to one of quiet sadness.  "The things we do for love," he muttered under his breath, taking the photos from his pocket and shredding them without a second glance.

***************

                Kodachi walked along the street.  She'd never been in this neighborhood before, but Tatewaki's directions were easy to follow.  That large building up ahead must be the Tendo Dojo.

                The White Rose thought back to what her brother had told her earlier.  Furinkan's challengers had been reduced to one girl who'd never even studied the style before agreeing to fill in.  Furthermore, from her brother's past descriptions of Akane, there was no way she'd be able to learn enough in the time she had to put up a credible fight.  Kodachi felt terrible about the situation, although she told herself there was nothing she could have done differently.  Still, the least she could do was apologize and personally assure the girl that there would be no more sneak attacks from the St Hebereke team.

                A knock at her door roused Akane from her homework.  She recognized Kasumi's gentle touch, and called for her sister to come in.  Kasumi opened the door, and said, "Akane, you have a visitor."  She stepped aside, and the youngest Tendo's eyes widened in shock.  It didn't matter that she'd never seen the other girl before -- Nanami's description made it pretty obvious who this was.  Kasumi went downstairs, as Akane realized that the captain of the St Hebereke team was here to take out the last hope of Furinkan!

                Kodachi walked forward and spoke up hesitantly.  "Akane Tendo?  I'm Kodachi Kuno, the captain of the St Hebereke team.  I just wanted to say--"

                What Kodachi wanted to say would remain forever sealed to the knowledge of mortal man.  Akane gave a loud kiai, grabbed the stunned White Rose in a judo hold, and threw her through the window.  'THAT ought to teach her not to try and ambush me!'  Akane thought triumphantly.  'Shows how much Ranma knows with his stories about her being the victim.'

                The war-cry distracted Ranma, currently chasing a certain black piglet through the backyard in an attempt to dissuade him from sneaking back into Akane's bed.  He froze, thinking that Akane had seen him 'bullying her poor little P-chan' again.  He looked up in trepidation at her window... just in time to see it shatter as someone was flung violently through it.

                The next thing Kodachi knew, strong arms caught her and she wasn't falling anymore.  Ranma's leap to catch her landed them both on the roof, by chance on the end of the building farthest away from Akane's room.  She looked up at her rescuer's face, and the sensation of weightlessness returned with a vengeance.

                Ranma noticed the stunned look on her face (only Mousse would have been blind enough to miss it) but attributed it to being flung around like a rag doll.  "Geez, Kodachi, you okay?  What happened?"  He set her down gently.

                "Miss Tendo apparently did not wish to extend her hospitality to me."  Kodachi grimaced.  She knew her team had earned its reputation, but as far as she was concerned, being thrown through a second story window before she could even speak her message of peace was a little too much to overlook.  A normal person could have been scarred for life by the breaking glass, crippled in the fall, or even killed.

                "Akane threw you out the window?!"  Ranma found he had a lot more problems with that than the violence she usually directed his way.

                "Yes.  I came here to apologize for her involvement, and to assure her that there would be no sneak attacks.  She didn't even let me get the words out of my mouth."  The sympathy she felt from him made Kodachi feel a lot better.

                "Well, it ain't like you got special treatment or nothin'.  That violent tomboy hits first and asks questions never.  Sorry you had to get on her bad side."

                "Indeed.  By the way, you know my name, but I don't believe we've met."  Kodachi was sure that she'd remember a man like this.  There was something a little familiar about his voice, though, and his eyes... she told herself the reason she was staring so intently at his face was to try to determine if they had met before.

                "Uh, Ranma.  Ranma Saotome."  Ranma was a little nervous at the intensity of the gaze Kodachi was turning on him, and didn't really think about what the likely result of giving his real name would be.

                "Ranma Saotome?!"  Now she knew who he reminded her of.  "I believe I met one of your relatives yesterday.  A girl with red hair.  But she was also named Ranma."

                Ranma began to sweat noticeably.  "Uh... yeah.  She's... my sister, sorta.  I mean... her mother married my father.  That's how we ended up having the same name."  It would forever remain an unexplained mystery how he came up with a credible story under that much pressure that wasn't an outright lie.

                "She seemed like a nice person.  It must run in the family."  Kodachi smiled at him.  "Do you also practise Saotome Anything Goes style?"  Running her eyes over his muscle definition, and remembering the leap with which he'd caught her, she was pretty sure the answer would be yes.

                "Yeah.  Hey, if you see the other Ranma again, you can call her Ranko.  She goes by that sometimes when things get too confusing."  Ranma didn't feel like telling her his secret just now.  He was pretty tired of watching the looks of shock and revulsion whenever someone found out for the first time.

                "I will.  It certainly was lucky for me that you were nearby to catch me."  Kodachi wasn't about to tell him she would have healed nearly instantly from any injuries she might otherwise have sustained.  She didn't think she could bear the thought of Ranma looking at her like she was a freak of nature.  "Do you live near here?"

                "Me and Pop are stayin' at the Tendo Dojo.  Uh, and Ranko, too.  Pop and Mr Tendo are old buddies, and the Tendos are the only other practitioners of the Anything Goes style."  No need to mention that farce of an engagement.  After all, he was only going along with it until he found a way out, right?

                Kodachi's heart melted with sympathy.  "You mean you have to put up with that harridan, Akane Tendo, on a regular basis?"  No wonder he hadn't seemed more surprised at the treatment she'd received.

                "Yeah... she's even in the same class with me at school."  Ranma grimaced.

                "Oh?  You attend Furinkan?  Then you'll be at the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics match next Saturday?"  Ranma nodded, and Kodachi went on.  "Akane will be facing me, as I'm the team captain and she's the only competitor from her school.  I won't go TOO hard on her, but I intend to let her know I don't appreciate her method of greeting a guest.  Would you like me to slip in a little payback for you as well?"

                Ranma was tempted, but decided not to add any fuel to the fire.  "Thanks, but after the way you sliced that boulder in half, I don't think I'd better ask you to go any harder on Akane than you have to.  I mean, she's a violent tomboy with delusions of fighting skill, but I don't wanna see her get hurt."  Belatedly remembering that HE wasn't supposed to have seen the White Rose slice the boulder in half, he added, "Ranko was really impressed with that trick, by the way."

                "Don't worry.  I have no intention of hurting her."  Embarrassment, on the other hand... a little regretfully, Kodachi said goodnight and left.

***************

                Breakfast the next morning was even worse than usual in the Tendo household.  It had started with Akane snapping at Ranma that the girl HE'D said was an innocent victim had tried to attack her last night.  Ranma had been planning to keep quiet about the matter until after school, as he was sick and tired of being late to class.  At this, though, he'd told her exactly how he felt about people who made up their minds about other people before even giving them a chance.  He told her the real reason Kodachi had been there, not really expecting her to believe him.  Sure enough, she just called him an idiot.  Things only got worse from there, and they didn't even speak to each other on the way to school.   They had actually been on time at that point.  Their fathers had thrown them out rather than listen to them argue any longer.

                As they approached the school, Ranma saw the normal huge crowd of boys awaiting Akane.  'Well, she can fight her own battles this time,'  he thought to himself.  Then he noticed something odd.  The boys weren't equipped for fighting, and to a man they had looks of disappointment on their faces.  One stepped forward as Ranma and Akane stopped.

                "Ranma?  Kuno talked it over with the rest of us," Kojiro paled a little as he remembered the ultimatum Tatewaki had laid in front of them, "and convinced us to stop challenging Akane.  She's your fiancée, and we can't change that by fighting her.  So we're just gonna take it like men and accept your engagement to Akane."  That way nobody would have to learn what it felt like to have both shoulders dislocated by one swipe of a bokken.

                Both Ranma and Akane were too stunned at this to immediately begin protesting that they WEREN'T a couple, that it was all their stupid parents' idea, and so on and so forth.  Ranma had almost found his voice, when he heard a new voice behind him.

                "Fiancée?"  The pain in the question jerked him around like a marionette on its strings.  Kodachi was standing some distance behind him, with a look of stunned horror on her face.  "Ranma?  You're... engaged to... HER?!"

                "It ain't my fault!!"  Ranma managed to get the words out, though they were higher-pitched than was usual in his guy form.  "It's all a stupid promise my dad made to her dad before either of us was born.  It's not a REAL engagement!"  

                This of course didn't sit well with Akane, even though she would have said the exact same thing if Ranma hadn't beaten her to it.  "Don't flatter yourself, Ranma.  I wouldn't even look twice at you if my father wasn't so stubborn!"

                Kodachi had gone from desolate to pensive.  She'd come to thank Ranma again for saving her the previous night, and wish him a good day at school, not expecting to find out anything like this.  "Then this... engagement is against your will, Ranma?  You endure it only in the name of honor, because your father made a promise?"

                "Yeah, that's about the size of it.  What're you doing here, anyway, Kodachi?  You thinking about transferring to Furinkan?"  Ranma didn't realize that the last question had come out sounding a little bit hopeful.

                "Actually, I just came to thank you again for last night, and wish you a good day at school today."  Kodachi glanced down at her watch.  "I must be going, or I shall be late for class.   Adieu!"  She couldn't resist showing off a little, and leapt from the ground, to a gatepost, to a rooftop, and out of sight.

                Silence fell for a minute in the schoolyard, broken by Akane's growl.  "So she wanted to thank you for last night, huh, pervert?"

                As the school bell chose that moment to ring, Ranma's strategic retreat retained at least a little dignity.  He told himself the only reason he was running was not to be late.

***************

                Dinner was a strained affair at the Tendo household that night.  Nabiki, who was sitting next to Akane, kept blowing on her hands and rubbing them together in a vain attempt to warm up.  Genma was mentally polishing the lecture he'd be giving his son after dinner about responsibility to one's fiancée.  Soun was telling himself over and over that, after all, fighting together is what couples do best.  The knock at the front door actually came as a relief, at least temporarily.  Kasumi excused herself, and came back a minute later with their visitor.

                "Greetings."  Kodachi's tone was cool as she addressed the Tendo patriarch.  "My name is Kodachi Kuno.  I visited this household last night, and was... inadvertently responsible for some damages.  Specifically a broken window."  Her gaze flickered toward Akane, who scowled back at her.  "I wish to make amends, and am prepared to pay you the sum of one million yen as compensation."

                Naturally, this statement affected different people in different ways.  Kasumi said, "Oh, my!"  Genma and Nabiki nearly went into cardiac arrest.  Akane growled, certain this was a trick of some kind.  Soun just blinked, unable for the moment to process what he had heard.  P-chan squealed.  And Ranma...

                "What?!  Kodachi, what's going on?"  Ranma had heard from some of the students in his class that Tatewaki's family was quite wealthy, but he didn't think anyone could toss sums like that around frivolously.

                The White Rose turned and gave him a tentative smile, but didn't answer.  She waited a moment, then when she judged that Soun was once more capable of rational thought, she added, "Subject to a certain condition."  She took a deep breath.  "I have heard of the honor pledge made to unite the Saotome and Tendo clans, regardless of whatever the wishes of Ranma or Akane may be.  Personally, I feel that such arrangements are less than appealing.  This, then, is my offer.  If Furinkan should win the upcoming match against my school, I shall pay you the sum I previously mentioned, and make a public apology to Akane for her involvement in the matter.  However, should St Hebereke prove triumphant, Ranma will be released from all promises made by his father on his behalf, free to choose his own way in life without loss of honor."

                "Out of the question!"  "We accept!"

                Soun and Genma turned and stared at each other in shock.  Then Genma growled, "Could I have a word with you in private, Tendo?"  Not even waiting for the other's response, he grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him off to the dojo.  Ranma was the next of those still in the dining room to speak up.

                "Kodachi?  Why are you doin' this?"

                "For the very reason I already said.  I do not believe that honor can truly be served by forcing you into this arrangement.  You both have made it clear that you are unhappy with affairs, but neither of you can fight back without tarnishing your honor, not to mention straining your family relations.  I am willing to fight for you, Ranma."  Kodachi thought about the double meaning of that last statement, then turned to Akane and smiled sweetly.  "And it's for your own good in another way too, Akane.  Since everyone knows you oppose the engagement, it gives you an excuse for what's going to happen when we meet in combat next Saturday.  After you lose, you can say you threw the fight."

***************

                Meanwhile, in the dojo...

                "Saotome!  How could you?  Does the honor of our pledge mean nothing to you?!"  Soun was about ten seconds away from his 'tower of tears' attack.

                "Tendo, have you forgotten everything you learned from the M... from our early training?  Never pass up an opportunity like this!  All this agreement really says is that if Akane loses, it'll have to be Ranma's choice to stick to the engagement.  You can leave him up to me if it comes to that, but it won't."

                "I'm glad you have such confidence in Akane's fighting skills, old friend,"  Soun said dubiously, "but I don't really think she can learn an entirely new school of attacks that quickly.  Especially not some worthless style that depends on tool-use."  Both men had heard the basics of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics over the last two days, and their initial impressions were the same as Ranma's had been.

                "She won't have to."  Genma's glasses momentarily gleamed.  "Because before the match, you and I will take a page out of her opponent's book and make sure St Hebereke won't be competing.  We'll win by forfeit and rake in a cool million yen to boot!  We can even put some of it aside for wedding presents!"

                Soun's mouth opened and closed a few times.  Then he managed to gasp out, "Brilliant!  I should never have doubted you for a minute, old friend!"

                "Indeed you shouldn't have.  Together, we two will sweep aside all obstacles to Ranma's and Akane's future happiness together in domestic bliss!"  The two took up melodramatic poses.

                "It's Soun's--"                      "And Genma's--"

                                "Operation Pave the Way!"

                They returned as Akane was finally winding down in her description of just what she thought of the White Rose.   Soun announced that they found the proposal acceptable, and stated that they had every confidence in Akane's victory.  Kodachi smiled and shook her head a little at this.  After promising once again that there would be no sneak attacks, she took her leave.

***************

                The next day passed fairly uneventfully.  After school, Akane went to the dojo to resume training with Ryoga.  The lost boy was thinking things were too good to be true -- he was surprised he hadn't gotten lost yet.  Had he but known, on Sunday evening when Ranma was chasing him as P-chan, the pursuit had been broken off just in time to prevent him from taking a wrong turn and winding up in Hokkaido.

                Meanwhile, Nabiki had an appointment to keep with Tatewaki.  She paused just outside the usual dessert shop.  'This could get ugly,' she thought, but was reassured by the sight of Ranma-chan in the booth next to the one where Kuno was waiting for her.  Since the kendoist had never seen Ranma's cursed form, he didn't suspect a thing.  Nabiki took a deep breath and went in.  One way or another, it was time for some answers.

                Kuno smiled briefly at Nabiki as she slid into the booth.  He noted that she seemed even less open than usual.  "A pleasure to--"

                Nabiki cut him off.  "Kuno?  Do you know that one of the waitresses here goes to our school?  Her name's Minami.  She's one of the girls in my network.  And she's told me some pretty interesting things lately."  She regarded Kuno with a flat stare.  "I'd be interested in hearing why you're willing to pay tens of thousands of yen for photos of my sister when you shred them as soon as I'm out of sight."  It scared Nabiki to think that she might have been encouraging someone truly unbalanced to pursue Akane.  Did Tatewaki have a split personality, or even worse?

                Kuno gulped, and his face went ashen.  In the next booth, Ranma-chan perked up her ears.  She was more willing than Nabiki to give the kendoist the benefit of the doubt.  Mostly this was because Ranma couldn't really imagine anyone obsessing over that violent macho tomboy.  The theory he'd formed, after Nabiki had told him the facts and asked for her help this afternoon, was that the Kuno family were a lot richer even than people thought and could afford to shell out huge amounts of money on a whim.  Ranma-chan expected to hear that the whole thing was some kind of joke on Tatewaki's part.

                The kendoist called on all his courage.  He'd known this day would come, but had expected to be the one who chose the time.  "That... is going to require a long and complicated answer, Nabiki.  To begin at the beginning, I am not interested in your sister romantically.  If you recall, at the opening of the school year, I began challenging Akane to spar in the mornings before class.  This evolved into the ritual of boys challenging her to date her, but that was not my fault.  Someone assumed that was my reason, the rumor mill spread that around, and thus the horde of hormone-crazed hentais.

                "My reason for challenging Akane has always been to improve her martial arts.  Remember, I had no knowledge until just recently that there existed another heir to the Anything Goes school.  I have sparred with Ranma twice now, Nabiki.  He has the skill and control necessary to carry the entire weight of a school on his shoulders.  I do not wish to be rude, but your sister does not.  She does not even come close, though she has improved quite a bit since the beginning of the semester.  Her speed and dexterity, almost nonexistent then, are now approaching the level of a halfway-decent martial artist."  Well, Tatewaki's definition of a halfway-decent martial artist, at least.  "Because I thought she was your family's only hope, I took it on myself to train her."

                "Out of the kindness of your heart," Nabiki said sarcastically.  This didn't even begin to explain the photos.

                "Is it so hard to believe that the plight of your family moves me?"  Kuno regarded her sadly.  "In our freshman year, I became curious as to why the girl who was squeezing so much yen from the rest of the students never seemed to have any new clothes or flashy possessions.  I investigated.  I found out your mother died when you were young, and your father never recovered from the blow.  I discovered that your older sister kept house, your younger sister was the only hope of continuing your family's school of martial arts, and you were the one who provided all your family's income.

                "On that day I went from disliking you to feeling sympathy for you.  The path you've taken hasn't left you any real friends, has it?  Your image keeps everyone at a distance.  When I saw how things really were, I decided to help your family.  Akane I aided by training, as I already said.  And you... I have been far and away your most profitable customer, have I not?  The photographs were simply the easiest way to transfer large sums to you at a time.  That's also the reason I offered that ridiculous wager on your sister.  Believe me, there is no way she can beat Kodachi.  But Akane's loss is your family's gain."

                Nabiki had no idea how to handle this situation.  Her instincts told her he was telling the truth, although she had a nagging suspicion that there was something he hadn't said yet.  If that were the case... Nabiki felt like the situation was spiraling out of her control, a sensation she hated.  Because she didn't know how to respond, she tried to fall back on the Ice Queen image.

                "So you're just one big philanthropist, huh?"  But her voice was unsteady and her hands were shaking, which ruined the intended effect.  Tatewaki said a quick prayer, and took the cue.

                "No.  I confess that there is something I hope to gain in return for all that I have given.  I never said I was uninterested in all the Tendo daughters.  There is one who had the courage to take over the duties that her helpless father should have carried.  One who puts the welfare of her family above her own.  One who has the intelligence and drive to make whatever she wants out of her life."  Tatewaki smiled at her, ignoring the way his heart was crawling around his tonsils.  "One whose favorite ice cream dessert is a triple fudge sundae.  Nabiki, I- I... would date with you."

                At this point, Ranma-chan felt it was time she took off.  She slid out of her seat.  Pausing at the door of the shop, she turned and gave Nabiki a big smile and a thumbs-up gesture.  The look of panicked helplessness on Nabiki's face just made Ranma-chan's own grin wider.  'Dang, I never knew Nabiki was the one who paid for all the Tendos' expenses,' she thought as she made her way back to the dojo.  Ranma-chan decided she didn't mind the middle sister's treatment of her that much anymore.  'I just hope she gives Kuno the chance he deserves.'

***************

                Ranma quickly became reassured on that point.  The knowledge that someone handsome, cultured, intelligent, athletic, and rich wanted HER hit Nabiki like a full bottle of top-quality sake would affect Gosunkugi.  The Ice Queen melted very quickly indeed over the next few days.

                Akane's training continued with Ryoga, with Ranma sometimes watching from the sidelines.  By Thursday evening, she'd reached the point where she could have earned a place on the school team in a normal tryout.  This encouraged Ryoga enough that he decided on Friday to try something other than just honing basic skills.

                "Akane, you've done a wonderful job of learning the foundational techniques so far.  Tonight I want to teach you one of the special attacks.  Your opponent will never believe you could have learned something this advanced in the time you've had.  You should be able to catch her off guard for an easy win."

                "What's the weather like on your planet, Ryoga?"  Ranma called from the sidelines.  "It took her a week to learn the basics and you're gonna teach her an advanced technique in one night?  Get real, bacon breath."  Ranma was paying too much attention to Ryoga at that point, and failed to dodge Akane's thrown medicine ball, which impacted on his head.  The ball rebounded and rolled to a stop a little behind Akane.

                "Serves you right, you jerk!"  Akane turned back to her trainer, who had moved to the opposite end of the dojo.  "So what's this special move, Ryoga?"

                "It lets you throw a club like a boomerang. It's best used to hit your opponent's head from behind.  I can't tell you the technique name, though, or you'd shout it out when you use it, and warn your enemy.  

That won't happen if you don't know the name."

                "But... won't I learn the name anyway when you yell it during the demonstration?"

                "Don't worry, I've got everything under control."  Ryoga removed several bandannas from his head, and used them to gag himself.  Once he was satisfied that nothing intelligible could come out, he picked up a club and focused on the attack.  "MMPHRLM PHML!" he mumbled, and threw the club.  It flashed toward Akane, then curved in its flight, passing about five feet in front of her, and continued to smack Ranma on the head.

                At least, that had been Ryoga's intention.  Unfortunately, when Akane saw the club coming at her, she panicked and jumped back, landing on the medicine ball with one foot and hitting the gound in an undignified and uncontrolled fall.  Ranma jumped on seeing this, and the club hit him in the left shoulder instead of his head.

                About ten minutes later, Kasumi looked up from her examination of her sister's ankle.  "It's definitely sprained, Akane.  You won't be able to compete tomorrow."

                "No way!  I have to!  Everyone is counting on me!"  Akane got up from her bed, but nearly fell as soon as she put any weight on her injured foot.  She sat back down, feeling terrible.

                "Akane, you're just going to have to find a substitute."

                "It's not that easy, Nabiki.  The match is tomorrow!  Where are we going to find someone who looks good in a leotard, is good at martial arts, and knows Rhythmic Gymnastics in one night?"

                Ranma sweated as all three Tendo daughters turned and looked at him.  "What're you -- uh uh.  No.  Not me.  NO WAY am I puttin' on a leotard and..."

The rest of the sentence was cut off by the splash of water.  Ranma-chan whirled and glared at Ryoga, who just smirked and said, "Looks like it's gonna be an all-nighter."

                Akane and the other two martial artists returned to the dojo.  Akane watched for awhile, surprised and a little jealous to see that Ranma had somehow, just by watching her train, managed to become almost as good with the tools as she was.  After a little while, she let Ranma and Ryoga convince her to go to bed and leave them to their training.

                Once Akane was out of sight, the smile vanished from Ryoga's face.  Ranma had noticed it seemed pretty forced anyway.  Ryoga turned and snarled, "Don't think I enjoy this, Ranma.  But I could never forgive myself if I lost Akane that million yen.  So I'll do my best to train you, and you darn well better not lose!"

                "Even if losing means the engagement's off?" Ranma said, a little surprised.

                "Don't remind me!"   The tortured expression on Ryoga's face was now clearly understandable.  He consoled himself with the thought that even with the best training, there was no way Ranma would learn enough in one night to win.  Akane would know who she could depend on, the Tendos would never forgive Ranma for losing that money for them, and Ryoga would have an even better revenge than beating his rival at war.  He'd win at love, instead.

                Even as Ryoga was gloating and Ranma was preparing to throw a hoop at him to get his mind back on training, Soun and Genma were holding a council of war.  Soun had become more and more nervous over the past few days, as his friend had made no move to carry out the plan he'd spoken of earlier.  Genma had finally noticed this evening, and asked what was wrong.

                "What's wrong?!  I thought we were supposed to ensure that my little girl will win her match by default tomorrow.  We haven't done anything to take out this White Rose person yet!"

                "Well, Tendo, just what were you thinking?  We ambush her and break her leg or something?"

                Out in the hallway, where Nabiki was crouched against the door, the middle Tendo daughter felt sick.  She'd come to tell her father about Akane's accident, and had almost knocked at the door before hearing what was going on inside.  She'd never believed the elder Saotome could sink so low.  And that her father would have come up with a scheme like this...  but then, through distinct sensations of nausea, Nabiki heard her father's reply.

                "Of... of course not!  How could you even suggest such a thing, Saotome?!  I could never do a thing like that!"

                "And neither could I."  Not to an innocent girl, at least.  Genma might have his faults, but they didn't extend that deep.  "And even if we could, another member of the St Hebereke team would just fill in for her.  No, Tendo, what's needed is subtlety.  We need to take out the entire team at once, in a way that doesn't hurt anybody.  Here's my plan.  Before the match, all the St Hebereke team will be in their locker room changing.  We'll leave a huge bouquet of white roses there, rigged to fill the room with knockout gas as soon as someone picks them up.  By the time the gas wears off, Akane will have won by default and we'll be in the black to the tune of a cool million yen."

                "Brilliant!  Saotome, you're a genius!"

                "Well, I have my moments."  The two took up melodramatic poses.

                "It's Soun's--"                      "And Genma's--"

                                "Operation Flower Power!"

                Nabiki shook her head, and walked off.  Suddenly she felt like giving her new boyfriend a phone call.  Losing a million yen really sucked, but losing him because of her father's misconduct would be unthinkable.

***************

                When Ranma woke up the next morning, he found his left arm was unusually stiff and sore, due to the fact that the club had hit a delayed-reaction shiatsu point the previous night.  A few exercises quickly convinced him he wasn't going to be able to count on any two-handed attacks in the match today.  For a moment he seriously considered bowing out.  But, as Ryoga had taken great pleasure in pointing out the previous night, if he didn't fight, St Hebereke would win by default because of his choice.  He'd lose just as much honor as if he'd flat-out rejected the engagement and left when told about it.

                Rightly or wrongly, Ranma decided not to tell anyone about his arm.  Nobody noticed anything, as they were all pretty keyed-up. Also, Genma wasn't around to try to steal food off his plate.  This would have quickly revealed his injury, but the elder Saotome was off attending to a certain flower delivery and had said he'd meet them at the school.

***************

                In the St Hebereke locker room, Kodachi noted that Nabiki had told her brother the truth.  A cunning trap, the White Rose mused.  She debated whether or not to confront Genma and Soun, eventually deciding just to let it slide unless they tried to renege on the deal after her inevitable victory.  She shoved the bouquet into a large sack she'd brought and sealed it tightly.  The slight whiff of gas that escaped in the process would have knocked out a normal person.  Kodachi didn't even feel dizzy.  She changed into her leotard and went to give her opponent the pre-fight greeting.

                Ranma-chan was not a happy camper.  She was in a leotard, and had already been ogled by several guys.  She was about to fight someone she considered a friend, who was trying to help her.  If she won, she'd get the privilege of NOT being given a free choice.  And she was going to do it with only one arm in fighting condition.

                "Ranko?  Why is Akane dressed normally and you in a leotard?"  Somehow, the entire group had missed Kodachi's approach.

                Ranma-chan heaved a sigh.  "She hurt her ankle in training last night.  I'm the substitute."

                "I... see."  So she'd be facing not someone who needed to learn a lesson and had had a week to prepare, but someone she would like to have as a friend and who'd had less than eighteen hours to train.  As far as Kodachi was concerned, the situation had absolutely NO redeeming qualities.  She just hoped Ranma wouldn't hold it against her that she had to defeat his stepsister in combat.  "I truly wish this could have been avoided."

                "You and me both."  Ranma-chan idly wondered why the sight of Kodachi in a leotard would reduce Soun to standing immobile with a look of stunned horror.  The White Rose looked pretty cute in her pale gold outfit as far as the heir to the Saotome line was concerned.

                At that point, a glance at the clock showed Kodachi that it was time to meet with her second.  "We will see each other again shortly, Ranko.  We will be opponents then, but let us not meet as enemies."

                "Count on it."

                Thirty minutes later, they faced each other again, this time in the middle of the ring.  Ranma-chan had given her alias of Ranko to the announcer.  Akane was standing just outside one corner of the ring, to serve as the Furinkan second.  Soun, Genma, Ryoga, Nabiki, and Kasumi had front-row seats just a little behind Akane's position.  The signal was given for the combatants to shake hands and move to ready positions in their respective corners.

                "Wait, Ranko."  Kodachi's whisper stopped Ranma-chan as she was about to let go of the handshake.

                "What is it?"  Ranma-chan whispered back.

                "You do know why I'm doing this, right?  It's for your stepbrother's benefit.  I was thinking... it's not like you can have had any real chance to prepare... if you're willing, we could put on a good show.  I could make it look like a narrow victory."

                "You're asking me to throw the fight."

                Kodachi regarded the other sadly.  "Do you think it will change the outcome?"

                "We'll just have to see."  Ranma-chan met her opponent's gaze.  "Why ARE you doin' this really?  I mean, why go to so much trouble for Ranma?"

                Kodachi gulped, but remembered that her brother had come through something similar recently.  "When I win, Ranma will be free to choose his own path.  I'll be honest, Ranko... I hope he... chooses me."  Kodachi looked away, and scanned the crowd again.  They were showing definite signs of restlessness as the 'handshake' went on and on.  But she couldn't find the face she was looking for.  The White Rose turned back to ask Ranko where Ranma was.

                However, at that point the referee got fed up, blew her whistle, and signaled emphatically for the two to take positions in their corners.  This gave Ranma-chan a point of reference she could handle.  Go over and stand in the corner?  She could do that.  Get ready to fight?  She could do that too.  Think about what she'd just been told?  That could wait for later.

***************

                The fight began slowly.  Kodachi had spent the past week developing a new special attack, the Ribbon of Revelation, and now she couldn't use it.  She had expected to win the fight within the first minute.  The White Rose had looked forward to seeing Akane concede defeat without even getting off an attack, but knew she couldn't use the technique on Ranko.  Instead she decided to try and force the redhead out of the ring.  She didn't expect it to be too hard, as the girl had had so little time to prepare.

                Ranma-chan had chosen the clubs as her initial equipment.  She felt most comfortable with them, as they were a bit like the nunchaku she was fairly skilled in using.  She blocked the first few attacks from Kodachi's ribbon, then dodged the next and dashed forward in a surprise attack.

                Kodachi was impressed with the sudden burst of speed, but evaded with a cartwheel to the side.  Coming up, she launched another set of quick, light ribbon strikes at her opponent.  This time, as Ranma-chan's left side was closer to Kodachi, the redhead was unable to block the initial attacks.  They stung a little, but the White Rose hadn't really been trying to hurt her.

                The St Hebereke champion quickly realized that her opponent didn't have full use of her left arm.  The idea that the Tendos had still insisted on her competing while injured made the White Rose think a number of extremely unladylike thoughts.  She backflipped to put some space between her and Ranma-chan, then turned a glare like an oxyacetylene blowtorch on the group seated behind Akane.

                "Sorry, Dachi," Ranma-chan whispered, seeing her opponent was distracted.  She took careful aim, then tossed a club at her opponent.  Her throw was perfect -- the club struck its target, a shiatsu point on Kodachi's left hip.  This particular point worked only on women, and would paralyze the leg for an hour.

                Kodachi's eyes widened as she felt her leg freeze up.  She tumbled to the ground.  Then, the numbness was replaced by the sensation of pins and needles, then returning warmth.  She stood back up, and Ranma-chan's jaw dropped.

                "I suppose that's why they call it Anything Goes.  I won't let myself get distracted again, Ranko."  Kodachi admired the level of skill that attack must have taken.  She made a mental note to learn some shiatsu techniques herself.

                Ranma-chan wondered if she was in over her head.  Okay, she knew one other shiatsu point, the back-of-the-neck Instant Unconsciousness one, but she probably wasn't going to get an opportunity to try that attack.  She needed a quick win that wouldn't involve beating Kodachi black and blue... a plan formed in her mind.  Ranma-chan moved to one side, so that Akane would have a clear path to her, then called for her second to throw her a ball.  Kodachi took the moment to request a club from her second.

                Akane tossed the ball toward Ranma.  As it left the youngest Tendo's hand, Ranma-chan whirled and threw her remaining club.  But her foot twisted in the move, and the club went wide to one side.  She stumbled, barely managing to catch the ball.

                "Are you all right, Ranko?  Is your ankle hurt as well as your arm?"  Kodachi was just about ready to declare to the referee that Ranma-chan was in no shape to fight when she felt something impact her from behind on the seat of her leotard.  This was the club which Ranma-chan had thrown using the technique Ryoga had demonstrated the previous night.  Her slip had been to make her opponent think the wild toss was an accident.

                The White Rose was knocked forward, off-balance.  Ranma-chan threw the medicine ball with all the strength she could muster.  With only one arm powering the throw, it was just barely enough.  The ball bounced off the floor and up into Kodachi, carrying her into the air and out of the ring before she could recover.

                Ranma-chan didn't want to watch her opponent touch down outside the ring and lose, but she forced herself not to turn away.  Sometimes winning sucked worse than losing, she thought.  'And now Kodachi's gonna have to shell out a million--'

                The Saotome heir's thought dissolved into blank disbelief as, at the height of her arc, Kodachi began spinning her ribbon like the rotor of a helicopter.  The White Rose hovered for a moment, then propelled herself back over the ring.  She quit twirling her ribbon, and touched down lightly in a corner.  Ranma-chan realized she'd backed into the opposite corner.  Suddenly she began to appreciate WHY Kodachi had always been so confident of victory.

                Kodachi regarded her opponent with a great deal of respect.  "I never thought I'd meet someone with the potential to defeat me.  If you were fighting at your full strength, I suspect you could have disabled me by now.  I didn't give you nearly enough credit, Ranko, but I'm through underestimating you."  She smiled.  "Remember, I never promised you a fair fight."  She stepped to the center of the ring, and began twirling her ribbon.  "White Rose Special Attack:  SPIRIT RIBBON STORM!"

                A number of things happened then in very rapid succession.

                Kodachi focused almost half as much chi-energy into the ribbon as she was capable of at maximum.  This was roughly fifteen times the amount she'd used to slice the boulder.

                The ribbon had been barely stirring the air.  A gale-force wind, confined to the ring, began to blow  instead.  Kodachi, in the eye of the storm, was unaffected.

                Ranma-chan was not.  Only the fact that she was in a corner saved her from being flung out of the ring.  She barely managed to grab the ropes on either side and brace herself, hoping Kodachi would run out of energy before she was torn loose.

                Kodachi tossed the club in her other hand high into the air.  It struck a certain valve at just the right angle.

                The sprinkler system cut on.  Most of the water was sucked into the vortex, to serve as the 'rain' element of the storm, but some still fell on the lines of seats closest to the ring.

                "NOOOOOO!!" screamed Ryoga.  His cry of agony wrenched Akane's attention from the ring to himself... just in time to see him change.

                Ranma-chan, battered by wind and rain, was trying desperately to hold on.  She couldn't believe anyone would be capable of sustaining such a powerful attack.  Then, the final element of the storm made an appearance.  Like a bolt of lightning, Kodachi's ribbon snaked out, and cut the ropes Ranma-chan was clinging to.  With nothing to secure her, she flew up and out of the storm... and the ring.

                Once she was in calm air again, Ranma-chan had no difficulty controlling her fall and landing safely.  Kodachi had counted on this.   She remembered midair techniques were an Anything Goes specialty.  Ranma-chan, bedraggled and dripping wet, just looked at the White Rose from the aisle where she'd landed, and wondered what happened now.

***************

                The stunned feeling hadn't worn off yet.  Ranma methodically set up the tent and made camp.  He'd done this often enough with his father over the years that the motions were more or less automatic.  Ranma didn't want to think about the events of the past few hours, but the memories kept flashing through his mind anyway.  His father, berating him for losing to a girl.  Mr Tendo, wailing and bawling like a baby.  And Akane...

                Akane, blaming him for letting P-chan sleep in her bed.  Akane, certain he'd thrown the fight.  Akane, who'd said that the engagement had never existed.  Akane, who'd declared that if he didn't leave, she would.  And so Ranma found himself on the outskirts of town, preparing to spend an indeterminate amount of time camping out.  His father was staying with the Tendos; the plan was that the thought of Ranma all by himself would make Akane relent faster.  Ranma had kept silent when his father had explained that plan to him.  He didn't trust himself to tell the old panda what he thought of the idea of waiting for Akane to cool down, then slinking back.  As far as he was concerned, she'd said everything that needed to be said.

                Ranma forced himself to stop thinking about the past.  This didn't really help any, as a little voice inside his head immediately began asking how he was going to cope with the future.  Going back to the Tendos was out.  That was settled.  But the thought of going back on the road, living from hand to mouth, by himself, was almost as unappealing.  Ranma decided it would have to wait for the morning, when he might be in better shape for rational thought.  Instead, since his arm had finally quit hurting, he began to find what peace he could in training.

                It took her quite a while to find him.  Kodachi had arrived at the Tendos an hour after Ranma's departure.  Needless to say, she hadn't received a warm welcome.  Nabiki had told her what had happened, but the middle Tendo had no idea where Ranma had chosen to set up camp, just the general direction in which he'd left.  Kodachi had read many adventure stories over the years, though.  She had a basic knowledge of what constituted a good camping site.  Sure enough, by following the closest stream, she eventually located Ranma.

                She watched him from the cover of the trees for a while, entranced by the skill he showed as he performed kata after kata.  Kodachi wondered a little where Ranko was, as Nabiki had said she'd gone with her brother (the little voice that noted there was only one tent, and reminded her that after all Ranma and Ranko weren't related by blood, was squashed so thoroughly that she wasn't even consciously aware of it).

                Eventually Ranma noticed her.  Her skin and especially her hair didn't exactly blend in with the dark tree trunks, after all.  He pretended not to see her at first, but his focus was destroyed.  He halted his last kata in mid-motion, turned, and looked straight at her.  Hesitantly, the White Rose came out of the trees and stood in the clearing with him.

                Kodachi gazed at his face.  She saw a great mix of emotions there.  Hurt.  Confusion.  Loneliness.  Fear.  Tenderness.  And more.  She couldn't tell which of them were directed at her.  Maybe all of them were, to one extent or another.

                "Ranma?"  She spoke hesitantly.  "This isn't what I wanted to happen."

                "You think I'm blamin' you?" Ranma asked bitterly.  "Don't.  It ain't your fault, Kodachi.  I never asked for an arranged marriage.  I never asked for Pop to try an' order my life around.  He always says he knows best, and I'm sick and tired of waitin' for him to prove it.  You won the match.  That leaves me free to go my own way.  And you better believe that way ain't gonna take me back to the Tendo Dojo."

                "What will you do now, Ranma?"

                "...I dunno."

                "You can't just stay here forever."  Kodachi swallowed a couple of times.  "Even if you don't blame me, the fact remains that this wouldn't have happened but for my actions.  There are many unused guest rooms in my home.  It would mean a lot to me if... if you were to accept one of them for now."

                Ranma looked at her for a while, trying to decide what he should say, trying to figure out what he felt.  "Kodachi... I gotta be honest.  That sounds really nice to me.  But there's some stuff you need to know."  His mind made up, he continued, hoping against hope she wouldn't regret her offer in a few minutes.  "First things first.  I was at the match, even if you never saw me.  And I heard from Ranko what... you said.  About hopin' I chose you.  I think I could.  I'd like to try, at least.  If you still want to after you hear the rest of what I got to say."

                Her smile seemed to light up her whole face.  Praying it wasn't about to change to a grimace of revulsion, Ranma walked over to the bucket he'd filled with water earlier.  "Second.  About Ranko being my stepsister..."  He steeled himself, and poured the water over his head.

                As she watched the man of her dreams shrink several inches, and fill out noticeably in the chest area, only one thought came to Kodachi's mind.  "Jusenkyo?" she said haltingly.  "Ranma, please... tell me that was cold water."  Then she sighed a sigh of relief.  "But of course it was.  You were drenched with cold water during my Spirit Ribbon Storm, and you didn't change then.  Therefore, your true body is male, and female is your cursed form."

                This wasn't one of the possible responses Ranma-chan had anticipated.  She just gaped for a minute, then squeaked, "You know about Jusenkyo?!"  Not the most intelligent question that had ever been asked, but she wasn't operating at peak capacity just then.

                "My father traveled widely when I was younger."  VERY widely.  "He told us about the legend of Jusenkyo, the training ground of cursed springs.  Over one hundred springs, each of which has had something different drown there over the millennia.  Now, whoever falls in a spring is cursed to assume the form of whatever drowned there.  Cold water triggers the change to cursed form, and hot water restores you to your original self."  Kodachi regarded the redhead.  "Although we weren't sure it was more than just a  legend.  How long have you had your curse?"

                "Couple of months now."  It slowly began to dawn on Ranma-chan that Kodachi wasn't exhibiting any signs of horror or disgust.  "I hate it."

                "Now, Ranko," she said playfully, "you make it sound like being a girl is a fate worse than death.  I'm almost insulted.  After all, it's not like you're stuck forever in this form.  Think of it as giving you opportunities other men don't have."

                Ranma-chan snorted.  "And you'd go jump in a spring if you had the chance?"

                "Well, no.  But I still don't think it's that bad a curse."

                Ranma-chan looked at her without speaking for a minute.  "Thank you." she finally whispered.

                "For what?"  Kodachi didn't see why such a simple encouragement should affect the other so much.

                "You're the first person who's found out and hasn't looked at me like I'm a freak."  Ranma-chan walked over to her pack, took out a thermos, and splashed herself with hot water.   Because of this, he missed the fact that Kodachi's face wore a look of terrible indecision for a moment, followed by scared determination.  "That means a lot to me, Dachi."

                Kodachi tried to decide how best to work her way up to what she'd decided to tell him.  "I would never do that to someone I cared for."  She walked over to where he had made a firepit, and picked up a rock with a sharp edge.  "Ranma?  I hope you can... say the same to me."

                At this Ranma turned and looked her way again.  "What d'you mean..." his voice choked off in a gasp of horror as Kodachi drew the rock down her forearm, leaving a bloody gash.

                If the White Rose had thought Ranma had moved at top speed during the match, she was quickly disabused of the notion.  He seemed to fly across the intervening distance, took the rock from her, and gripped both her hands as tightly as a vise.  "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

                "Look at my arm," Kodachi answered as calmly as she could.  Here came the moment of truth.

                Ranma did so... and was amazed to find that the wound had already closed without a scar.  "How?" was all he could say.

                "I was born with hemophilia as well as albinism, Ranma."  Kodachi noted the blank look on his face.  "That's a condition where the blood doesn't clot on exposure to air.  Basically, I could have bled to death from a cut less than an inch long.  

                "My early childhood was very hard.  I couldn't run, couldn't jump, couldn't play with any toy that might conceivably have a cutting edge.  Whenever I did get cut, I had to have the wound stitched closed to stop the bleeding.

                "Can you imagine how that felt?  I had no friends.  I had no life outside my house.  I watched my mother practise Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, and wanted to be like her.  I wanted to go outside and run around like Tachi did.  I wanted to go on adventures, like the people in the stories my parents read to me.  I was often miserable.  And one day my father could bear it no longer.

                "He left with a promise to find a cure for me.  He looked long and hard, in a quest to find some sort of magical cure.  To this day I don't know how he could have had reason to believe in magic in the first place.  But he eventually found a wizard who could make me better.

                "The ironic thing is that the old man didn't even use magic.  It was a chi technique.  He increased a thousandfold my body's ability to absorb and store chi energy from the environment around me.  Because of this, I heal instantly.  My hemophilia wasn't cured, but it no longer matters as any cuts close at once and my body can restore blood as fast as I lose it."  She had found that out from the Kuno family physician, who did a thorough examination each year to make sure her condition didn't destabilize.  This was unnecessary, but her parents felt better for it.  The doctor still dreamed of someday meeting the man who could perform a miracle like this.  "And  he left me some scrolls with exercises to perform to increase my ability to channel the energy.  That's how I developed my special techniques, like the Spirit Ribbon Storm.

                "I was nine years old when Elminster cured me, Ranma.  I thought that my life would be perfect once I could live like a normal little girl.  But I was wrong.  I went to school thinking things would be wonderful.  I was met with teasing because of my albinism.  I told the other children about my quick healing, thinking a good thing would balance out a bad thing and they'd be willing to be my friends.  Instead, most of them thought I was a monster.  If not for my family's love, I don't know what kind of a person I would be today.  They gave me the courage not to give up.  I have found a few good friends over the years, but almost everyone else who has learned the truth has shied away from me.  Even as you have seen these past few months, I think."  Kodachi blinked back the tears.  "I want you to believe in me.  I will never think of your curse as having any impact on who you are... the man I want at my side."

                Ranma was silent as he tried to process this.  Then he slowly reached out and put his arm around Kodachi.  "Thanks," he said.  "Th- that sounds like a good place to be.  And I promise not to get too jealous."

                "Jealous?!"  Kodachi wasn't sure she'd heard right.

                "Yeah.  You can perform techniques I can only dream of.  I only know one chi attack," Ranma thought of the Cat-Fist, and shuddered briefly, "and I wish Pop had never heard of that one."

                "What type of attack, Ranma-kun?"  Kodachi found she liked the sensation of Ranma's arm around her even more than she'd expected she would.  Even if it did make her heart bounce around in her chest like a kitten on a catnip high.

                "I... don't wanna talk about it right now.  Maybe some other day."

                The White Rose smiled at that.  If she had her way, they would have lots of other days.  Together.

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                Author's notes

                Ok.  Hands up from everyone who thinks Akane is acting out of character.  Sorry, but I think I have her pegged pretty well.  I don't think anyone can argue that she makes her mind up quickly, and once she does it's very hard to change it.  It was just unlucky for her that she was told an outright lie (that Kodachi ambushed and beat up Nanami and company) which caused her to form a mental picture of Kodachi that would have been appropriate only for the Black Rose.  Once she threw Kodachi out the window, there was no going back.  Ranma can forgive hurt to himself much more easily than he can attacks on other people.  To my way of thinking, a BIG part of whatever affection he feels for Akane in the original series is due to her constant underdog role.  Well, here he has someone who's had it much rougher (or so it seems to Ranma, not really understanding the impact losing her mother had on Akane) and hasn't become angry or hurtful because of it.  Someone willing to fight for his right to make his own choices in life.  Someone who accepts his curse and doesn't think it makes him less of a man.  Someone who really needs the same type of reassurance from him, which was what enabled him to open up as much as he did.

                I don't hate Akane, but I think she makes a very poor partner for Ranma.  As if it weren't already clear, this fic will NOT feature a Ranma-Akane matchup.  Hence the title of this chapter. ^_^  Next time:  Airen?

                p.s.  I couldn't think of a good way to work this into the actual story, so I'll just mention it here.  The reason Kuno finally put a stop to the boys challenging Akane was so she wouldn't accidentally get injured before the Rhythmic Gymnastics match.  Oh, the irony.  Also, even though Nabiki never sold pictures of Ranma-chan to Kuno, that doesn't mean the other boys didn't form a market for photos of the mystery redhead.  Hence the reference to Ranma not minding Nabiki's conduct so much after learning she paid the Tendo bills.

                I wanted to start this chapter with Ranma's first meeting with Kodachi rather than his first day at Furinkan.  Here's a quick synopsis of that day -- after Akane beats the crowd, Kuno is waiting.  He means to challenge her to fight after school, as it's nearly time for class to begin, but recognizes Ranma as a formidable warrior.  Neither Ranma nor Tatewaki can resist the temptation; they spar, to see who's better, but it's a match between two fighters who respect each other.  Ranma barely manages to disarm Tatewaki just as the first raindrops fall, and dashes for the school, changing just before she can make it through the doorway.  Kuno doesn't see this, though.  When Kuno learns Ranma is engaged to Akane, he just accepts it thoughtfully (no pool scene... and no Akane helping Ranma-chan out.  However, that evening at home Ranma still manages to overhear Akane's famous quote, "It's like I'm engaged to my worst nightmare!").


	3. Choices of the Heart

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  Sakura and Key are from the anime series Key the Metal Idol.

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                Chapter 2:  Choices of the Heart

***************

                The ribbon flashed past Ranma-chan as she twisted.  Over and over the redhead dodged, weaving and bobbing like smoke in the breeze.  Kodachi was striking at maximum speed, although she was putting almost no force into the attacks; that way, she wouldn't accidentally hurt her Ranma.  The White Rose wore an expression of mixed awe, pride, and frustration.  She was amazed at how much Ranma had improved by sparring with her over the last month, and proud that she had been able to give this gift to her boyfriend.

                Once Kodachi had lent Ranma the advanced chi-technique scrolls from which she'd learned, the Anything Goes heir had taken to them like a duck to water.  He'd already known some of the basics, which was how he was able to jump from the ground to a second story rooftop with ease.  With the new resources, Ranma had learned to channel his chi with a finesse he'd never imagined possible.  Instead of focusing on powering up weapon attacks, as Kodachi had done, he chose to increase his already phenomenal speed and dexterity.  By now, he'd temporarily reached the limit of what he could do in that area, and was concentrating on the exercises that gradually increased his maximum chi reserves.

                Constant manipulation of chi and increasing endurance through sparring were a big part of this.  Consequently, Ranma and Kodachi spent a lot of time training together.  After only two weeks, Ranma had reached the point where he could evade her normal attacks and disarm her consistently.  Kodachi had conceded  then that the Anything Goes style was more powerful than her own.  Ranma had offered to teach her, but she'd been forced to decline.  The White Rose feared that if she were to learn too powerful a style, her own insanely high power levels might someday cause her to accidentally hurt or kill someone in a fight.

                Ranma-chan was beginning to feel the first creeping effects of fatigue from constantly dodging.  Each day it took a little longer before that happened.  It felt good to know she was improving so quickly.  She just wished that stupid rain shower hadn't stuck her as a girl right before she and Kodachi had begun sparring in the park.  Since her girl-type was naturally faster than her other body, training as a guy meant he had to work harder to dodge.  For this reason, the training was more effective when Ranma was in his natural form.

                Both he and his partner were frustrated that that wasn't always an option.  In fact, Kodachi was all but certain now that part of the Jusenkyo curse was an attractor of cold water.  Hence the last emotion in the mix on the White Rose's face.

                After dodging for a few minutes more, Ranma-chan put on an extra burst of speed, dashed inside Kodachi's reach, and snatched the ribbon out of her hand.  Kodachi just shook her head and grinned ruefully.  "Have you ever been beaten, Ranma-kun?  Besides that one time I caught you by surprise with the Spirit Ribbon Storm?"

                "No, not really."  Ranma-chan turned thoughtful.  "Y'know, it's not as good as it sounds, bein' undefeated.  I don't wanna think what would have happened if I'd beaten you in the ring then."  She sighed.  "Something you taught me that day is it's better to lose sometimes than to win.  Sure wish I'd known it a while back."

                Something in that last statement piqued Kodachi's interest.  "Did you win a fight you shouldn't have?"

                A shudder passed through Ranma-chan.  "You could say that."

                Kodachi opened her mouth to ask for additional details, when a loud cracking noise from the opposite end of the clearing drew both girls' attention.  Two large trees crashed to the ground, one falling to the right and the other to the left.  In the gap between them, a figure could be dimly seen through a cloud of dust and leaves.  As the debris subsided, this was revealed to be an extremely cute purple-haired girl with an extremely angry scowl on her face.

                "Sh- Sh- Shampoo..."  Ranma-chan's voice trailed off in a choked whisper.  She began to back away.

                "Ranma.  Die!" returned the girl in a melodic voice with a Chinese accent.  She produced a set of brightly-painted maces and charged.

                One second Ranma-chan was slowly backing away, the next she had already disappeared at top speed out the other end of the clearing.  Shampoo stumbled and skidded to a stop, dismayed at how much faster her quarry had become.  Then her expression hardened and she took off running again... only to crash to the ground as a ribbon snagged her ankle from the side.  She picked herself up and glared at the strange pale girl who'd tripped her.

                "And what do you think you're doing, threatening Ranma like that?"  Kodachi didn't see any need to bother with the Ranko alias, as this girl apparently already knew Ranma's true name.  "Who are you?"

                "Name Shampoo."  Shampoo decided that there was no point in running off after Ranma just yet.  She'd never catch her quarry in a race.  She would need to track her down, and could therefore afford to spend a minute or two instructing this girl about why it was unwise to interfere with a Chinese Amazon.  "Ranma is enemy.  Shampoo track all way from home in China.  Ranma give insult, she pay.  Shampoo let Ribbon Ghost Girl off with warning now, but better not get in way again."  With that, Shampoo gave a blood-curdling scream and charged Kodachi with a bonborri extended as if to run her through.

                Kodachi's eyes narrowed at the description, and she concluded this girl needed to learn some manners.  She prepared to evade the attack.  Then she decided it would impress her opponent more to take it full on and shrug off the effects.  The White Rose made deliberate eye contact with the charging Amazon, showing anger and contempt rather than fear.

                Shampoo wondered whether this girl had a death wish.  Putting it down to the stupidity of outsiders, she continued the attack as planned... stopping the bonborri a hairsbreadth from her opponent, reversing it, and quickly striking with the handle at a number of shiatsu points.

                Kodachi's eyes widened as she felt her body go numb.  She tumbled to the ground in an inelegant heap.  Satisfied that her opponent would be out for a few hours, Shampoo bounded off along Ranma-chan's trail.  She followed it for some distance before losing it at the point where her quarry had doubled back through the treetops.

                Meanwhile, back in the clearing, Kodachi was rubbing the last stiffness out of her muscles when Ranma-chan returned, dropping out of the trees to land next to her.  As she took in the fact that the White Rose had been attacked, Ranma-chan's face turned as white as Kodachi's.

                "Dachi!  Are you okay?!  Dammit, I thought she'd just follow me and leave you alone!"

                Kodachi put her hand on the other girl's shoulder.  "Don't worry about it, Ranma-kun.  She would have, but I tripped her with my ribbon."  The White Rose grimaced.  "She took me down with a very impressive shiatsu technique, but she didn't really try to hurt me.  And now I think I'd like to hear why someone would track you all the way from China to get revenge."

                "It's kinda... hard to explain.  Short version:  she's the fight I should've lost.  Can I give ya the full version after I get some hot water?  She's never seen me as a guy, so I'll be safe then."  At least until the next random splashing.

***************

                By chance, the closest building with hot water readily available was the dessert shop which was one of Nabiki and Tatewaki's favorite date spots.  Ranma-chan and Kodachi encountered the pair there.  Kodachi slid into the booth beside Nabiki, ignoring her brother's subtle signals that they'd rather continue the date in privacy.  She watched, a smile on her lips and an amused twinkle in her eyes, as Ranma-chan entered the _men's_ restroom.  A second later, several boys shot out wearing panicked expressions.  At least this time they were all fully clothed, the White Rose mused.

                Ranma changed back, made use of the facilities, then turned to leave.  He caught sight of his face in the mirror, though, and stopped.  He heaved a deep sigh and looked into his own eyes.  'Good job, Saotome,' he told himself.  'You coulda gotten Dachi hurt for real today.'  He thought back to how he'd felt on seeing her on the ground.  It scared him, a little, to realize just how much he'd come to care for the White Rose.  Ranma vowed that he would NOT let Shampoo hurt her.  He knew he'd never forgive himself if that were to happen.  He stared at his face for a little while longer, lost in thought.  Eventually, though, he heaved a sigh and walked out of the restroom... to a scene of utter chaos.

                There was a large hole in one wall.  Several tables and chairs were overturned.  Pieces of bonborri littered the floor.  Their former wielder sat on the floor groaning, while Tatewaki kept his bokken pointed at her.  Nabiki was flattened against the wall near the restroom door, apparently in shock.  Kodachi was near the entrance, out of Shampoo's line of sight with her ribbon ready in case the Amazon made any sudden moves.  Ranma hurried over to the middle Tendo.

                "What happened, Nabiki?"  He had a very bad feeling about this.

                Nabiki blinked a few times, then got control of herself.  "This crazy purple-haired girl came crashing through the wall and started threatening Kodachi."  The middle Tendo glared at Ranma.  "She wanted to know where YOU were, Saotome.  When Kodachi wouldn't talk, she attacked with two huge clubs.  Kodachi didn't try to fight back–  just dodged her.  But then she tripped on a chair.  That's when Tachi stepped in and smashed the maniac's weapons to splinters.  Then she came at him barehanded, and he had to KO her with the flat of his bokken."

                "I tried to tell him not to actually defeat her."  This was Kodachi.  "From what you said already, I deduced it would be unwise, Ranma.  But he didn't listen."

                Before Ranma could respond, Shampoo staggered to her feet.  She looked at Tatewaki, who was disconcerted to find no trace of anger in her expression.  Instead, she seemed quite happy.  

                "Wo de airen... wo ai ni!"

                Tatewaki had planned after graduation to travel as his father had done and see some of the sights in China.  He had studied different dialects, and found he had a natural talent for languages.  Consequently, he understood quite clearly that he had just been called this girl's beloved husband.  His mouth dropped open and his bokken fell from nerveless fingers.  Shampoo seized the opportunity to catch him in a hug and give him something that definitely was not the Kiss of Death.

                As Nabiki alternated between staring in disbelief at the sight, and glaring at Ranma as if she were ready to throw him to the lions, the Anything Goes heir debated the wisdom of grabbing Kodachi and running for the coast.  The swim to China hadn't been that bad, after all.

***************

                Shampoo kept looking around in awe.  Her airen must be a local prince to live in so luxurious a house!  The thought of staying here rather than taking him back to the village was beginning to seem very attractive.

                Tatewaki was just glad that his parents were away on a trip.  It would have been a little too much to try to explain why there was a strange girl attached to him, apparently for good.  He kept glancing pleadingly at Nabiki.  She rewarded him with a reserved stare that clearly said, 'I'm waiting to get all the information, Tachi, but don't push your luck.'  They seated themselves at a table.

                "Well, Ranma?  Care to explain this?"  Ranma had hoped against hope that his real name wouldn't be used in front of Shampoo.  No such luck.  She quickly let go of Tatewaki, turned, and favored him with an intense scrutiny.

                "Ranma?"  The eyes looked a little similar to her quarry's, but there was no way this could be her in disguise.  A few experimental prods to the chest convinced her of that.  "Is man."

                "Uh, yeah.  I'm a guy.  Now would ya explain why you're hangin' all over Tatewaki like this?"

                Shampoo smiled, and produced a book, apparently from thin air.  She handed it to Ranma, and reattached herself to Tatewaki.  Ranma skimmed through the book until he found a section that was written in Japanese.  His face turned grey as he read it.  Looking up, he swallowed.  "Accordin' to the laws of her people, if an outsider woman beats an Amazon in combat, the Amazon must give her the Kiss of Death and kill her as soon as possible.  But if a man defeats her... she's gotta marry him."

                Nabiki looked ready to chew nails.  "Could I speak with you in private for a minute, Saotome?"  She led him into the hallway.  "I'm guessing the reason she's looking for you is you beat her as a girl, right?  So let me tell you what's going to happen.  You're going back in there, and you're going to do your little trick with the water, and that way she'll know she's already got an 'airen'."

                Ranma sweated.  "That won't do any good.  Remember, I was a girl when I beat her.  She gave me the Kiss of Death!  If she finds out I'm THAT Ranma, she'll just go on tryin' to kill me!"  Not to mention what Dachi would think if he did that.  Seeing Shampoo glomped onto Tatewaki had somehow enabled Ranma to realize just how cute the Amazon was.  He didn't want his girlfriend getting any wrong ideas.

                "Well, then, you're just going to have to beat her as a guy.  That should solve that problem..."  Nabiki's voice trailed off at the sound of a throat being cleared behind her.  She turned.

                "I don't think that's a very good solution."  Kodachi regarded her brother's girlfriend with a flat stare.  "Perhaps you'd like to come up with a better one?"

                Nabiki sweated, and thought.  "Well, how about we get some unattached guy to do it then?"

                At this Ranma's expression brightened.  "Ryoga!" he exclaimed, smacking his fist into his palm.  "He's good enough to beat Shampoo, he's probably still hurting from Akane chewin' him up and spittin' him out, and maybe if we help him get a cute girl for himself he'll quit tryin' to kill me!"  The lost boy had not taken Akane's reaction well.  He had blamed Ranma, and the two had had several brutal fights.  Ryoga hadn't been seen for a week, and until now Ranma had hoped things would stay that way.

                "And what happens until he shows his face again?"  Nabiki didn't like the thought of putting up with the scene in the next room one second longer than necessary.

                "We stall for time."  Kodachi knew how the middle Tendo must be feeling.  "Don't worry about it, Nabiki.  My brother is much too noble to consort with some bloodthirsty killer.  You need have no worries about her stealing him away from you."

                The three of them returned to the main room.  Kuno had, with some difficulty, extracted himself from the Amazon's grasp.  He was speaking to her in Mandarin as the others entered.  Shampoo's smile was mostly gone–  her face was set stubbornly.

                "These laws may apply in your home village, but this is Japan.  I am NOT your husband according to our laws."

                "Amazons carry Amazon law with them wherever they go.  The barbaric laws of this land do not matter."  Shampoo looked up at the three others and switched to Japanese.  "Shampoo think Airen not give real reason for be stubborn.  Shampoo see how short-hair girl look at Airen.  What is Airen to you?" she asked Nabiki.

                In the old days, Nabiki would have played it cool.  Unfortunately, she no longer had the ability to be detached where Tachi was concerned.  "He happens to be my boyfriend!" she snapped.  From the corner of her eye, she saw a big dopey grin appear on Kuno's face.  She made a mental note to start telling him more often how important he was to her.

                Shampoo produced another book and rifled through it.  It didn't take her long to find the definition of 'boyfriend.'  Closing the book with a snap, she leveled an accusing stare at Nabiki.  "That what Shampoo thought.  Shampoo challenge you–  she show Airen who better choice."

                "Challenge?  As in to combat?"  When Shampoo nodded, exasperated at the slowness of outsiders, Nabiki shrugged.  "Forget it."

                Shampoo's eyes widened, then she turned in triumph to Tatewaki.  "Airen see?  She worthless coward.  Shampoo make much better wife."  She faltered as she took in his expression.  "What Shampoo say?"

                "I think you had better go now."  Kuno's tone indicated that this was NOT a request.

***************

                Two uneasy weeks later, Ranma and Kodachi met at the St Hebereke gymnasium for sparring practise.  As the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics team captain, Kodachi had the ability to commandeer the gym for her own use after school.  She and Ranma had taken to training there, as there was far less chance of accidental transformation.  Shampoo had run into Ranma-chan three times over the last two weeks.  Each time the redhead had been able to escape easily with her superior speed, but it was a situation the heir to the Anything Goes school preferred to avoid if possible.

                After the training session, Ranma and Kodachi sat companionably side by side.  "How's Tatewaki holding up?" he asked.  She knew her brother better than he did, after all.

                The White Rose grimaced.  "He's not very happy with the way things are going.  Did you know that shameless hussy actually snuck into his bed this week?  Not to mention bringing him lunch at school several days.  I can only imagine what gossip must be saying about that."

                "Not what you'd think, actually.  Nabiki controls the rumor mill at Furinkan.  She's got some kind of cover story going, about Shampoo owin' him a debt of service.  She also spread it around that Shampoo's a vicious killer.  That keeps people from getting too close and findin' out the truth."

                "It will also make it rather more difficult to get some boy from your school to defeat her, should Ryoga continue not to show himself," Kodachi observed.

                Ranma snorted.  "There ain't nobody at Furinkan besides me and Tatewaki who could beat her anyway, so that doesn't matter."  He looked away nervously.  "And I'm not available."

                Kodachi smiled and scooted a little closer to him.  "She missed her chance when she judged you by what she saw on the surface.  Right, Ranma-kun?"

                "Even before that.  When she was born into a culture that kills outsider women for bein' better than them at combat."  Ranma shuddered.  "I bet they haven't had to use that 'marry the guys' rule too often in the last few hundred years."  He suddenly realized how close the White Rose was.  Nervously, he changed the subject a little.  "Um... I was surprised at how Kuno's been treating her.  I never thought he could manage to be that rude to a girl."  The target of Shampoo's affections had consistently ignored her and treated her coldly.  Shampoo still maintained a demeanor of constant cheerfulness around her Airen, but the strain was starting to show.

                "He fears what might happen if Shampoo decides Nabiki is her primary obstacle.  To act in such an uncouth manner grieves my brother deeply, but he is determined to make Shampoo believe she has no chance with or without Nabiki in the picture."  Kodachi looked off into the distance.  "My parents will return in another month, Ranma-kun.  I sincerely hope we can get this mess concluded before then."

                "No kidding."  Now if Ryoga would only show up...

***************

                Be careful what you wish for.  You might get it.

                The thought echoed through Ranma's mind as he evaded another blow from Ryoga's umbrella.  The lost boy had finally made another appearance.   Shampoo's new job as a nurse at Dr Tofu's clinic kept her out of the way in the afternoons now, and Ranma and Kodachi had taken the opportunity to go for a walk in the park without having to worry about accidental transformation making him a target.  Ryoga had crashed the occasion, and was fighting with even more of a berserker rage than usual.  He hadn't even given Ranma or Kodachi a chance to talk before attacking.  So far it had been easy for Ranma to dodge, but whenever he made counterattacks, his opponent just shrugged them off.  Ranma was also trying to ignore the growing conviction that the lost boy's fangs were more pronounced than usual.

                "Stand still and die like a man!" Ryoga snarled, removing several bandannas from his neck and tossing them at Ranma.  Their target snatched them all out of the air, wincing a little as the concentrated chi-energy in the cloth stung his palms.  

                "Give it a rest, Ryoga!  This is really getting old, ya know!"  'How can he keep this pace up?!'

                "Shut up!  It's all your fault!  Everything that's gone wrong in my life!  Because of you, I'm cursed!  Because of you, Akane hates me!  You didn't even want her, but you had to spoil things for me!  I'm going to end your miserable life here and now!" Ryoga attacked with his battle umbrella over and over, as if the two-hundred-pound instrument were as light as a feather.  Ranma dodged the strikes.

                On the sidelines, Kodachi was becoming increasingly concerned.  She knew very well that Ranma's skill outstripped Ryoga's, but the other seemed to be unaffected by anything her boyfriend did, except to become angrier and strike harder.  She knew Ranma couldn't keep on moving at this speed forever.  The White Rose had no idea how the lost boy could maintain his level of attacks.

                "Listen to me, you jerk!  You'd never even have met Akane if it wasn't for me!  And it was YOUR stupid pig-headed fault she thinks you're a pervert!  I sure as heck didn't force ya to sneak into her bed!"

                If Ranma expected this to calm his opponent, he was sadly mistaken.  Ryoga snarled wordlessly, and increased the tempo of his attacks yet again.  Ranma was starting to run low on energy, and decided he needed to end this fight quickly.  He dodged another umbrella strike, then dashed inside Ryoga's reach, snaked an arm around his neck, and tagged his Instant Unconciousness shiatsu point.

                Ryoga stumbled back... then lashed out with his umbrella.  It was a clumsy blow, striking with the length of the instrument rather than the point, which was the only thing that saved Ranma's life.  As it was, he was flung back against a tree, the wind knocked completely out of him.

                The lost boy shook his head as if to clear it.  His eyes focused on his foe, beaten and helpless.  Ryoga discarded his umbrella and ran forward, intending to finish his hated enemy with an Axe Hand blow.

                Kodachi got there first, being much faster than Ryoga, but only barely.  She just had time to intercept Ryoga's strike with her forearm.

                The sickening crunch of snapping bone echoed through the clearing.  Ryoga stared at the White Rose's arm.  It was a very bad break.  The jagged end of one bone was clearly visible as it jutted out of her flesh.

                Ranma would never afterward remember the next few seconds.  Surging to his feet.  Slamming Ryoga with blows that would have shattered boulders.  Throwing his opponent around like a rag doll.  Actually knocking down a full-grown tree by smashing Ryoga into it.  Not until his foe lay unconscious at his feet did the red haze leave his vision.  He turned and raced back to Kodachi.

                "Ranma-kun... you're going to have to set it."  She gritted the words out.  Once the bone was back in place, she'd heal without problems, but she really wasn't looking forward to getting it there.

***************

                The door opened.  Ryoga glanced over to see Ranma walk in, then went back to staring at the ceiling.

                "How're you feeling?"  Ranma's tone made it very clear that if Ryoga was feeling better, he'd have to see what he could do about that.

                "You really want to know?" Ryoga answered in a cracked whisper.

                "Not really.  But why don't you tell me anyway."

                Ryoga paused for almost a minute.  "Worthless," he eventually answered.

                Ranma wasn't about ready to forgive and forget, but seeing this reaction blunted the edge of his cold rage.  He looked long and hard, but couldn't see any anger or fighting spirit left in the lost boy.  This was the first time Ryoga hadn't been even slightly hostile to him in recent memory.  While he was trying to decide how to respond, Ryoga spoke up again, in a dead voice.

                "I can still hear the sound of her bones breaking, Ranma.  I can still feel it.  I can still see..." Ranma realized with a shock that Ryoga was actually crying, "...her blood... on my hand..."

                "What the HELL were you thinking, Ryoga?!"  The reminder nearly made Ranma go for his rival's throat.  Only the aura of utter helplessness and despair about his foe held him back.

                "Thinking?"  Ryoga laughed bitterly.  "When have I done that in all the time you knew me?  Not when I dropped out of school to follow you to China over a stupid bread feud.  Not when I blamed you for cursing me when you didn't even see me on the cliff at Jusenkyo.  Not when I used my cursed form to sneak into Akane's bed.  And for sure not when I blamed you for how she reacted when she found out.

                "But I've been thinking now, Ranma.  Lying here and realizing just how good a job I've been doing of throwing my life away."  Ryoga paused, searching for the right words.  "It's like... something was in my head keeping me angry all the time.  And now it's gone."

                The lack of hostility from Ryoga was not the only thing different about him, Ranma realized suddenly.  A chill ran down his spine as he noticed the fangs the other had sported for as long as Ranma had known him were mysteriously absent.  Resolutely declining to consider the implications, Ranma changed the subject.  "Do you know where you are right now, Ryoga?  You're in a spare bedroom in the Kuno mansion.  Think about that.  You got anything you want to say to Dachi?  Cause she's waitin' in the hall."  Ranma squashed a feeling of guilt as Ryoga's tears began to flow again.

                "Send her in, please."  Ranma opened the door.  Kodachi walked in, her arm bound in a cast.  Her injury was actually fully healed, and had been since a minute after Ranma set the bone, but she didn't want Ryoga to know her secret.  Ranma gave the White Rose a questioning look, as if to say 'You sure about this?'  She nodded, and reluctantly he went out into the hallway.  He kept one hand on the doorknob and both ears cocked for any sound of violence.  If Ryoga had even coughed loudly it might have gone hard on him, but all Ranma could make out was the soft murmur of voices.  About ten minutes later, Kodachi came back out.

                "How'd it go?" Ranma asked awkwardly.  He noticed she wasn't wearing the cast any longer.

                "I... just couldn't bear to see him so miserable, Ranma.  I had to tell him about my healing abilities.  It seemed to make him feel better.  After that, I think he found it easier to talk to me than he would have to you."  The sight of so much pain had really wrung her heart.  "Ranma-kun?  I don't think he's well enough to take part in our plan to attach Shampoo to someone else."

                "Yeah, I got that impression myself."  Ranma matched his girlfriend's understatement with one of his own.

                "He seems to have finally snapped out of whatever delusion he was under that everything in his life was your fault."  Kodachi paused, then decided she might as well say this now.  "Ranma?  Could you... forgive him?  Please?"

                Ranma gave the question due consideration.  If anyone else had asked him, that would have meant an instant "Not on your life!"  However, coming from Kodachi, who after all had been the one hurt...  At last he answered, "I don't know.  Not real soon, at least."

                "Do you hate him so much for attacking you?"  This was a trick question, but Kodachi didn't always fight fair.

                "No way!  It ain't because he attacked me!  He hurt you, an' that's what..."  Ranma's voice trailed off.  He swallowed.  "Uh, you know..."

                Under other circumstances, the White Rose would have pushed it.  However, she had a confession to make.  "Ranma?  There's something I have to tell you.  I hope you won't be too angry."

                Ranma swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.  "Go on," he croaked.

                "When I blocked Ryoga... I deliberately let him break my arm so badly."  Kodachi looked down, and continued softly, "I could have caught his blow with a club.  I could have stopped him from behind with my ribbon.  But I hoped that harming an innocent bystander would shake him out of this unreasoning enmity he has held toward you.  It appears to have worked.  But I didn't realize... just how badly it would hurt you."  Kodachi's voice was now only a whisper.  "Please forgive me... Ranma-sama," she choked out.

                Ranma put his arms around her and held her tight.  "Now THAT I can do without havin' to think about it."

***************

                Ryoga left the following morning.  Tatewaki saw him off, and reported a strange thing later.  Ryoga had nearly fallen trying to pick up his battle umbrella.  He'd said something to the effect that he'd just as soon not carry it anymore anyway, and left it there, but the lost boy was clearly puzzled as to how it could have become so much heavier.

                Shampoo's job as a nurse had come as a source of considerable relief to Tatewaki and Nabiki as well as Kodachi and Ranma.  It gave the two upperclassmen opportunities to meet without worrying that Shampoo would see them together and decide Nabiki was an obstacle requiring removal.

                Today they were taking a walk in the park.  Tatewaki had not been looking forward to what he was going to tell her.  However, it had to be done.  He braced himself and spoke up.  "Nabiki-chan?  Ryoga showed up again, yesterday."

                Nabiki's face lit up, causing Tatewaki to feel even worse.  "Finally!  So where is he?  We need to set up a plan for getting him to beat Shampoo."  She noticed the expression on her boyfriend's face.  "Tachi?  What's wrong?"

                Kuno related the events of the previous day in a leaden tone.  On learning that the lost boy was in no condition to help, Nabiki let loose with a string of choice expressions.  Had any mothers with small children been present, she would have received numerous smacks on the head.  "Just great!  I don't think I can stand much more of this!  When is that Chinese hussy going to grasp the concept that she can't have you?  I don't see how she managed to track Ranma this far, since she can't have more than one functioning brain cell!"

                Tatewaki put his arms around her.  "I don't know.  But I think I've seen signs of weakening in her.  Have faith, 'Biki-chan.  Soon she'll give up and we can stop hiding like this."  He looked down at her face, and realized there were tears in her eyes.

                "Are you sure you want her to?"  Nabiki knew this was an unfair question.  She didn't doubt his feelings for her.  But she wanted a little reassurance and this was the quickest way to get it.  "After all, she's a lot prettier than me.  And she seems eager to be your love-slave.  I bet she'd do anything for you."

                "How can you even ask me that?!  The only thing I want from her is her departure.  Let her leave the two of us in peace."  Kuno was scared now.  He'd had a nightmare not long back in which Nabiki left him, thinking he'd rather have Shampoo than her.  Maybe that was what gave him the courage to finally do what he'd wanted for a long time.  Putting his hand under Nabiki's chin, he tilted her head up and kissed her.

                Watching from concealment in the brush, Shampoo's eyes filled with tears of pain and rage.  At first she'd bought the sneaky short-haired girl's act.  After refusing the challenge to combat, Nabiki had never let Shampoo catch her and Tatewaki together, and the Amazon had thus concluded that she'd scared her competition off.  But obviously she'd been mistaken.

                She'd seen a very strange sight this morning.  A girl with long hair, who seemed to radiate serenity and pleasant nature, had come by the clinic with freshly-baked cookies for her employer.  He then changed into a completely different person from the competent professional she was used to.  Dancing around the clinic with his model skeleton as a partner was something Shampoo found herself at a loss to understand.  But she did understand the concept of a day of vacation, which was what Dr Tofu had given her between finishing the waltz and starting on the foxtrot.  She'd gone to her Airen's home, only to find he wasn't there, even though he'd not had school that day.  Using her tracking skills, she'd trailed him to the park.

                Shampoo's mouth set into a grimace of determination.  If the coward girl wouldn't accept a challenge, she'd have to use another method to remove her from the picture.

***************

                Nabiki didn't really focus on events around her for the next little while.  She was too busy remembering The Kiss.  She and Tatewaki parted company at the door of the Kuno mansion.  Tatewaki would have liked to walk her home, but the Tendo dojo was too near Dr Tofu's clinic for this.  The chance of Shampoo seeing them together was just too risky to take.  Nabiki bid him farewell, and began drifting back toward home in a pink haze.  She wondered idly why there were so many bluebirds fluttering around and chirping their little guts out.  This was her last conscious thought for some time, though, due to the figure that dropped soundlessly from the wall behind her.

                The Amazon was lathering her hair with formula 110 shampoo before Nabiki even had time to register the presence behind her.  As Shampoo finished drying her hair, the middle Tendo slumped to the ground, unconscious.  Shampoo regarded her fallen foe with triumph.  "Sneaky girl no get in way now."  She made her way back to the clinic, eagerly awaiting the morrow, when her Airen would learn that the unworthy one no longer even knew his name.  He'd have no reason to blame her or even believe she could be responsible–  after all, Great-Grandmother had always said outsiders were ignorant of the depth of Amazon lore.

***************

                "Master Kuno!  Master Kuno!"

                Kuno looked up.  "What is it, Sasuke?"  

                On the other side of the room, Ranma was glad for an excuse to take his mind off the game of chess at which Kodachi was beating him easily.  "Who's that?" he asked in a low tone of voice.

                "Sasuke.  One of our retainers.  You haven't seen him before now because he comes from a long line of ninja.  He's not very talented in that respect, and he overcompensates by sneaking around all the time.  He makes a much better gardener than a ninja, which is what we actually employ him for.  He's the one who is responsible for the dueling topiary samurai."

                "WHAT?!"  Kuno's cry of rage interrupted his sister's murmured explanation.  Without further comment, he raced out of the room.  A minute later he reappeared at the doorway.  "Ah... which guest bedroom did you put her in?"

                Sasuke led the way, with Ranma and Kodachi trailing curiously behind Tatewaki.  His anxiety was quickly contagious, and by the time they'd covered the distance to their destination, both Ranma and the White Rose had queasy sensations in their stomachs, despite having no idea what was going on.  They entered the room to find Nabiki lying unconscious on the bed.

                "I was in a tree in the garden when I observed a flash of purple, mistress Kuno.  It was the girl who fancies herself the wife of master Kuno.  I saw her perform some sort of attack upon miss Tendo that left her unconscious on the sidewalk."  Sasuke's face took on an expression of puzzlement for a moment.  "I was at the far end of the garden, and couldn't see well, but it looked like the young Amazon lady washed and dried her hair."  His expression reverted back to the shamefaced look he'd been wearing.  "By the time I got to the street, she had left.  I brought miss Tendo here."

                "Don't just stand there!  Call a doctor at once!"  Kodachi returned her gaze to the bed, where Tatewaki was holding Nabiki's hand and pleading with her to wake up.  The Tendo daughter groaned a little, and opened her eyes.

                "'Biki-chan!  Are you all right?  How do you feel?  If that Amazon hurt you, I swear I'll have her thrown into a dungeon until she forgets she ever felt the warmth of the sun!"

                Nabiki just stared at the strange boy holding her hand.  The sight of someone apparently caring what happened to her left her in blank confusion.  "Do I... know you?"

***************

                By the time Dr Tofu arrived, the relief everyone had felt when Nabiki opened her eyes was almost completely gone.  Each time the others had tried to make her remember Tatewaki, she'd become disoriented, confusing his name with tatami (a mat of woven fibers), tsunami (a tidal wave), and Takahashi (the mythical Goddess of Abusive Romantic Relationships).  

                Dr Tofu made a careful examination of Nabiki, noting that she showed no signs of concussion or being drugged.  After hearing Sasuke's story, a look of grave concern came over his face.  He turned to his patient.  "Nabiki?  I want you to tell me the last thing you remember before waking up here."

                "I was walking back from the Kuno place."

                "And why were you there?"

                Nabiki's features screwed up in a frown of puzzlement.  "I... don't remember."  She turned to Ranma.  "Ranma?  Did I come to try and convince you to come back to the dojo and get engaged to Akane again?  Our fathers have been begging me to try and fix that up."  At this, Kodachi's hand closed convulsively, cracking the wood of the bedstead where she'd been resting her palm, but she made no other response.

                "No, you didn't.  You ain't one to fight losing battles, Nabiki."  Ranma hadn't taken the news well when he'd learned about Operation Flower Power.  He still wasn't ready to let that slide.  Genma was persona non grata at the Kuno place until such time as both he and Soun rendered a formal apology.  This hadn't happened yet, surprising as that may seem.  "You were here to see Tatewaki."

                Nabiki turned back, and looked at the boy on the other side of the bed as if she'd forgotten he was there.  "Do I... know you?"

                Dr Tofu spoke up.  "After hearing Sasuke's description of what occurred, I'm certain I know what Shampoo did to you, Nabiki.  It's the dreaded Xi Fang Gao shiatsu attack.  By applying a mixture of rare Chinese herbal extracts, combined with pressure from the fingers at strategic points on the scalp, it's possible to selectively erase memories.  In this case your memories of Tatewaki."

                "Is there any way to reverse the procedure, Dr Tofu?"  Kodachi spoke up, seeing her brother was in too much of a cold rage to do so.

                "Perhaps if we had a sample of the shampoo that was used, we might be able to do something."

                "Leave that to me."  Tatewaki ground the words out.

                "Brother, dear... it might be best if you didn't approach the treacherous hussy just now."  Kodachi turned to Dr Tofu.  "Is there no other way?"

                "Well... I can look through some of my books.  It's been a long time since I read about the Xi Fang Gao attack, and I'm not sure whether I have the manual that described it or not.  But I'll see what I can find."

                "You do that, and in the meantime I'll retrieve the shampoo from that purple-haired Jezebel!"  It was obvious that Kuno had left his chivalry at the door.  Kodachi felt it would be wise at this point to intervene.  

                "Shouldn't you stay at Nabiki's side, Tachi?  What if her condition were to worsen without you here to remind her of your existence?  I shall hunt down the Amazon and return with the prize."  Kodachi had judged well what the effect of her argument would be–  her brother agreed to this plan, and sat back down.

                Ranma followed her into the hall.  "Let's get this over with."

                Kodachi regarded him with surprise.  "Ranma-kun, I don't think you should come along.  One accidental splash and all chance of a rational conversation with the Amazon will be lost.  Besides," she lowered her voice, "as Nabiki doesn't remember my brother now, I think she'd be more comfortable if he wasn't the only person staying with her."

                "But... what if Shampoo goes ballistic when you tell her we want the shampoo?"

                The White Rose smiled grimly.  "Remember, she thinks I'm a weak outsider.  But she only beat me once before because I let my guard down.  If she starts something, I'll finish it."

                "And then she'll give you the Kiss of Death and we'll be in an even bigger mess."

                "Um..."  Kodachi found to her dismay that she didn't have an answer to that.

                Ranma seized the opening.  "But you were right about someone stayin' with Nabiki.  Why don't you do that and leave Shampoo to me.  If she refuses, I can come back, get you, splash myself, draw her off, and let you take the chance to search her room."

                Kodachi didn't like it, not one little bit.  But she recognized the stubborn glint in his eyes and relented.  Had she known what his actual intentions were, her reaction would have been quite different.

***************

                Once out of sight of the Kuno mansion, Ranma stopped by a canal and deliberately triggered the change.  She didn't have any real hope that the Amazon would cooperate freely, and searching her room was too much of a gamble.  Ranma-chan was certain that she'd have to be persuaded.  And the only person who could do that without making things worse than they were was one who'd already beaten her and thus had nothing left to lose.  Reaching Dr Tofu's clinic, where Shampoo slept in a spare room at the back, she took a deep breath and went in.

                Shampoo's eyes widened as she heard the sounds of what had to be an intruder–  the step was too light for Dr Tofu.  She grabbed her bonborri and went to confront the unfortunate fool.  She stopped dead on seeing the familiar head of red hair.  Then an evil grin spread over her face.  "Girl-type Ranma.  Now you d-"

                The threat was cut off as Ranma-chan blurred into action.  She dashed forward and smashed the bonborri out of her unprepared opponent's hands.  Then she whipped out one of Kodachi's spare ribbons, which she'd picked up on leaving the house, and wrapped it around the Amazon.  The entire attack sequence took only four seconds.

                Shampoo just stood stunned for a minute, then let out a string of highly emotional Mandarin. Ranma-chan was just as glad she couldn't understand what she was undoubtedly being called.  "Listen, Shampoo, I'm not in the mood.  Just tell me where to find the shampoo you used on Nabiki today."

                The Amazon gulped.  "Shampoo not know what Ranma mean."

                Ranma-chan favored her with a withering glare.  "We know all about the Xi Fang Gao.  So cut the lies and tell me where the shampoo is!"

                Shampoo thought for a long moment... then tossed her head angrily.  A bottle labeled 110 fell from her hair to the floor.  "All right!" shouted Ranma-chan, picking up the shampoo and racing off.

                After flexing her muscles and twisting for a few moments, Shampoo loosened the ribbon enough to slip out of it.  "You know all about the Xi Fang Gao, do you, outsider?" she said sarcastically, thinking of the bottle in her room labeled 119.  But her face twisted into an expression of bitter regret as she realized things were going to be a lot more complicated than she'd hoped.

***************

                Ranma-chan raced at top speed back to the Kuno mansion.  "I got the shampoo!" she cried, dashing into the room where Nabiki had been... only to find there was no-one there.  "Huh?  Where'd everybody go?"

                Sasuke popped up through a loose floorboard, causing her heart to jump up and tangle itself in her vocal chords.  "The good doctor said there was no reason for miss Tendo to remain confined to her bed, and she was hungry, so they retired to the dining room."  The little ninja regarded her with a concerned stare.  "You seem awfully shaken up, Miss.  Did something startle you?"

                Ranma-chan resisted the temptation to pummel her hosts' employee, though it was a near thing.  She made a quick detour to a bathroom, actually grateful to be reminded that it would be better not to show up as a girl, then continued to the dining hall.  He triumphantly produced the bottle.  

"Well done, Ranma-kun!"  Kodachi was pleased to see him back so quickly, and in one piece.  "Did you have much difficulty in convincing her to part with it?"

                "Nah.  Once I told her we knew about the Xi Fang Gao, she didn't give me any more trouble.  So now what?  We use this to wash Nabiki's hair again?" Ranma asked, demonstrating a remarkable mix of cunning and naivete in his reply. 

                "I don't think that would be wise.  After all, Dr Tofu did say this technique required knowledge of specific shiatsu points.  We'd best wait for him to return."  And so they did.  It was the longest two hours of Tatewaki's life.  As for Nabiki, she was just hoping this dream would continue for a while.  She was enjoying the luxury of her surroundings, but that didn't mean she believed this was really happening.  The notion that someone who lived in a place like this wanted HER was ridiculous, after all.

                One of the other servants eventually admitted Dr Tofu.  He'd found the manual he remembered after a great deal of searching.  He had noticed that Shampoo had removed her belongings and vanished from the clinic, and was worried about her, but Nabiki's situation was more important.  He congratulated Ranma on retrieving the formula 110 shampoo.

                "Unfortunately, that particular bottle won't help us after all.  See the label marked 110?  That's for removing memory.  The blend labeled 119 is the one for restoring it."

                "I suspose we should have suspected something when the Amazon gave up this bottle so easily," Kodachi sighed.  "Now what?"

                "Relax.  I've got the formula for blend 119 right in this manual."  Dr Tofu held it up, and his glasses gleamed.  For some strange reason Ranma glanced at the door, expecting Kasumi to walk in.  This didn't happen, of course, and Dr Tofu opened the book to the ingredients list.  They all crowded around, and there was silence for quite a while.  Eventually Tatewaki broke the silence.

                "Powdered storm dragon scale?!  Unmelted snowflakes caught in midair with a silver spoon?!  Forgive me, Dr Tofu, but what good does this do us?!"  Kuno was well on his way to overwrought.

                "Not much, I'm afraid."  Now Dr Tofu was wishing he'd actually read the entire description before raising everyone's hopes.  "It would take a great deal of time to locate some of these ingredients."  He heaved a sigh.  "Unless Shampoo has that blend with her, I don't see any..."  His voice trailed off as Tatewaki, Kodachi, and Ranma exited the room at top speed.

***************

                The three split up in order to cover more ground in their search for Shampoo.  After a little thought, Ranma triggered his curse, figuring Murphy's Law would make it certain that she'd run into the Amazon then.  Of course, it's not that easy to make Murphy's Law work for you, and in fact Ranma-chan spent the next few hours fighting off lecherous guys after running into a huge group of sailors on shore leave.

                Later, when Ranma told Kodachi his tale of woe, she was somewhat less than sympathetic.  She had overheard something about a hunters' convention in town, and had gone to try and hire their help in tracking down Shampoo.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a Devil Hunters' convention.  One overenthusiastic apprentice, who had never heard of albinism, had attacked her with some sort of spirit blasts.  Kodachi's ability to deflect them with gymnastics clubs had convinced all the other Devil Hunters that she was a bona fide minor demon.  The ensuing fracas left both a four-star hotel and the White Rose's temper in ruins.

                Tatewaki was not exempt from the general trend either.  However, as he was carrying a huge bottled-up amount of frustration and anger, it actually helped to calm him down.  In the fading light of afternoon, he found a large robot abducting a helpless girl.  Pleased to find an outlet for his frustrations, he reduced the thing to scrap, then did the same to several others that appeared on the scene.  Sakura never did find out her rescuer's name, and Key eventually dedicated a song called "Unknown Angel" to the mysterious stranger who'd saved her best friend.

                In a better frame of mind, Kuno continued searching.  Eventually Shampoo, who'd been trailing him for quite a while, allowed him to find her.  Tatewaki stopped dead as she dropped from the roof of a nearby building to land in front of him.

                "Airen look for Shampoo, yes?"

                "Yes."  Kuno glared at her.  "For some 119 shampoo, to be exact."

                Shampoo had suspected that whoever had told girl-type Ranma about the Xi Fang Gao might know the specific details about the cure.  She resolved to speak to her great-grandmother about the matter of outsider familiarity with Amazon lore.  "Shampoo give... if Airen take Shampoo on date."  She held up the bottle, then tucked it down the front of her dress.

                Tatewaki glared and raised his bokken to a fighting stance.  "I think not.  Give it to me!"

                Shampoo regarded him, trying not to let the hurt she felt show.  "If Airen think Shampoo believe he take by force, Airen must think Shampoo no understand him at all."

                Kuno's hands trembled, but he knew she'd called his bluff.  He couldn't just attack a girl who wasn't threatening someone with immediate bodily injury, and try as he might to convince himself, the gap in Nabiki's memory didn't quite stretch far enough to qualify.  "Very well," he gritted out.  "One date."

                "All Shampoo want is chance, Airen."  She looked hard, but didn't see much change in his expression.  "You no have school tomorrow.  We spend day together, yes?  Then Shampoo give you 119 shampoo."

***************

                Late the next afternoon, Shampoo sat on top of a tall building and watched the sunset.  Since no-one was nearby, she didn't try to stop the tears that silently gathered in her eyes and fell, sparkling like rubies in the dying light.  The date had been nothing of what she'd hoped.  She'd tried and tried to show her Airen how much she cared for him, thinking that he'd eventually see she was a much better choice than the sneaky coward girl.  He'd been cold and formal to her all throughout the day, but she'd desperately held onto hope that she would melt him with the goodbye kiss.  She had nearly broken down at the end, when her Airen had flatly refused to kiss her, saying that that was not necessary to end a date.  She had given him the shampoo and left without another word.

                The Amazon had been on the rooftop for quite a while, gathering her composure.  She waited well past the time she estimated it would take for her Airen to use the shampoo and realize that it had had no effect.  The outsiders might know the blend numbers and their intended uses, but the nature of the exact shiatsu points on the scalp was one of the most closely guarded Amazon secrets.  Without that knowledge, just washing the outsider's hair would do nothing more than remove oily buildup.

                Shampoo had left only enough shampoo in the 119 bottle for one use, which by now had to be gone.  There was no way remaining in Japan for the sneaky girl's memory to be restored.  Shampoo sighed.  She wished it hadn't had to come to this.  She didn't WANT to share her Airen!  At least it would be with a nonwarrior.  There would be no question about who had First Wife status, after she took her Airen and her co-wife back to the village.  She was certain they would agree to that, once they realized there was no other way to restore the lost memories.  Rising, and wiping the last tears from her eyes, the Amazon proceeded to the Kuno mansion.

***************

                Tatewaki held Nabiki.  His cheek burned, but he didn't mind.  All he cared about was that she finally knew who he was again.  He'd returned with the shampoo, and Kodachi had asked him sympathetically how bad the date had been.  Nabiki, who had just arrived after a phone call from Ranma reminded her she was supposed to be at the Kuno place this evening, had asked the White Rose what she was talking about.  Ranma had told her that Kuno had just gotten back from spending the day with Shampoo.  Before Ranma could go on to say that this had been the Amazon's price for a cure, she had turned away, crossed the distance to Tatewaki at a speed more appropriate for Ranma-chan, and slapped him. Hard.  Then she'd burst into tears, demanding to know how he could do this to her.  Only then had the fact that her memory had returned dawned on her.  Ranma and Kodachi made a tactful exit.

                "'Biki-chan... you don't think I enjoyed it, do you?  I hated every moment I spent in her presence.  But it was a sacrifice I had to endure, to bring your memory back.  Even if I didn't expect it to happen quite this way."

                "I was just... so hurt.  I thought I was losing you to her."  Had anyone from Furinkan seen the Ice Queen now, they would have assumed they were having a particularly unrealistic dream.  She was clinging to Tatewaki like he was her only anchor in a storm.

                "I promise you–  that will never come to pass."  The rest of Kuno's words were cut off by a choked sob from outside the window and the sound of someone running off.

***************

                How could this happen?  Shampoo had only THOUGHT she'd been prepared for what she'd find at her Airen's home.  She'd steeled her soul, expecting more coldness and hostility.  But to lose the last shred of her bargaining power... it was just too much for her to take.  And so she ran off, blinded by new tears.

                The sight of Shampoo dashing through the corridors of her home, obviously upset, startled Kodachi.  Even afterward, she never was certain why she followed the purple-haired girl.  The Amazon ran for quite a long time before eventually sinking to the ground in a clearing a little way into the nearby forest and beginning to sob in earnest.

                Kodachi looked on, cursing herself for an idiot.  Why had she followed anyway?  It wasn't as if there was anything she could do to make the other feel better.  Nor was she even certain she wanted to.  Her mind made up, she turned to go... and a stick broke under her foot like the crack of a rifle.

                The Amazon looked up.  "Come to throw Shampoo's failure in face?" she said dully.  Guilt stabbed Kodachi as she saw the depth of the other's misery.  'Why should I feel guilty, though?  She made all her own choices.'  Kodachi tried to rationalize this to herself, only belatedly realizing that the last sentence had actually been spoken aloud.

                "Choice?  Shampoo no choose to lose to Airen.  Is Airen's choice."

                "So what?  No one from your tribe saw it happen.  There's nothing to say you have to invoke that law."  Kodachi said this rather quickly, trying to convince herself that Shampoo had already shown she didn't care about honor.

                "Maybe Airen's sister no care about honor, but Shampoo do.  Is all Shampoo have."  The Amazon looked down.  "No have love from Airen, no have friends, no have anyone to care about Shampoo, alone in strange land," she whispered.

                "Then why not go home?"  That would certainly solve a lot of problems.

                "No can do that without Airen."  Not to mention without taking vengeance on the enemy that the entire village had witnessed defeat her and run off.  Having her great-grandmother as the Matriarch didn't mean she had more leeway–  quite the opposite in fact.  The Council of Elders would never let her defy law like that.

                Kodachi didn't know what to say.  After a moment, the Amazon resumed speaking.  "Same thing here as home anyway.  No-one care for Shampoo."  Her tone was so hopeless that Kodachi felt compelled to try and cheer her a little.

                "I don't believe that.  Do you really mean that nobody in your village likes you at all?"

                Shampoo thought of Mousse, and tried not to weep again.  "No," she whispered.  "Nobody care about Shampoo.  Shampoo try be perfect Amazon, she win all fights, have most strength and most honor in people Shampoo's age.  For that all hate Shampoo except one stupid boy who want show how good he is by have Shampoo choose him, no matter what Shampoo want, and few little kids who too young to challenge."  Her tears began to flow anyway.  "All Shampoo's life, she try be best, just like everyone else.  But because Shampoo is best, everyone else hate her."

                "Did it ever occur to you that the Amazon way might be wrong?"  Against her will, Kodachi began to feel a lot more sympathy for someone who, like herself, had apparently grown up without many friends.

                "Amazon way is best.  It keep tribe strong for more than three thousand year," Shampoo said with rock-hard certainty.

                "I really think you..." Kodachi was cut off.

                "What you know?!  What give you right talk to Shampoo like that?!  Rose girl have brother and mother and father, and man who care about you, have everything Shampoo ever want and never ever have.  You not know nothing about how Shampoo feel!"  Shampoo expected the blaze of her anger to drive the other off and leave her alone.  The actual result surprised her quite a bit.

                "How dare you say that?!"  Kodachi's sympathy was overridden as the Amazon unwittingly hit her most vulnerable point.  "You dare to say that _I _don't know what loneliness feels like?!  Look at me, you blind Amazon!  How many people have you seen with skin and hair this color?!  I've endured teasing and  rejection and more!  You think you've known unfairness because you haven't had many friends?  But at least you made your own choices!  I never ASKED to be born like this!!" Kodachi shouted, in one of the most ironic statements she'd ever made.  She took a deep breath.  "You have no right to complain.  How dare you say it's unfair for others to reject you for besting them when you try to hunt down and KILL another girl when she defeated you?!"

                Too much.  It was just too much.  Even warrior pride has its limits.  Shampoo hung her head.  "That not what Shampoo do," she whispered.

                "Oh, really," Kodachi said sarcastically.  "Why don't I believe you?"

                "Because you think Shampoo evil person who no care about anything but self."  The White Rose couldn't find a response to this.  Shampoo continued, still looking down.  "What Shampoo give you is half-trick version of law.  When man defeat Amazon, is true he become Airen.  But when woman is winner, she no have to die.  Law is for make tribe stronger, add strong new warrior to tribe.

                "Amazon give Kiss of Death, but is test.  If outsider stand ground and fight, she show she brave and have good spirit.  She become new Amazon sister.  If she run, she show she coward.  Amazon what lose to coward lose much honor.  So must hunt down coward, make her beg for life, then take as slave for one year.  After that, use Xi Fang Gao so coward never tell truth about Kiss of Death, and set her free."

                Shampoo looked up at Kodachi, who was not sure how to handle what she'd just heard.  "How you think girl-type Ranma run so far and not lose Shampoo?  Shampoo best tracker in village.  No problem catch up to girl-type Ranma and kill in sleep if really going to kill.  But that not what Shampoo going to do.  Now Shampoo break law by telling secret.  If rose girl ever tell anyone else, and it get back to village, Shampoo no even be Amazon no more."

                The White Rose was stunned.  An image kept playing back through her mind, over and over.  Ranma-chan, racing along desperately in front of Shampoo, fifteen arrows sticking out of her backpack.  Ranma had told her numerous stories about the Amazon hunting his female half through China.  Something about that particular story had seemed a little wrong when he'd told it, but she'd put it down to a suspicion that he was exaggerating.  After all, nobody could shoot fifteen arrows into the backpack of a moving target without hitting the person she was actually trying to kill...

                "Shampoo?  I'm... sorry."  And she was.  Kodachi realized with a shock that she didn't really understand the girl in front of her at all.  No-one had even tried to do that.  Perhaps she should make the attempt.  "Do you really have no choice about pursuing my brother?  Or is there more of the law you haven't told us about?"

                "Why rose girl think law is only reason?"

                "Because... you said..."

                "Shampoo look long time for strong man she can respect.  Airen is strong–  he no be afraid to stand up to Shampoo.  He kind and noble and very much man.  He perfect husband... except..." Shampoo hung her head, "he no care about Shampoo."

                Kodachi sighed.  "How can you expect to win him, when you pursue him as an Amazon rather than as the type of girl he is used to?"  Shampoo didn't appear to react at all to this, but she filed the statement away mentally.  The White Rose continued.  "I'm sorry for judging you so unfairly, Shampoo.  If you promise not to attack Nabiki or the female Ranma again, I think you'll find that you won't be treated harshly."

                "Would rose girl be willing become friend to Shampoo?"  The Amazon looked challengingly at her.

                Kodachi considered, then slowly nodded.  "I do understand what it's like to be lonely."

***************

                After that, things got better.  Shampoo returned to Dr Tofu's clinic and resumed her job as a nurse.  She spent a lot of her free time with Kodachi, trying to learn to fit in better in her Airen's world.  She'd pretty much given up on winning him quickly and easily, instead settling on a strategy of patience and taking things one slow step at a time.

                Ranma was understandably nervous about the Amazon, but Kodachi told him she'd obtained Shampoo's promise to forsake her vengeance on his cursed form.  Shampoo figured she could get away with that since she didn't think it likely she'd be making it back to the village within a year's time.  When she did eventually return, she could say she'd carried out the required sentence.  The Amazon felt guilty about the idea, but told herself that girl-type Ranma had proved she was NOT a coward when she faced down her enemy for the 110 shampoo.  Since the law was designed to punish cowards, it didn't apply here.  It didn't matter to Shampoo that that argument wouldn't fly with the Council of Elders.  It was enough for her.  In fact, she suspected that if her great-grandmother ever saw girl-type Ranma in action, the redhead would find herself dragooned into the tribe no matter what.

                When Ranma and Kodachi were together, Shampoo usually tried to join them unless she sensed a strong desire for privacy; after all, she needed to learn a better way to approach her Airen, and hoped they could teach her.  Watching the two of them generally caused a huge mix of conflicting emotions in her.  Happiness for her friend, who had someone to care for her (a man who would never have been able to get out of the village without a bride or two if ever he'd passed through, the Amazon mused).  Sadness, since she had no one like that.  Hope, that one day she'd be able to win her Airen's heart.  Frustration, that she should have to work so hard to do so.  Why couldn't he just have accepted her for herself, as she saw so clearly that Ranma and Kodachi did for each other?

                The White Rose found that Shampoo, once she wasn't unleashing random bursts of violence, actually made a good friend.  Learning about her culture made for some fascinating stories, even if nobody was quite able to believe in some of the technique descriptions.   The thought that ANYONE could cause huge chunks of ice to levitate and fly around in an attack was particularly hard to swallow.  But when Ranma heard about the Splitting Cat Hairs technique, and was sure his leg was being pulled, the Amazon had countered his disbelief by splitting into three identical images.  She'd only been able to hold the illusion for a few seconds, but that was enough to convince Kodachi and Ranma that maybe she was serious after all.

                Even after quite some time had passed, though, Kodachi noted that Shampoo still seemed to be fixated on the art of fighting to the extent of ignoring all else.  The White Rose didn't really think that the Amazon had any chance to win Tatewaki away from Nabiki, but she hoped that if her friend learned to value things not related to combat, Shampoo might be able to find a good man for herself someday, one that might otherwise have been scared off.  One of Kodachi's hobbies was watercolor painting on plain white silk.  When she showed some of her favorite pieces to Shampoo, and offered to teach her, the Amazon accepted gladly.

***************

                Shampoo looked at the silk panel in front of her.  She was definitely getting better, she decided.  You could actually tell that this painting was supposed to represent a flower arrangement.  It felt strange to be developing skills so unrelated to fighting, but Shampoo found that she liked the idea of someday being able to produce something as delicate and beautiful as the paintings her friend had showed her.  The Amazon slipped into a brief daydream of finishing one of that quality and giving it to her Airen as a token of her affections.

                "Hey, not bad.  I can actually tell what it's supposed to be."  Ranma's voice brought her back to awareness of her surroundings.

                The funny thing was he'd really meant it as a compliment.  The Amazon had noticed that this boy seemed unusually nervous around her and often acted strangely.  At first she'd been afraid that he was trying to indicate an interest in her, which thought had nearly stopped her heart.  The last thing she needed was to lose the only real friend she had.  And having her man turn his affections to another would certainly cause Kodachi to react in that way.  Even if this Ranma could defeat her Airen in a fight, which the Amazon suspected to be the case, there was no way she was going to switch to the pig-tailed boy.  Anyway, he'd have to make a formal challenge to Tatewaki for that and have an Elder witness his victory before any defeat of her would count, since she already had an Airen by victory in combat.

                But after a few days of careful scrutiny, Shampoo had become fairly certain this outsider male wasn't trying to win her.  It seemed more like he was trying to make peace between the two of them, which struck her as odd since he'd never done anything to offend her.  After pondering this for a while, the Amazon decided he was probably just trying to make sure she didn't have any more anger toward girl-type Ranma, who he'd said was a relative of his.   This had come as a great relief to her.

                The time she'd spent observing him so intently had given her at least a little insight into his character.  This Ranma often spoke without thinking, and his words didn't come out right.  Like now, for instance.  She knew he'd been trying to compliment her, but decided to have a little fun by pretending otherwise.

                "Hmmph.  Ranma no need to insult Shampoo."  She stuck her tongue out at him.

                "Huh?!  What's that supposed to mean?"

                "Shampoo know is not so good as Kodachi's pictures.  But Shampoo trying!"  She suppressed a giggle at how easy it was to fool him.

                "And _I_ was tryin' to pay you a compliment!"  He was ready to run if she even looked like producing a bonborri.

                "Ranma make it sound like wise old woman tell little kid what nice mud-pie she make.  If Ranma think he such hot stuff, Shampoo like to see how good he do!"  This should be good for a laugh.

                "No thanks, that ain't my kind of thing."

                "What matter, Ranma?  Shampoo think you is afraid."

                A challenge to his pride had the intended effect.  Ranma's jaw squared itself, as a look of mulish determination lit up in his eyes.  "I just don't wanna make you look bad."

                At this, Shampoo nearly dislocated a rib in the effort not to laugh.  She placed a new strip of silk on the easel, and gestured for Ranma to take her place there.

                A miserable thirty minutes later, a paint-spattered Ranma ruefully regarded the cloth before him.  In America, it actually could have passed as a masterpiece of modern art, but in Japan, it was just so much wasted silk.  He shook his head.  "Told ya it wasn't my kinda thing," he growled.  Her snickering and helpful hints on brush technique ("Try use end without bristles") hadn't made it any easier to concentrate.

                Shampoo regarded his clothes.  They were a total loss, due to the amount of paint on them.  What she was about to do wouldn't have any real consequences, therefore.  She picked up the jar of water he'd been resting his brushes in.  "Ranma... you all wet," she said.

                And tossed the contents over him.

***************

                Cologne reread the letter for the fifth time.  How in the world had her great-granddaughter managed to get herself in such a mess?  Not for the first time, the Matriarch cursed the inflexibility of the Council of Elders.  If she had had her way, the Amazon tribe as a whole would have long since learned the nature of Jusenkyo, instead of it being a secret held by the Elders alone.

                The ancient one grimaced.  Had Shampoo known anything about Jusenkyo, besides that fact that it was cursed, off-limits, and used as a punishment for Amazons who broke tribal law, her great-granddaughter might have been able to put two and two together upon first encountering this male Ranma.  As it was, she was in the position of having given the Kiss of Marriage to one who was not her legitimate Airen.  Ranma's form at the time of the victory was inconsequential.  Shampoo had been defeated by an outsider male on the challenge log that day.

                By giving the Kiss of Marriage to a victorious outsider who had NOT first challenged her previous Airen for her hand, Shampoo had put herself in a position from which she could not escape with honor intact, at least not without some help.  The commitments were irreconcilable, as an Amazon woman could not have more than one husband.  Another law Cologne wished to have changed... after all, the technology now existed to perform parentage tests.  The old reasoning that multiple husbands for one wife would confuse bloodlines need no longer be valid.  But there was no chance of getting that law amended while the current Council was filled with hidebound fools.

                Cologne heaved a deep sigh.  Her great-granddaughter had written asking for her advice, but there was nothing she could do from here.  It looked like she would be taking an unexpected trip to the land of the Rising Sun.

***************

                "Ranma-kun?"  Ranma looked up from his kata, annoyed at himself for not hearing her enter the room.  Of course, he had a lot on his mind these days...

                Kodachi continued.  "I spoke to Shampoo today.  She has received word that her great-grandmother is journeying here from their home in China.  The old one apparently holds some position of power in the tribe, and can help Shampoo out of her current predicament."

                "Great," sighed Ranma.  "Another Amazon.  Oh, well, if she's Shampoo's great-grandmother she's gotta be old enough not to cause too much trouble.  Maybe she'll even dissolve both obligations and let Shampoo off the hook."

                "Do you really believe that?"  Kodachi arched one eyebrow.

                "No," he admitted, "but I can dream, right?"

                Ranma thought back to his earliest impressions of Shampoo.  She hadn't seemed too bright, at first.  But difficulty with the language or not, she hadn't been fooled for an instant by his panicked attempts to pass himself off as a girl "who went around disguised as a guy most of the time."

He grimaced.  She'd just seen too much of him by then for that to work.  He was still surprised that he'd been able to keep from being splashed accidentally while Shampoo was around for so long.  That just meant that when it finally happened, Shampoo wasn't going to swallow any nonsense about him really being female.  The Amazon had gotten the truth out of Kodachi, who was unwilling to lie to a friend.  They still couldn't believe that she hadn't known about Jusenkyo, in spite of living less than twenty miles from the cursed training ground.

                Ranma walked to a nearby bench and sat down.  Kodachi joined him.  For a little while, they sat in silence.  Then Ranma spoke up.  "What are we gonna do if the old woman says Shampoo has to take me as her husband?"

                Kodachi looked down at her hands.  "I don't know.  I asked Shampoo whether there are any holes in Amazon law that we could exploit.  She doesn't know of anything better than getting someone else to challenge you for her hand.  If that person defeats you, and she accepts him, he would become her Airen.  But that requires witness by an elder, and if that elder didn't think you fought to the best of your strength, it wouldn't count.  And anyway, the way things stand now the only one she would accept in that role is my brother, who would not be willing."

                "Guess it's just as well things didn't work out with Ryoga."  Ranma frowned bitterly.  "Even after I part ways with Pop, his mistakes still come back to haunt me.  He ain't never made a decision that was right for me."

                The White Rose regarded Ranma for a moment.  "Is that really fair?" she asked gently.

                Ranma snorted.  "Darn right it is.  You think I wanted to go to China?  I was still waiting for Ryoga to show for our fight when Pop came and dragged me off.  If it weren't for him, I'd never have been to Jusenkyo, and never have made it to the Amazon village."

                Kodachi looked away.  "And you'd never have been engaged against your will to Akane," she continued quietly.  "In fact, you'd probably never even have come to Nerima at all."

                "Hey!"  Ranma saw where this was going.  "That ain't what I meant!"  He wanted to say more, so much more, but didn't know how.

                Kodachi turned back and met his gaze squarely.  "Do you value what you have now, Ranma-kun?"  'You have me, now and forever.  I'll never be complete without you.  I'll never betray you or turn away from you.'  She wanted to say that and more, but was afraid, as if this were all a dream and speaking those words would end it.

                Ranma swallowed hard.  "Y- yeah," he managed.  Then took a deep breath.  "And in case you forgot, Pop fought tooth and nail to keep you and me apart.  So that's why I don't think me meetin' you makes up for anything Pop did to me in the past."  He continued in a lower tone of voice.  "If he'd just accepted the way things are, it would've made up for a lot.  But as it is, you're the one that gets all the credit."  Gingerly, he took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

                Kodachi smiled at the reassurance.  The White Rose still found herself incapable of understanding how Genma Saotome could have raised someone like Ranma.  And she was certain of one thing.  Regardless of whatever decision this ancient Amazon should render, she was NOT giving up Ranma to anyone else.

***************

                Shampoo looked around at the empty building.  "Aiyah, Great-Grandmother.  How you close deal so fast?"  It had been less than a week since she'd receieved the letter announcing her elder's arrival, and here she was standing in what would be a restaurant owned and operated by the Matriarch and herself.

                "Never mind that now, Shampoo.  I have my methods.  What's important is that we decide what to do about your situation."  Cologne regarded her great-granddaughter closely.  "Why don't you tell me what you think would be the best solution."

                "I think that would be-" her great-grandmother cut her off, and requested that she speak in Japanese, since she still needed to polish it.  "Shampoo think best thing if bond to Ranma no exist.  Shampoo rather have Tatewaki as Airen."  She was fairly certain that Ranma was the better fighter, and he seemed nice enough, but his curse and her absolute unwillingness to lose Kodachi's friendship ruled him out.  She had already decided that if her great-grandmother pushed her to take Ranma, she'd fight.

                "Are you certain?  Because that is one way out of this mess.  As Matriarch, I can invoke the melee defeat law.  It's not completely appropriate, since the two defeated you at different times rather than in joint combat, but as they're both in contention for your hand in marriage, I have a certain leeway."

                The younger Amazon blinked.  "Shampoo not know that law."

                Cologne resisted the urge to swat her youngest blood relation.  Just because she wasn't the chosen heir to the Martriarchy, this didn't mean she shouldn't have learned all the tribal laws.  But Shampoo had never really been interested in that type of lore.  "It arises from the situation where an Amazon is defeated by a group in which there is more than one man.  There are numerous subclauses to the law which don't apply to the situation in hand, so I won't go into detail.  Basically, you must eventually choose one of these two as your Airen, and forswear the other."

                Shampoo thought this sounded too good to be true.  "That it?  Just choose?  No hidden catch?"

                "Just that once you choose, the one you reject becomes less than a stranger to you.  You cannot later change your mind.  Only if he should challenge both your chosen and yourself at the same time and emerge victorious would he become your Airen again."  Cologne regarded her great-granddaughter.  "This is not a choice to be made lightly, Shampoo.  There is no reason to hurry things-"  She was cut off.

                "Shampoo choose Tatewaki as Airen.  Swear now before Honored Elder to let go Ranma and hold to Tatewaki."

                Cologne sighed.  Impulsive as ever.

**************************************************************************************

                Author's notes

                Can anyone think of a better idea than mine for explaining how, in the anime, Shampoo didn't realize what was happening when Ranma poured cold water over himself, changed from male to female, and said he was really a girl?  Or how about the fact that Mousse wandered cluelessly into the Yaznichuan?  It seems to me that there's no way they could have known the details about Jusenkyo (since I've never read the manga, I don't know how it handles these things).

                Cologne, thinking that Amazon laws need to change?  Who had a hard time believing in that?  And yet I think it's actually plausible that she's less caught up in the "three thousand years of Chinese Amazon history" than she lets on.  If she were really that hidebound about the laws, I believe she would have just subdued Ranma and dragged him off to China with Shampoo by force.  Don't think she couldn't have done it at the time she was introduced.  There are several instances in the anime where she doesn't show herself as that much of a stickler (especially when Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung are defeated by Akane, and she doesn't insist on them giving her the Kiss of Death).  Next time:  Love on ice.


	4. United We Stand

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.

**************************************************************************************

                Chapter 3:  United We Stand

***************

                " 'Sunny with mostly clear skies.  Chance of rain less than ten percent.'  Why do I even bother to check the weather report?" Ranma-chan grumbled as she and Kodachi trudged through the downpour.

                The White Rose didn't reply, but inwardly she decided the next time she and Ranma went out, she'd carry an umbrella, regardless of what the report said.  An umbrella just big enough for two people if they stood very close together…  the sight of a black piglet sitting morosely on top of a pile of clothing shook her from these pleasant thoughts.

                "Ranma-kun… isn't that Ryoga?"

                Out of reflex, Ranma-chan balled up her fists, then relaxed again with a sigh.  She'd given up MOST of the grudge she held against the lost boy, but some of the old anger still remained.  "Looks like it."

                Kodachi picked up the little pig.  He just stared apathetically at her for a moment.  "Will you gather up his belongings, please?"

                Ranma-chan groaned mentally.  She knew Kodachi could be very soft-hearted for people who were really hurting.  Truth be told, it was one of the things her boyfriend liked most about her.  But this time Ranma-chan didn't totally agree with whom the White Rose was choosing as a recipient of her mercy.  Hoping this wasn't a mistake, the redhead scooped up the clothes and the backpack.  She remembered how hard Ryoga had fallen for Akane after being shown just a little kindness.  Silently Ranma-chan promised herself that if she saw the same type of thing happening here, she'd sell P-chan to the Nekohanten.

                The trio made their way back to the Kuno place, where a little hot water restored Ranma and Ryoga to their normal forms.  Shortly thereafter, Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, and Ryoga sat in the living room.  The Amazon had turned up just after the others had gotten back home.  Since the rain had greatly reduced business at the Nekohanten, Shampoo had received the day off.  She'd been hoping to find Tatewaki, but he and Nabiki were at an art museum in central Tokyo.

                "So, Ryoga, what brings you back to Nerima?" Kodachi asked, after introducing him to the Amazon.

                Ranma snorted.  "Or did ya think you were in Kyoto until you saw us?"

                Ryoga shook his head morosely.  "I came back to Nerima to try and figure out what's happened to me."  He looked Ranma in the eye.  "And to try and apologize for what I did.  I know I can never make it up to you, Ranma, for all the trouble I caused.  Especially not for… the last time we fought.  But I want you to know how ashamed I am."

                Ranma looked long and hard, and saw sincerity, pain, and sorrow in Ryoga's gaze.  The old hubris and hostility were gone without a trace.  With a slow nod, he finally let go of the last of his anger.  "Then I forgive you… just so long as you NEVER put Dachi in any kind of danger again."  Off to the side, Kodachi quickly explained to Shampoo what had happened, emphasizing that she'd deliberately let him injure her when the Amazon looked ready to flatten Ryoga with a bonborri.

                Ryoga laughed a little.  "That's really the only thing that mattered to you, isn't it?"  He shook his head wonderingly.  "I make trouble for you left and right, I do my best to actually _kill_ you, and the only thing that really bothers you is when I hurt someone else by accident."  He sighed.  "Maybe someday I'll manage to become half as honorable as you."

                Ranma didn't know how to respond to that.  Seeing his difficulty, Kodachi changed the subject a little.  "You said you came back to Nerima to discover what's happened to you, Ryoga.  It sounds to me like you're growing up."

                Ryoga met her gaze.  "And that explains why I no longer get lost?  Or why I've lost a good three quarters of my strength?  I used to be able to swing a battle umbrella like a willow switch.  Now I can barely pick one up with both hands.  No, this is something a bit more serious than just realizing I was wrong to blame Ranma for everything."

                He looked away again.  "I've changed.  And I don't understand it.  And… I'm frightened."

                There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute or two.  Then Shampoo spoke up.  "Maybe we ask Great-Grandmother.  She very old, very wise, know much lore.  Maybe she explain this."

                Ranma looked out the window.  The rain had stopped quite a while ago.  The sun was shining brightly, and there were no more clouds in the sky.  "Why don't we go talk to her, then?"

***************

                Cologne looked up as the shop door opened.  "Shampoo, you're soaking wet.  What happened to your umbrella?"

                Shampoo snorted.  "Still at house of Airen.  Not one cloud in sky when we leave, so Shampoo no think she need."  At least it would make a good excuse to go back and fetch it, later that evening…

                Ranma-chan set a little black piglet down on the table, muttering something about stupid curses and stupid rainstorms that faked a retreat before showing back up.  Cologne indicated the animal.  "Would you like me to prepare some Cantonese sweet and sour pork?  I think this little fellow will make enough for all of us."  The pig started to squeal indignantly.

                "That one not for eating, Great-Grandmother.  Is boy with curse like Ranma."

                "Spring of drowned piglet?  Well, that explains why Kodachi is carrying a set of boy's clothing."  Cologne pogoed off, and returned a few minutes later with several towels and a pan of hot water.  Ranma-chan used some of this, then set the rest on the floor.  Everyone dried off, averting their gaze until Ryoga indicated it was safe to look again.

                "Now, Shampoo, why did you all come here?"

                "Is because pig boy have question for you, Great-Grandmother."

                Ryoga glared at the Amazon for a moment.  If she had to deal with a curse like his, he bet she'd be a lot more sympathetic.  Then he turned to the ancient one and gave a summary of his life and relationship with Ranma, leading up to the changes in himself after the latest development.

                Ranma noted there was something the other left out.  "You didn't mention the fact that your fangs are gone, Ryoga."

                Ryoga looked at him in blank confusion.  "What's that supposed to mean?"

                Now it was Ranma's turn to be confused.  "Come on, you had to have noticed that your teeth are normal now."

                Ryoga upped the ante for confusion.  "My teeth have always been like this.  What on earth are you talking about?"  He'd thought for a second that it was some stupid joke, but then decided Ranma wasn't a good enough actor to fake bewilderment that well.

                Cologne interrupted the conversation of cluelessness.  "Ranma, do you mean to say that prior to your final fight with Ryoga, he appeared to have fangs instead of normal incisors?"

                "Yeah.  Whaddaya mean, 'appeared to have'?  They were pretty obvious!"

                Cologne seemed to ignore this question.  Turning back to Ryoga, she asked, "Ryoga, you said earlier that all throughout your previous life, you had no sense of direction and got lost regularly, even in your own home?"  When he nodded his assent, she asked, "Did either of your parents have this same unfortunate trait?  And if so, was that parent stronger than normal?  What about brothers and sisters?"

                "Actually, both Mom and Dad are like that.  I'm stronger than they are, but I don't get lost quite as easily."  He caught himself.  "Well, that's how it used to be, before whatever it is happened to me.  It's been several years since we all managed to be in the house at the same time.  I think I'm still an only child, but I can't be sure, because of that."

                It was difficult to see beneath the wrinkles, but Cologne had turned pale.  Without another word, she pogoed to a cabinet.  Unlocking it, she removed several lamps and a number of different types of incense.  "I think I may have an idea of what's happened, boy, but before I check to make sure, let me ask you a question.

                "Are you sure you want to know?"

                By now, just about everyone had a bad feeling about this.  Ryoga tried to ignore the way the others were subtly letting a little more room come between them and himself.  "I- I think I'd better find out."

                About forty-five minutes later, Cologne gestured for Ryoga to step out of the design she'd laboriously chalked on the floor.  He set down the three incense burners she'd had him hold, more than a little unnerved to see that the color of the smoke from each changed as soon as he was no longer holding them.

                Cologne sighed.  "There's no very easy way for me to say this, boy.  At least I can give you one piece of good news:  you're no longer in danger."

                Somehow, this didn't reassure Ryoga very much.  "Just go ahead and spit it out, whatever it is."

                The ancient one regarded him closely.  "Very well.  Both your parents are half-Oni.  Because of this, you inherited a demonic side as well as a human one."

                There was a long moment of silence.  Then Ryoga stood up, his face a stiff mask of anger.  "I don't appreciate you trying to mess with my head like this, old woman.  Goodbye."  He turned to go, and Cologne's staff shot out and tripped him.  He turned and glared at her.  "Look, I'm not gonna…" Ryoga's voice trailed off as Cologne's battle aura swelled up and filled the shop.

                "I realize that what I'm telling you is hard to accept, boy," Cologne said in a controlled tone.  "That doesn't mean I'm going to let you call me a liar to my face.  You turn into a little black pig when splashed with cold water.  How dare you reject out of hand the possibility that Oni are real?!"

                Ryoga gulped, but held his ground.  "I didn't say that.  In fact, I met a true Oni once."  An expression of fear passed over his face, and then he seemed to find new strength, as if Cologne wasn't nearly as bad as the memory.  "And my parents aren't ANYTHING like that!  How dare you say they are when you haven't even met them?!"

                Cologne blinked, then let her battle aura dissipate, giving the impression of a hen settling her ruffled feathers.  "My apologies, boy, I didn't make myself clear enough.  Half-Oni draw mainly on their human inheritance for spiritual nature and their demon side for power.  Your parents are probably quite good people."

                "Darn right they are," growled Ryoga.

                "Is because pig boy and family part demon they get lost all the time, Great-Grandmother?"  Belatedly, Shampoo realized it might not be wise to continue referring to someone with Oni blood as 'pig boy'.  She decided she'd call him 'bandana boy' from now on.

                "Yes.  The Oni are not of this world.  A true Oni can, when in our world, step from one place to another without regard to the distance between the points."  Cologne smirked a little at Ryoga.  "This ability is present in half-Oni, but mostly uncontrollable.  That's why such as your family spend so much time lost.  It's also how you usually manage to find your way to where you want to go eventually.  And your Oni inheritance is the reason for your great strength."

Kodachi spoke up.  "And I suppose that's also the reason Ryoga has had fangs for incisors in the past?"

                "That was an illusion.  His teeth have always been as they are now.  You perceived fangs as a visual cue that he wasn't then entirely human."

                Ryoga still had a stubborn expression on his face.  "Look, granny, I never met any of my grandparents, but it's really hard for me to believe that either my mom or my dad could have turned out like they did with a real demon for a parent."

                "And did I say that happened?  The laws of genetics take a back seat to the laws of magic, boy.  The children of a half-Oni and a pure human, or a half-Oni and a true Oni for that matter, are inevitably half-Oni.  Your true Oni ancestors could be several dozen generations back."

                Cologne fixed him with a piercing stare.  "It's only when two half-Oni parents have a child that things get interesting.  The child is born with two souls, one human, one Oni, rather than the simple fusion that was the case for his parents."

                Ryoga hated to admit it, but she was starting to wear down his disbelief.  He wasn't ready to ask any more questions, not really, but figured he might as well before someone else did.  "So what does that really mean?"

                "Think of it as VERY extreme yin and yang.  You had a human soul and a demonic one in the same body, bound so closely together that each didn't recognize that there were two rather than one."  Cologne paused, then asked in a surprisingly gentle tone of voice, "How much of what you've done in the past seemed right then but shames you now?"

                "A lot," Ryoga muttered, looking down.

                "That was due to the Oni soul's influence.  But cheer up, boy, it's gone for good."  Cologne took out a long pipe, lit it, and began to puff.  "As to how the Oni soul has been cast out…  its hold on you was weakened dramatically when Kodachi allowed you to hurt her in an attempt to shake you out of your blind fury.  Disinterested self-sacrifice is something an Oni simply cannot comprehend.  They have a limited capacity for love, but none for altruism.  They're basically very selfish at heart."

Cologne blew a smoke ring on her pipe, which settled over Kodachi's head like a halo.  Then she puffed a cloud into Ranma's face, making him sneeze.  "And then, after it was weakened, Ranma pummeled you to within an inch of your life, forcing it the rest of the way out.  I suspect its lingering presence in you was the only thing that allowed you to survive the beating he gave you.  It's gone now, and can't return.  That's why I said you're out of danger."

                "So the Oni's just roaming around free now?"  Ranma didn't quite like the sound of that.

                "Yes, but it's powerless without a physical link to the world.  It will wander for a year and a day, then expire."

                "You said the Oni cannot return to Ryoga.  Is there any possibility it might settle in anyone else?"  Kodachi didn't want to see a repeat of the fight in which Ranma had come so close to death.  

                "Not a chance.  The Oni soul is incompatible with anyone other than Ryoga, and once it left him, Ryoga's humanity expanded to fill the gap, so to speak.  This is why it has no way to regain a foothold in him.  No need to worry."  Cologne took a long drag at her pipe.  "Of course, had it been your humanity that was forced out, I would have had to kill you, boy."

                "That ain't funny, old ghoul," growled Ranma.  He was still sensitive about Amazons and death-threats, since Kodachi had kept her promise to Shampoo not to tell anyone about the truth behind the Kiss of Death.

                "It wasn't meant to be," returned Cologne.  "Life is seldom fair.  Had Ryoga lost his human soul, the result could have been much worse than a standard Oni.  Those have weaknesses which are easy to exploit, due to the fact that true Oni aren't really part of this world.  Such would not have been the case for Ryoga, if the worst had happened."  Cologne regarded the former lost boy steadily.  "So now you understand just how much you owe to Kodachi and Ranma." 

***************

                Ryoga stayed at the Kuno place for a few days, coming to terms with what he'd learned.  It wasn't easy.  Eventually he realized it just wasn't something that he could deal with fully by himself, and left for home.  He wasn't looking forward to how long he might have to wait for his mother or father to show up there.  But Ryoga knew that they needed to learn what he'd found out.  And if that meant staying alone for a few months, well, he'd been on his own for lots longer stretches than that in the past.

                The mood left behind at the Kuno place was fairly somber.  Both Godai and Hitome felt deep sympathy for a boy forced to grow up without his parents around.  They told Ryoga to come by and stay with them whenever he was in town.  Ranma, Kodachi, and Tatewaki were also sorry for him, Ranma in particular feeling guilty over the sheer hatred he'd felt for his former rival at one time.  They wished there was more they could do.

                The day after Ryoga's departure, Kodachi decided that enough was enough.  Tatewaki had shaken off his blues by taking Nabiki out.  She'd follow his example.  "Ranma-kun, would you be willing to take me ice skating?"

                Ranma gave her a confused look.  "Ice skating?  I didn't know you liked that kinda stuff."

                "Well, actually, I've never tried it before.  But it might be fun, don't you think?  And we could both use a little fun right now."

                Ranma found he agreed wholeheartedly with that.  He and Kodachi left the house, only to encounter Shampoo in the lane outside.  "Nihao!  Where you going?"

                "Ice skating," replied Kodachi.

                "What that?"

                "Well, it's… um…"  The White Rose found herself at a loss to explain it, other than just giving a basic description.  "You put on special shoes, with blades on the bottoms, and use them to slide around over a large sheet of ice."

                Shampoo looked at her like she'd grown a second head or something.  "Why you do that?"  Then her expression changed to dawning comprehension.  "Oh!  Is punishment?  Parents catch you too too close to you Airen?  They want cool you off?"

                Kodachi and Ranma both blushed.  On her, this was truly impressive. "NO!  It's not a punishment.  It's supposed to be fun!"

                Shampoo looked puzzled again, but apparently was willing to take this on faith.  "Is okay Shampoo get Tatewaki and come with you?"

                'Hope springs eternal,' Kodachi thought sadly to herself.  "My brother is not at home now, Shampoo.  But you're welcome to come along with us."

                Shampoo regarded her friend, then turned with a cheerful smile to Ranma.  "So where he take Nabiki this time?"

                Caught completely off guard by her tone of apparent carelessness, Ranma responded without thinking.  "To a kabuki play…"  His voice trailed off as her expression crumbled at the confirmation.

                The Amazon turned back to Kodachi.  "Shampoo thank you for offer.  Maybe other day," she said quietly.

                Kodachi's frown of annoyance at Ranma turned to an expression of determination.  "No, I really think I'm going to insist.  Please come with us."

                Shampoo hesitated, then allowed herself to be persuaded.  The three of them continued to the local rink.  

***************

                In a flash of purple, Shampoo streaked by Ranma and Kodachi, who had just managed to get to their feet.  "Well, at least she seems to have forgotten her sorrow," muttered the White Rose.

                "How the heck did she get so good at this?!  She didn't even know what ice skating was!"  Ranma was not in a very good frame of mind.  Being laughed at by little kids as they glided past effortlessly was doing nothing for his temper.  He'd thought about changing into a girl, as it would be less embarrassing, but decided that would be wimping out on Kodachi.  After all, she wasn't doing any better than he was.

                "If her great-grandmother was here, I'm sure she'd say it was due to 3000 years of Chinese Amazon history."  Kodachi grimaced as her feet threatened to slide out from under her.  She grabbed Ranma, hoping to stabilize herself, which naturally ensured that they both went down… again.

                Shampoo flashed across the ice like a bullet train.  A bullet train on its normal tracks, that is, not a bullet train on ice.  She wove through the crowds effortlessly, a big smile on her face.  So that stupid first part of the Fist of the Ice Bear training had been good for something after all!  Shampoo hadn't really believed at the time that being sealed inside a block of ice and sent careening around a frozen lake in the middle of a blizzard was going to raise her affinity for the element of ice, but apparently it had.  Now she was actually looking forward to the next part of the training.  Great-Grandmother had said her chi reserves should be large enough in another year.

                The Amazon glanced behind her to see Kodachi and Ranma tumble to the ground yet again.  She wondered how two people who were normally so graceful could lose it all so completely just because of a little ice.  The distraction couldn't have come at a worse time.

                "Danton!  Robespierre!  You're so CUTE!"  A sqealing figure shot past her on her blind side.

                Shampoo blinked.  Something felt… different.  Absently, she angled her skates for a quick grinding stop, not noticing that this kicked up a wake of ice crystals over half the rink.  Turning and looking back, the Amazon saw a saccharine-sweetly cute girl bubbling with joy over…

                So that was what felt different!  Her twin jade hairpieces, all she had with her to remember her mother by, were missing!  With a scowl of rage, Shampoo stomped over to Azusa.  Not many people can stomp in ice skates without falling flat on their faces, but she managed without even thinking about it.  "Give back now."

                Azusa looked up from gloating over Shampoo's hairpieces.  "No!  These are Azusa's cute little Danton and Robespierre.  Go find your own!"

                Shampoo gritted her teeth.  "That exactly what Shampoo do."  She snatched out her hand to grab her property, and was shocked when Azusa evaded the attempt with ease.

                Azusa stuck out her tongue.  "Little Azusa is a master of Shiratori Martial Arts Kleptomania.  You're way too slow to match her."

                "Shampoo show you slow!"  With this shout, the chase was on.  Azusa zigged and zagged across the ice, usually skating backward and making faces at the enraged Amazon pursuing her and waving a bonborri.  The sight of this spectacle encouraged most people to get off the ice as quickly as possible. 

***************

                The warmth of Ranma's body was enough to melt the ice crystals that coated him and trigger his change.  Ranma-chan groaned theatrically, but inwardly was kind of glad that nobody would see HIM falling on the ice anymore.

                "Are you all right, miss?"  A suave voice that was practically dripping with concern broke into Ranma-chan's awareness.  She looked up to see a tall, handsome boy standing over her.  Something about him set her teeth on edge, but before she could respond, he'd knelt down beside her and lifted her to her feet, and incidentally into his embrace.

                "I'm Mikado Sanzenin.  I couldn't bear to see such beauty in such distress.  May I ask your name?"  Mikado flashed a grin and began channeling the cold chi that radiated from the ice.

                "Uh… Ranko.  Ranko Saotome."  Something didn't feel right about this situation, not at all, but Ranma-chan's awareness of this seemed to be a long way off.  What was this haze clouding her thoughts?  The red-haired girl shook her head groggily.

                Mikado realized that the girl in his arms was actually fighting off the numbing effects of his technique.  That had never happened before.  For an instant, he was so surprised he almost let her go.  Then, pulling himself together, he realized just what kind of an opportunity he was allowing to slip through his fingers.  Abandoning flowery talk, he dipped his head to Ranma-chan's… and kissed her.

                Off to the side, Kodachi had been trying to get to her feet and failing miserably.  The kiss caused her jaw to drop and her eyes to widen to the dimensions of saucers.

                In Mikado's arms, Ranma-chan stiffened like a frozen corpse, then slowly pushed away.  She took one or two steps on the ice, still with an expression of blank horror on her face.  Then, bursting into tears, she ran off the rink.

                "That poor girl.  I really should be ashamed of myself," said Mikado.   If he was experiencing crushing feelings of remorse, his smile did a good job of hiding it.  "She must be truly shy and inexperienced for my kiss to affect her so."

                "That or heterosexual," muttered Kodachi, entertaining the thought of using a hula-hoop with a razor-sharp edge to make Mikado see the error of his ways.  Then she did a mental double-take.  A hula-hoop with a razor-sharp edge?  What kind of person would resort to such tactics?

                This drew Mikado's attention to her.  His eyes widened appreciatively.  Only one more kiss was needed before he would reach the 1,000 mark, and here before his eyes was someone unique enough to be worthy of that special kiss!  He had been intending to snare the purple-haired girl currently pursuing his partner while screaming death threats, but here was someone just as exotic who wouldn't need to be chased down first.

                Mikado glided over to Kodachi, now standing shakily on her feet.  "Forgive me for seeming to overlook you in your friend's favor," he said.  "It is merely that I believe in saving the best for last."  He placed his hand on her arm and applied the Ice Maiden technique which would freeze her resistance to his charms.

                Kodachi felt something… odd… as Mikado's hand touched her.  It only lasted for a second, though, as her body's enhanced defenses recognized an invasive chi attack and responded.

                Mikado gasped and shot backwards, breaking the connection.  The icy chi he'd directed her way had been returned a thousandfold at him.  He barely managed to keep his balance as he tried to weather the overload.  It felt like his whole body had been frozen solid.  Just as he began to get a little feeling back in his arms, a cry of fury split the air.

                "MIKADO!"

                Ranma charged onto the ice, male again and madder than he'd been since his final fight with Ryoga.  With a snarl, he slammed his fist down into the surface of the rink, creating a huge split in the ice that ran from him nearly to the target of his ire.

                By now, everyone had cleared the rink except for Mikado, Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, and Azusa.  Azusa was still skating effortlessly ahead of the Amazon, facing backwards and sticking out her tongue.  Because of this, she didn't see the rip in the ice until it was too late.  Her lead skate caught in the groove, and she went flying to smash into the wall of the rink.  With a cry of triumph, Shampoo stopped next to her and retrieved her hairpieces, giving the prone girl a smack on the head for good measure.

                The sight of an angry martial artist out for his blood gave Mikado a big enough panic-enhanced adrenaline jolt to throw off the last of the cold.  Ranma continued.  "You're gonna pay through the nose for what you just did!"

                Mikado felt his confidence return along with his mobility.  He smiled slightly.  "I don't know who you are or what your problem is, but damaging the rink is a serious offense.  I, Mikado Sanzenin, the Golden Emperor of Martial Arts Figure Skating, accept your challenge."

                With a growl, Ranma launched himself at the target of his anger.  Had his leap attack connected, Mikado would probably have been reduced to a red smear.  However, the self-proclaimed Emperor just slid smoothly to the side.  Ranma crashed down and skidded face-first along the ice.

                Mikado pulled out a comb and coaxed several unruly strands of hair back into place.  "Amateur.  Only a fool would launch a suicide attack so early in a battle."  To his surprise, his enemy stood back up at this, and laughed.

                "Suicide attack?  You think a little fall like that's gonna stop Ranma Saotome?"  Ranma propelled himself in a straight line forward, not taking to the air this time.  Mikado was almost caught off guard, but managed to dodge with a desperate spin.  He sighed in relief as his pig-tailed attacker slammed into the wall of the rink.  Nobody could shrug off that kind of impact. 

                Shrugging off the impact, Ranma turned and faced Mikado again.  "Keep it up, pal.  You're just digging your grave deeper and deeper."

                "So you do have some skill," returned Mikado.  Privately he wondered if this Ranma might know the Emperor's own trick of drawing on cold chi to restore himself.  If that were so, the only way to defeat him was to hit him hard and fast, over and over, until he couldn't keep up the recovery tactic and passed out.  "I don't like to use this on amateurs, but you give me no choice.  Prepare yourself… for the Dance of Death."  Mikado extended one arm and began spinning like a top. 

                Ranma snorted and charged.  That looked like it might be a pretty good defense against someone who wasn't fast enough to totally break through the whirlwind of Mikado's arms and free leg.  Thanks to Kodachi, however, his increased speed made it a joke.  Giving Ranma a planted target was the quickest way Mikado could have ended the fight.  The heir to the Anything Goes style disrupted the spin with ease and proceeded to pound Sanzenin into a pulp.

                Kodachi looked on sympathetically.  She'd joined Shampoo at a table outside the rink.  The Amazon was carefully redoing her hair and restoring her hairpieces to their rightful place.  They watched as Ranma gave a last devastating punch, which sent Mikado sliding back to end up next to Azusa against the wall.  The girl was groaning and shaking her head as she tried to pull in enough cold chi to restore herself. 

                Ranma shot one last look of disgust at his fallen foe, then left the ice and joined the girls at the table.  "I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough skating for one day."  They agreed, and returned the skates they'd rented.  As they turned to go, they found their path blocked by a very angry Azusa Shiratori and an unconscious Mikado Sanzenin.

                "Give Azusa back her Danton and Robespierre!" Azusa shouted.  Shampoo just shook her head in disgust, then feinted with a bonborri.  As Azusa was still wearing her ice skates, which were somewhat less than effective on carpet, her attempt to dodge just caused her to fall on her rear.

                "Then Azusa challenges you, you thief!"  The skater glared at Ranma and indicated her prone partner.  "And Miki challenges you to a rematch!  You two against us, Martial Arts Figure Skating, one week from today!"

                Ranma looked uncomfortable at this.  On the one hand, accepting challenges was an integral part of the Anything Goes style.  On the other, being paired with Shampoo in a figure skating competition didn't exactly sound like his idea of a great time.  He told himself that was just because he already had a girlfriend who he didn't want to get any wrong ideas, NOT because he felt in any way inadequate because Shampoo was a better… was so good at skating.  But before he could think of a way to weasel out of the challenge, Shampoo spoke up.

                "Is deal.  You try take Shampoo's most prized possession, then call Shampoo thief when she take back.  Shampoo teach you not to mess with womans of Amazon tribe."  The Amazon stormed out, not even realizing she'd agreed for Ranma as well as herself.

***************

                That evening, Kodachi went to the Nekohanten.  Shampoo had left them behind at the ice rink, and the White Rose needed to talk to her.

                "Shampoo, why did you accept on Ranma's behalf as well as your own?"  Kodachi knew he didn't like it when others made decisions for him.

                "Shampoo not mean to.  Just so angry at stupid thief girl."  The Amazon sighed.  Now she would have to spend a lot of time training Ranma to be able to skate better.  It was just too bad that it was the wrong time of year to find a blizzard and a frozen lake.

                Unbeknownst to the Amazon, Kodachi was examining her closely.  "Shampoo, I would like to ask you for a favor."

                "What that?"

                "Please allow me to substitute for you in the match next Saturday."

                Shampoo turned and regarded her friend incredulously.  "Why you ask that?"

                Kodachi hesitated, then decided not to say she wanted to make sure her friend wasn't making a play for Ranma.  "It would mean a lot to me to fight alongside Ranma-kun and best those two cretins at their own game."  Shampoo's response to this should give her enough indication as to the other's motivation.

                Shampoo sighed.  "Problem with that is match in one week.  You think you and Ranma learn enough in that time beat these two?  It going be all Shampoo can do to help Ranma learn.  Next time Mikado not give standing-still target."

                The Amazon's jaw squared as she continued.  "And Shampoo want be one what squash thief girl like bug."  She gently touched her hairpieces.  "These many hundred year old, been in family long time, passed down from mother to daughter.  They only thing Shampoo have in Japan to remember mother by.  When thief girl take, she place order for much trouble and is matter of honor that Shampoo be one what deliver."

                Kodachi was more or less reassured by this.  "Well, at least you won't mind if I tag along and train alongside Ranma, I hope."  It wasn't really a question, but Shampoo answered anyway, indicating that she'd be just as happy to have her friend along.

***************

                After three days of grueling practise, Ranma had seriously begun to loathe the sight of ice.  He was almost sure it was conspiring against him, to trip him and throw him around and make him look like an idiot in front of Kodachi.  He figured it was because of his curse.  After all, Ranma + cold water = trouble, right?  And ice was just really, really cold water, right?

                Between looking on the ice as an enemy to defeat, and the desire not to look like a clumsy oaf in front of Kodachi, and the frustration of watching Shampoo streak backwards across the rink on one skate with her eyes closed, Ranma found it easy to focus his entire willpower on learning to skate.  By the end of the week, he could keep his balance and turn fairly easily.  The same was true for Kodachi, although for her it was because repeated exposure to the cold chi radiating from the ice finally acclimated her to it.  Not as completely as was the case for Shampoo, but after all Kodachi decided she'd just as soon not go through what her friend had described.

                On the night before the match, Nabiki dropped by to watch the final practise session.  She still wasn't that comfortable around Shampoo, but had to admit the Amazon had been much nicer ever since the Xi Fang Gao incident.  That this was because Shampoo was trying to resign herself to having to take Nabiki along with Tatewaki was something the middle Tendo didn't know.  This was probably for the best.

                When the time came for a rest break, Kodachi, Ranma, and Shampoo joined Nabiki.  She gave them her trademark smirk and handed each a package.  "On the house."

                Upon opening the packages, the three were surprised to find t-shirts emblazoned with a stylized picture of Ranma and Shampoo skating along with triumphant grins on their faces while a battered Azusa and Mikado slumped against a wall.  The legend "I Was There When the Golden Pair Fell" was written on the back of the shirt.

                Kodachi was the first to recover.  "Didn't you have to go to a lot of trouble to make these, Nabiki?"

                Nabiki shrugged.  "The yen I get for selling them tomorrow will more than make up for that."

                Ranma frowned.  "Uh… just who do you think's gonna be buying them?  You just gave free shirts to us, and I don't think Mikado the Molester or Azusa the Klepto are gonna want them."

Nabiki gave him a pitying gaze.  "Saotome, do you even know who you're going up against tomorrow?"  His expression gave her all the answer she needed.  "The Golden Pair are the undefeated champions of Martial Arts Figure Skating.  They've got an incredible string of unbroken victories.  Tomorrow, when you guys face off with them at Kolhoz, the bleachers are going to be filled to capacity with spectators."  Nabiki grinned.  "And I managed to get two-thirds of the ticket sales.  Between that, these shirts, and the yen I bet on you two to win, I could treat my family to steak for a month."

                "Shampoo glad you so confident in us."  The Amazon gave Nabiki a tentative smile.

                Nabiki regarded her coolly.  Free shirt or no free shirt, she still wasn't fond of her competition.  "It's pretty obvious.  As soon as Azusa gets close enough to hit you, she'll be close enough for you to hit her, and one punch from you will take her out hard and fast.  Then you and Ranma can double-team Mikado, if he hasn't already finished the pretty-boy like he did last time.  Surest bet I ever made."

                Meanwhile, Kodachi was regarding the picture of Ranma paired with Shampoo with more and more distaste.

***************

                Shampoo grumbled a little to herself as she and Ranma waited for their cue to enter.  Kodachi had asked her again to allow her to substitute in the match.  Shampoo knew the Japanese had strange ways of thinking, but she didn't see what was so hard about this!  SHE was the one whose honor had been insulted, after all, not the White Rose.  Shampoo privately suspected the real reason Kodachi was so insistent on fighting alongside Ranma was so she could have the opportunity to make Mikado pay for his effrontery.  But it hadn't seemed to help her friend's mood any when Shampoo had promised she'd make sure Mikado regretted what he'd done to Ranma.

                Ranma sneered as Mikado and Azusa made a grand entrance.  He turned to Shampoo.  "Let's get this show on the road."  Noting her puzzled look, and realizing the idiom was probably not something she'd heard before, he said, "I mean, let's go out there and kick some Golden Pair butt."

                Shampoo gave a grin that boded ill for Azusa Shiratori, and the two of them stepped out onto the ice.

                Mikado regarded the pair grimly.  The sheer gall of them!  In sharp contrast to the elegance of the Golden Pair, Ranma and Shampoo were dressed simply, in pants and matching t-shirts.  And even from across the rink, it was obvious just WHAT t-shirt the two were wearing.  Mikado thought back to how fast the boy could move and hit, and resolved again not to get too close to him until he'd been worn down a little.  

The Emperor was just glad this match was taking place on his home turf.  The rink had a very unusual feature:  the surface of the ice floated over unfrozen waters.  The constant convection of those waters kept them from freezing, and also caused the ice to radiate almost triple the standard amount of chi energy.  The only good thing that had come out of his earlier beating at Ranma's hands was the certainty that Saotome's punches had not been augmented by cold chi.  Mikado was confident that he and his partner would be the only ones aided by the rink's special property.

                The announcer gave the signal, and the match was on.

                Both pairs skated toward each other, Mikado and Azusa hand-in-hand, Ranma and Shampoo side-by-side.  Kodachi, sitting in one of the front-row bleacher seats, was beginning to be annoyed at the way the rink seemed to waver in and out of focus.  She wasn't sure what was causing it… it seemed almost like heat waves radiated above a grill, but that was absurd.  The only things ice could radiate were mist and chi…

                The opposing couples picked up speed.  It appeared to the White Rose that they were indulging in a game of 'Chicken,' where the loser would be the first to turn away from the threatened collision.  And this was pretty much what was happening.

                Except that neither pair turned.

                As impact became unavoidable, Ranma and Shampoo braced themselves.  They were certain they'd take the blow better than their opponents.  In fact, Ranma was a little worried Azusa might be seriously hurt.  As it turned out, he need not have been concerned.

                At the last possible second, Azusa turned in a spin that gave Mikado just enough of a push to allow him to slip by Ranma on the side opposite Shampoo.  Of course, this meant Azusa had no chance to even control her impact.  Mikado didn't let go of his partner's hand, though, and she was flung horizontal by the force of his move.  This caused her to slam both Ranma and Shampoo on the jaw and send them crashing backwards onto the ice.  It also gave Azusa a serious pain in her side and upper leg, where she'd impacted against the two, but after landing on the ice and drawing on the extra-concentrated chi for a few seconds, she recovered.

                Kodachi frowned.  Why did it seem like the flickering was much stronger around Azusa and Mikado than the rest of the rink?  And how could the little kleptomaniac shrug off an impact like that?

                Shampoo struggled to her feet, trying to fight off the ringing in her ears.  She felt a pair of arms surround her and stabilize her.  "Shampoo thank you, Ranma," she muttered woozily.

                "You cut me to the quick, dear lady.  To mistake one such as I for that boorish lout.  But I will show you what manner of man the Golden Emperor is."  Mikado thought back to the conversation he'd had with Ranma in the dressing room.  His opponent had shown amusement when informed that the lips of his partner would yield the Emperor his 1000th kiss this evening.  At the time, Mikado had assumed it was an act.  Well, Saotome's reaction to his imminent success should reveal whether the other cared or not.

                Mikado's moment of distraction cost him dearly.  Shampoo's eyes focused, and with a growl, she forced her arms out to the sides, breaking free of Mikado's grasp and simultaneously bringing one knee up forcefully.   The disengagement put just enough distance between the two of them for the blow to be effective.

                Ranma (and every male in the audience) winced.  Unfortunately, his distraction was just the opportunity Azusa needed.  She turned, and skated for the wall at breakneck speed, somehow managing to turn her motion from horizontal to vertical as she reached it.  Up into the air she rocketed, then kicked back away from the wall, to land knees-first on Ranma's head.  He crashed to the ice.  Azusa, having broken her fall, somersaulted safely away.

                For the next few minutes, Azusa led Shampoo on a merry chase.  Mikado and Ranma recovered almost simultaneously, the former as the pain faded enough for him to concentrate and draw in more chi, the latter as the Saotome quick healing kicked in.

                "Told ya it's your funeral if you wanna kiss her," smirked Ranma.  "But hey, if you ask real nicely, maybe I could arrange for her to give you something called the Kiss of Death."

                "Hmmph," returned Mikado.  "Before the match is over, I WILL steal a kiss from the lovely Shampoo.  And I WILL sever the ties that bind her to you."  In point of fact, Mikado was beginning to concede that such ties might not exist at all.  Granted, the match hadn't been going for long, but it didn't take long for someone as experienced as him to recognize the fact that his opponents weren't showing any signs of teamwork.

                Ranma was about to say something to the effect that what doesn't exist can't die, when something whooshed over his head.  Mikado gracefully caught Azusa in his arms even as Shampoo's panicked shout of  "Aiyah! Ranma!" reached his ears.

                Shampoo's bloodlust changed to horror as she realized Azusa had tricked her onto a collision course with her own teammate.  Desperately, she swung to one side, but it wasn't enough.  Her shoulder clipped Ranma's, sending the two of them momentarily spinning in place like tops.

                Falling to her knees, Shampoo used an ancient Amazon trick for restoring equilibrium in a fight (which consists of screaming loud and inventive slurs at one's opponents' ancestry–  it's amazing how that can clear the mind), and took Ranma's hands to help him get back to his feet.  He was still fighting off the dizziness.

                "You're wide open," said Azusa in a reproving, sing-song voice.  She reached out and grabbed hold of Ranma's feet.  Mikado, straining his abilities to the utmost, hoisted her and Ranma into the air, and began to spin.  Centrifugal force quickly pulled Shampoo aloft as well.

                Kodachi tuned out the announcer, who was babbling something about Goodbye Whirls, and focused on the sight before her.  One part of her mind noted that the blurring was even more pronounced around Mikado now, and it appeared to be swirling with him.  But the vast majority of her thoughts were focused in horror on the sight of Ranma and Shampoo lying almost horizontal from the force of the spin.

                "Let go of the girl and I'll stop the spin!"  Mikado was surprised his opponent hadn't already done so.

                "You hear him, stupid!  Let Shampoo go!"  Shampoo knew she could take the fall without much trouble–  the Bakkusai Tenketsu training had seen to that.  With enough time to prepare, she could shrug off just about any kind of crushing blow.

                "No way!" Ranma snarled.  "I ain't gonna let a girl get hurt!  Not even a crazy, violent chick like you!"

                Shampoo decided not to waste any more breath trying to convince the stubborn idiot.  She began attempting to break Ranma's grip on her arms.  Ranma just held on tighter, hoping Mikado would run out of steam.

                Of course, with the flood of chi pouring into Mikado, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.  But since Azusa was no longer in close proximity to the ice, she could only access a trickle of energy–  not nearly as much as she was expending in holding on.  And her reserves were still drained from that leap attack she'd used against Ranma…

                "Ohhh… little Azusa doesn't feel so good."  After another few seconds, Azusa couldn't take it any more.  Ranma's ankles slipped from her grasp and he and Shampoo were airborne.

                Shampoo's eyes widened in shock as she realized how quickly the wall was approaching.  She pulled Ranma to her and braced herself, twisting to take the impact for both of them.

                Ranma's eyes widened in shock as he realized how quickly the wall was approaching.  He pulled Shampoo to him and braced himself, twisting to take the impact for both of them.

                Two minds with but a single thought don't always make for harmony.  The audience was treated to a brief but truly impressive sight of Ranma and Shampoo twisting and contorting, each trying to be the one to absorb the impact.  The pair spun like a gyroscope on overdrive, but inevitably, as aerial combat was a specialty of the Anything Goes style, Ranma was the 'victor'.  He slammed into the wall, cushioning Shampoo, and the two dropped to the rink.

                "RANMA!!"  Kodachi's tortured scream echoed throughout the rink.  Ranma groaned and sat up, much to the relief of his partner.  Turning, Shampoo took in the expression on her friend's face.  The Amazon hung her head in shame.  

                Shampoo helped Ranma to his feet, and then guided him to the sidelines, where Kodachi was waiting.  Just as they got there, Ranma managed to focus on reality again.  "Hold it, Shampoo!  No way are we gonna give up now!"

                "Shampoo not do that," she said bitterly.  "Just do what should have do in first place."  Reaching the edge of the rink, she removed her skates and stepped off, handing them to Kodachi.  "You avenge Shampoo's honor, okay?" she asked her friend, trying to hold back the tears.

                Kodachi took the skates, but hesitated to put them on.  "What're you waitin' for, Dachi?  I can't do this on my own!" Ranma said.

                "Ranma-sama… I don't want to see you get hurt anymore," she whispered.

                "Don't worry.  I'm fine!" he said.  Shampoo whirled in anger and tapped him lightly on the shoulder, causing him to wince and gasp in pain.  

                "Fine?!  You stupid idiot MALE, I could have taken that blow for us and not even felt it!" she shouted, shame at how she'd betrayed her friend's trust and let Kodachi's Airen get hurt overcoming her emotional control.

                "Ranma, please…"  With a visible effort, Ranma pulled himself together.

                "I said, I'm fine.  Trust me."  He held out his hand to her.

                Kodachi slipped on the skates, and let him lead her onto the ice.  Almost immediately she realized that far more chi was radiating than should be the case.  Over on the other side of the rink, it finally dawned on Mikado that the challengers were bringing in a substitute, not conceding defeat.  He frowned for a moment, then realized that it was Ranma who had taken the brunt of the damage so far, and yet he was still in the match.  The Emperor smiled.  Victory shouldn't take much longer.  And he'd still have the chance to claim his 1000th kiss during this match.

                Kodachi and Ranma skated slowly toward their opponents, stopping when they were a little distance away.  Mikado put on his most charming expression.

                "We meet again, lovely one," he said to Kodachi, not even deigning to notice Ranma.  Behind him, Azusa was making extremely silly faces at her opponents.  "I have not yet had a chance to show my appreciation for your delicate grace and beauty, but rest assured, during the match, I willLLAACKK!"

                Kodachi smiled sweetly, and twitched her ribbon, releasing it from its choke-hold around Mikado's throat.  "I would sooner kiss the redhaired pig-tailed girl you wronged last week than allow myself to be sullied by one such as you."  Ranma gulped, seeming to lose the focus of his fury for a moment.  The White Rose continued.  "Enjoy your last few pain-free moments, pretender."  Taking note of how quickly Mikado recovered from her attack, she drew Ranma back out of the others' earshot.

                "Ranma-kun, this rink is radiating much more chi than it should, and I think they're able to draw on it.  That's why they've been able to do as well as they have."

                Both Kodachi and Ranma were paying enough attention to the Golden Pair that any sudden move on the other's part would have brought them back to fighting readiness.  However, as Mikado and Azusa continued to stand still, hand in hand, quietly drawing in more and more chi, the two failed to realize an attack was being readied.

                Ranma groaned.  "So what do you think we oughta do?  How do we fight something like that?"

                "We'll need to hit them hard and fast enough to overwhelm their ability to recover.  What do you think is our best chance at getting into a position to do that?"

                Mikado watched as his opponents continued plotting tactics.  As his chi built to the maximum he could control, he whispered, "On three, Azusa.  One… two… THREE!  BLIZZARD FIST!"  They shot their free hands forward.

                The shout cut Ranma off just as he finished whispering the strategy he'd formed.  He and Kodachi turned, to gape in horror as a massive blast of wind-born, chi-laden ice crystals shot at them.

                Ranma, reacting as quickly as he ever had in his life, grabbed Kodachi and leaped into the air.  The White Rose used her Rotary Ribbon technique to float them behind their opponents.  A line she'd read once, about no battle plan lasting once a battle began, passed briefly through her mind.

                Mikado and Azusa knew they'd won now.  Nobody could possibly withstand the Blizzard Fist.  They slumped to their knees, needing a few minutes to recover from the drain.  Mikado looked up, expecting to see the forms of his opponents encased in ice (although their heads would be uncovered–  after all, he still had a kiss to claim).

                Even as the emptiness of the ice before him registered on Mikado's stunned gaze, he heard a growl from his rear.  Ranma grabbed his opponent and hauled him around.  "Payback time."

                As the sounds of extreme violence resounded throughout the stadium, Kodachi skated around in front of Azusa, who was getting to her feet.  The White Rose smiled.  Seeing the drained state of her opponent had given her an idea.  She wouldn't need to beat Azusa senseless after all.  

                "I've been wanting to use this attack for a while now," she remarked, "but the right opportunity never has presented itself."  She raised her voice melodramatically.  "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… the Ribbon of Revelation!"

                Azusa flinched back as she was surrounded by what seemed to her shocked eyes to be a hundred ribbons, hissing and coiling like the tentacles of an enraged kraken.  Even worse, the attack was disrupting the flow of chi around her, and she REALLY needed a few more minutes of uninterrupted recharge after that last attack.

                As quickly as the White Rose's attack began, it ended.  Azusa blinked.  "What kind of stupid attack was that?" she taunted.  "You never even hit little Azusa."  Her voice faltered as she realized two things.  One, her fan club was screaming bloody murder.  Two, she suddenly felt a LOT colder.

***************

                Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo had made plans beforehand to celebrate their inevitable victory at the Nekohanten.  They'd hoped to get Nabiki and Tatewaki to join them, but had lost track of the two in the crowd before getting a chance to invite them along.

                As they walked to the restaurant, a casual observer would never have thought he was witnessing winners of the greatest upset match in Martial Arts Figure Skating history.  They were much too subdued.  Eventually Shampoo broke the silence.

                "Shampoo grateful Kodachi so eager to pay back slight on her honor, but next time not need go so far."

                The White Rose blushed fiercely and mumbled something.

                "Shampoo not catch that."

                "I said, I didn't mean to go that far.  I designed that attack to be used against someone wearing a gymnastics leotard.  I didn't think her costume would fall completely to pieces like that–  she should have still had the most important areas covered."

                Ranma sighed.  "I just wish she hadn't screamed that loud.  Looking over at her just then was the LAST thing I needed to do."

                "Don't worry, Ranma-kun, I'm sure we can get a replacement t-shirt from Nabiki."  They'd never get the stains from his nosebleed out of his first one.

                Ranma's words reminded Shampoo she was still very angry at him.  "And next time stupid pig-tail boy listen when Shampoo say let go!  Shampoo not want be responsible for let best friend's Airen be hurt!"

                He just glared at her.  "No way.  What kinda man would I be if I let a girl get hurt just to save my own skin?!"

                Shampoo glared daggers at him, then picked up a stone bench and smashed it with her forehead.  "Stupid Ranma, Shampoo have special training that let her shrug off crushing blows if have time to get ready.  Shampoo could have take hit on wall and both us not get hurt."

                Ranma gaped for a minute, then managed to find his voice.  "Uh… could you maybe show us how to do that trick?"

                "Ask Great-Grandmother," Shampoo huffed.  "Is not Shampoo's place to give out Amazon secrets."

                Amazingly enough, they made it all the way to the Nekohanten without any random splashings.  Cologne had a victory feast set out for them.  The ancient one quickly noticed the overall mood wasn't exclusive jubilation.

                "Why aren't you youngsters more excited?"  She fixed a piercing gaze on Shampoo.  "You DID win, didn't you?"

                "We win.  Shampoo just feel bad because Kodachi ask take Shampoo's place in fight.  Shampoo say no, and Kodachi's Airen get hurt because of it."  Shampoo hung her head.  "Much shame to live down."

                Cologne eyed Ranma critically.  "He doesn't seem too bad to me."  Granted, there was a huge bloodstain on his shirt, but from the way he moved, she could tell he wasn't injured.  She assumed it was from his opponent's blood.

                "Eh, she's worked up over nothin'.  I've taken hits plenty worse than that."  Then something occurred to Ranma.  "Still, it was pretty painful and all.  I bet if I had special training, like if there was some kinda secret technique to help you ignore crushing blows, I wouldn't have gotten hurt at all."

                Cologne was torn between amusement at Ranma's attempt at subtlety and annoyance at Shampoo for revealing secrets to outsiders.  "Let me guess.  You're asking me to teach you the Bakkusai Tenketsu."

                Ranma gave Shampoo a querying gaze.  She rolled her eyes, and nodded.   "Yeah, I guess so.  Me and Dachi would like to learn it."

                "Really," purred Cologne.  She weighed the amusement value that would provide against the fact that her great-granddaughter had already been responsible for this boy getting hurt today.  A compromise was achieved.  "I'm afraid I can't just jump into that technique, sonny boy.  It requires a very stressful training method.  But I'll show you something a lot less intense.  If you two can handle that, then we'll see about the Bakkusai Tenketsu."

                She told them to eat the rest of the food while she prepared for the training, then left.  Shampoo just smiled and shook her head when pressed for details.  Of course, she didn't actually know what move her great-grandmother was planning to show them, but she preferred being mysterious to clueless.  Eventually the elder called them into the alleyway behind the restaurant.  A rather large bonfire was burning merrily.

                "You do know that's in violation of at least three city ordinances," Kodachi remarked.

                "Ever since I had that little disagreement with the local Yakuza, the police haven't seemed interested in giving me a hard time."  Cologne took a package of chestnuts and sprinkled them into the midst of the fire.  "Watch very closely."

                Her arms became a blur as she plucked the chestnuts from the flames, quickly enough that her hands were unsinged.  "That technique is called the Kachu Tenchin Amaguriken, or Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire."  Her grin lost a little of its width as she noticed neither Ranma nor Kodachi seemed especially impressed.  She returned the chestnuts to the fire and stepped back.  "Now you try it, sonny boy."

                "More speed training.  Big deal," Ranma muttered.  He stepped up to the fire, focused his chi, and almost effortlessly duplicated her performance.

                At the sight of someone learning the Amaguriken on their first try, Cologne actually lost her composure.  She gaped at Ranma for almost a minute.  Then, she turned and gave her great-granddaughter a swift smack on the head.

                "Ow!  Great-Grandmother, what was that for?" Shampoo asked indignantly.

                "For letting this one get away from the tribe," Cologne snapped back.  "The least you could have done was indicate in your letter how good he was.  I could have brought some of your sisters with me!"

***************

                Hitome regarded Ranma across the dinner table.  Her daughter's boyfriend seemed to be in a much grumpier mood than usual.  "Did you have a hard day, Ranma?" she asked sympathetically.

                "Sorta," Ranma sighed.  "I spent three hours hanging from a tree, letting a three hundred-year-old dried-up mummy send boulders crashing at me."

                "It wouldn't have been so bad if it had actually accomplished its intended purpose," said Kodachi.  "It was meant to teach Ranma-kun how to increase his natural resistance to damage.  If the training had succeeded, he would have been able to ignore crushing blows unless surprised."

                Godai regarded Ranma closely.  "That sounds a little far-fetched to me.  But if it COULD work, what's to say that with a little more practise it won't?"  He knew better than to think Ranma might be wimping out.

                Ranma explained how the toughening-up part of the training was accomplished subconsciously while trying to learn the Breaking Point.  Once he had mastered that technique, further training would no longer heighten his resilience.  Cologne had given her great-granddaughter another smack and tongue-lashing in Mandarin upon seeing him master the Bakkusai Tenketsu in just three hours.  Ranma decided he'd never understand the Amazons.

                Or maybe it was women in general he'd never understand.  Ranma remembered the feeling of sick panic he'd gotten upon realizing just what he'd volunteered Kodachi for.  He had expected her to chew him out for that, but all she'd done was ask him why he had spoken for her as well as himself.  She'd gotten the biggest goofy smile on her face when he'd said he just kinda assumed they'd learn it together.  Of course, she'd still declined to undergo the training, which was just fine by him.  Even the thought of watching her smash into a boulder made Ranma feel like some practical joker had turned his stomach inside out.

***************

                Things were quiet for a while after that.  Well, Shampoo did drug Tatewaki with some sort of hypnotic mushroom dish in order to force him to go on a date with her, and Nabiki did enlist Tatewaki's aid in driving off a dojo destroyer, and there was the incident where the Three Teenage Thaumaturge Terrorists released hordes of water elementals into the plumbing of all the local schools in a blow against public education, but the POINT is none of those things affected Kodachi and Ranma (except insofar as they got a week's break from class).

                Such idyllic times seldom last.  As Ranma and Kodachi came back from a date, they noticed a large, silver limousine was parked in the lane outside their home.  Kodachi idly speculated that it was probably some old business acquaintance of her father's.  They entered the house, and Tatewaki greeted them, shooting Ranma a glance that could only be described as commiserating.

                "Ranma, there are some people waiting for you."  Kuno led them to one of the living rooms.  Godai and Hitome were there, as well as three guests.  One was a girl (at least, Ranma assumed it was a girl) sitting demurely and completely covered in a traditional bridal kimono.  There was a jovial little man with the largest ears anyone present had ever seen on a humanoid (and it has already been revealed that Godai had spent time among elves).  And the third…

                "Pop, unless you came to apologize for that business with the Tendos, you'd better make tracks now."  Ranma was putting up a good front, but the sight of the old panda made him realize that he'd actually missed his father.

                Hitome spoke up.  "Ranma, I think you'd better hear his story.  Then you can throw him out."  She directed an angry glare at Genma.

                'Well, that was quick,' thought Ranma, as the reluctant affection he was feeling for his father was overwhelmed by a feeling of impending doom.  "What's she talking about, Pop?"

                "Promise me, boy.  Promise you won't be shocked by what I have to tell you."

                "Shocked?  Me?  At something you did?  Yeah, right," his son muttered.

                As Ranma sat through the ensuing tale, learning that he'd been sold as a baby for a bowl of rice, a fish, and TWO pickles, and now his self-proclaimed father-in-law was here to marry him to his daughter, one thought became more and more fixed in his mind.

                "Hey, Pop.  There's someone I want you to meet.  She can teach you a great new technique called the Bakkusai Tenketsu."

                Genma regarded his son curiously.  He hadn't expected so mild a response.  Then he gulped as the banked fury began to blaze in Ranma's eyes.

                As Ranma opened his mouth to REALLY let his father know what he felt about the old man's latest attempt to screw up his life, Kodachi placed a gentle hand on his arm, diverting his attention.  He turned and looked at her, and she smiled a little smugly.  "Remember, Ranma-kun, when I won that match you were released from ALL promises made by that oaf on your behalf."

                This did calm Ranma down.  He turned to Mr Daikokuji.  "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but all promises my dad made for me have been cancelled out."  He went on to explain.

                Mr Daikokuji's smile was looking a little strained by the time Ranma finished.  His daughter whispered something to him, and he turned to Kodachi.  "Are you his new fiancée, then?"

                "No." 'Not yet, anyway.' "I'm his girlfriend.  By Ranma's own choice, rather than his father's."  Kodachi regarded the Daikokujis with a challenging stare.

                Another whispered father-daughter conference ensued.  Then Mr Daikokuji said, "Ranma may be free to make his own choice, but my daughter is still honor-bound to marry him."  He turned to Ranma.  "My daughter asks that you give her a chance, rather than taking all her honor away from her."

                Kodachi nearly panicked at that.  Curse him for making it sound like it was Ranma who was hurting this Kaori person, instead of her stupid father by insisting she was still bound by the pledge!  She didn't need to look at the helpless expression on her boyfriend's face–  she knew very well that Ranma couldn't bear to hurt an innocent girl.  Thinking quickly, she said, "You said you wanted Ranma to be the heir to your family's school of martial arts.  Has your daughter been trained in that school?"

                Mr Daikokuji was clearly bewildered at the question, but answered in the affirmative.  Kodachi continued.  "Then I challenge her to a match.  Should I win, you will release her from her obligation to marry Ranma."

                Yet another whispered conversation.  Really, how browbeaten was this girl?  Didn't she have any independence at all?  Kodachi wondered how anyone could be so subservient.  If this was the kind of antiquated behavior her father insisted on, it would definitely be in her best interests if someone rescued her from him… the White Rose ground down hard on her budding sympathy.  This girl, or at least her father, was trying to take Ranma away from her, trying to force him into something he didn't want.  She wasn't about to let that happen.  Ranma could leave, and even though it would break her heart she'd let him go if he should really want it, but nobody would EVER be allowed to TAKE him.

                Mr Daikokuji turned back to Kodachi.  "I agree, conditionally."  He held up a poster proclaiming an upcoming 'Martial Arts Take Out Race' and continued.  "You and my daughter Kaori will compete in this race.  If she wins, Ranma will accept the engagement.  Otherwise, I will dissolve our half of it."

                Kodachi's face set like stone.  She turned to Ranma.  "Ranma-kun, how do YOU feel about someone else trying to force you into an engagement against your will?"

                Ranma opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Kaori made a frantic gesture, attracting her father's attention.  She whispered to him for a moment, then settled back into her demure pose.  Mr Daikokuji turned to Ranma.  "Son, Kaori would like to talk to you in private before you make a decision."  He frowned a little, as if the idea weren't too appealing.

                The Anything Goes heir agreed to this, and the two went into a nearby room for a few minutes.  Upon returning, Ranma gave Kodachi a wink, making sure Mr Daikokuji couldn't see it, then said, "I accept."

***************

                "Ranma, why did you agree?"

                Kodachi mentally winced.  That had come out sounding much more hurt than she'd wanted it to.  Even if that was more or less how she felt.

                Ranma sighed.  He'd thought she'd seen him wink at her before agreeing, but she must have missed it.  "Kaori promised me she'd throw the fight.  She doesn't want to get forced into marriage either."

                Kodachi had to admit that made her feel better… for about two seconds.  Then a thought occurred to her.  "Are you certain she was… sincere?"

                "Whaddaya mean, Dachi?"

                "Well, it occurs to me that someone so obviously under her father's thumb might not have the courage to defy him even to that degree.  She may have just said that to get you to accept.  That might have been what her father told her to tell you."

                Ranma didn't think there was much chance of that.  "Don't you think I'd have picked up on it if she was tryin' to fool me?"

                Kodachi thought back to the times she'd played poker with Ranma, especially the time he'd held a straight flush and she'd still been able to bluff him into folding, and didn't answer.  

                "And anyway, it ain't like she could beat you if she did fight for real," he continued.  "I believe in you."

                Tears welled up in her eyes at this.  She smiled at him.  "Thank you, Ranma-kun."

                Ranma grinned as another thought occurred to him.  "And even if she managed to win, all I promised was to 'accept the engagement', not to marry her.  If she cheats and wins somehow, you're gonna see the quickest-broken engagement in the history of Japan."

                "Not in the history of the world?" she asked teasingly.

                He considered this.  "Well, I don't think I can match the kinda stuff that goes on in Hollywood."

***************

                The race took place a few days later.  On their way to the starting line, Ranma and the Kunos encountered a familiar face.

                "Nihao!"  Shampoo gave an exuberant greeting, pretending not to notice the way Tatewaki kept his parents between himself and the Amazon in order to prevent a welcoming hug.  "Is you going to watch race?"

                "Actually, Dachi's going to win it," Ranma boasted.  "The rest of us are gonna watch her smoke everybody."

                Shampoo's eyes gleamed a little at this.  "Shampoo compete too.  One year worth of free ramen make good prize for Nekohanten."  She smiled at Kodachi.  "Hope you not too too disappointed when come in second."

                Kodachi gave her friend a smile.  "Actually, I'd be just as happy if you won.  My only real goal is to prevent Kaori Daikokuji from winning."

                Shampoo was puzzled at this, but had no time to ask for details as the group arrived at the starting line.  The rules were explained, which didn't take long.  First to the finish line with your delivery meal intact won.  The girls lined up to begin the race, at which point Kodachi became aware of something.  Akane Tendo was also present for the competition.  The White Rose almost hadn't noticed her, still somewhat overwhelmed at the fact that Kaori was apparently intending to compete while garbed in that wedding kimono.

                "On your mark!"  At the announcer's cry, most of the girls crouched down and made ready to spring forth.  All except one, in fact.

                In one fluid motion, Kaori doffed her kimono and threw both it and her take-out box high into the air.  The kimono caught on a breeze and drifted over to her father.  The take-out box came tumbling down, turning end-over-end several times before landing in Kaori's outstretched hand.  She opened it, and turned to Kodachi with a smile that was most definitely NOT that of a downtrodden, subservient girl.  The food inside was completely undisturbed.

                "I'm sure Ranma and I will be very happy together," she said.

                Kodachi turned a glare as cold as Mikado's Blizzard Fist on her opponent.  She realized, a little belatedly, who'd really been calling the shots during those father-daughter moments.  "Don't count on it, you lying little harridan."

                The announcer recovered somewhat from his shock.  "Uh… get set!"

                Shampoo had deliberately taken a position in the line that was pretty far away from Kodachi.  Right next to Akane, in fact, though she didn't know it.  She did wonder idly why the short-haired girl in the yellow gi should be radiating such hostility toward her.  This was because Akane wasn't about to forgive the Amazon for what she'd heard about the Xi Fang Gao incident.  Akane resolved that Shampoo's take-out box would be the first to fall.

                "Go!"

                "BAKKUSAI TENKETSU!"  Shampoo slammed the forefinger of her free hand down into the street while hugging her delivery box tightly to herself.  The explosion took out the take-out boxes of almost a third of the competition before they could even get started, including Akane's.  "Is too too easy," Shampoo smirked to herself as she set off at a quick trot.

                Groaning, Akane picked herself up from the ground.  It just wasn't fair!  Her teeth clenched, as she resolved that the purple-haired wench wasn't going to get away with this.  She picked up her now-useless take-out box and threw it at Shampoo's.

                Shampoo just barely sensed the danger to her delivery.  She dodged frantically, turning with a scowl to see who had launched the attack.  "What you think you doing?  You already out of race!"

                "So what?!  The rules just say I can't win now, not that I can't take you out too!"

                "Hmmph.  Angry girl one sore loser."  With her free hand, Shampoo produced a bonborri and threw it at Akane.  Akane countered by whipping out her hammer and smacking the club right back at Shampoo, who let out a startled "Aiyah!" and dodged.  Akane growled and closed the distance, and the fight was on, Shampoo quickly becoming more and more irritated at how the need to protect her take-out box was handicapping her.  The rest of the racers quickly passed the dueling duo.

                Meanwhile, Kodachi was well out in front of the pack.  She heard the sounds of commotion behind her, as Kaori took out the mass of lesser competitors, but concentrated on establishing a decent lead.

                Kaori smiled.  Her rival probably thought she'd secured enough of a lead to win easily.  Time to show her otherwise.  She withdrew a pair of chopsticks and hurled them with careful aim, striking Kodachi's right leg in just the right places.

                Kodachi bit off a less than ladylike remark as she felt her leg go numb.  She fell forward, desperately taking care not to upset her take-out box.  Kaori passed her just as the sensation returned to her limb.  The White Rose pulled out a club and sent it curving toward her opponent.

                Although Kaori had believed her opponent was out of the race, she was much too experienced to drop her guard while within projectile range of her downed foe.  She deflected the club with a tossed saucer and turned to face her downed foe, intending to say something along the lines of "nice try".  She gaped in shock at seeing Kodachi on her feet, barely recovering in time to dodge the other's ribbon.

                "I suggest you  not turn your back on me again," Kodachi smirked, producing a hula hoop.  She began spinning it around her wrist, moving it in slow, mesmerizing circles.  The Hula Hoopnosis attack began to do its thing as Kaori's attention focused more and more completely on the ring.  Her eyes glazed.  The arm with which she was holding the take-out box began to droop.

                The sound of the miso soup inside her box beginning to slide unstably caused years of training to kick in.  Kaori blinked, then sent two razor-edged sauceriken slicing through Kodachi's hoop.  It fell into equal halves.  Kodachi just shrugged and attacked again with her ribbon.  Kaori countered desperately with a rope woven from ramen noodles.

                "You're fighting a losing battle, miss Daikokuji."  Kodachi smiled at her opponent.  "Do you REALLY think Ranma is going to accept you after the way you deceived him?"

                "What do you mean, deceived him?" Kaori retorted.  In point of fact she knew very well, but she also knew battles could be won with psychological warfare as well as conventional attacks.

                "Promising to throw the fight, of course!" Kodachi snapped.  "That's the only reason he agreed to this, you know.  He has no wish to be engaged to you!"  She whipped her ribbon at Kaori, who dodged.

                Kaori put on her best puzzled expression.  "He told you I promised to throw the fight?"

                Had Kodachi not had so much experience throughout her lifetime of people rejecting her because of her albinism, the shot probably would not have scored.  But as it was, she felt her heart clench in a grip of ice.  "No…" she whispered, trying desperately not to believe what the other was implying.

                Kaori put on a contrite expression as she twisted the knife in the wound.  "I'm sorry.  Ranma said he was going to let you down gently, but I didn't realize he meant to do it this way.  I didn't mean to take your illusions from you."

                "No. NO!  I don't believe you!"  The choked sobs through which she spoke and the tears in her eyes called her a liar.

                "It doesn't matter to me," said Kaori, speaking the truth for the first time in some minutes.  All she really cared about now was that her opponent was distracted enough for an easy win.  She lashed out with her noodle noose at the White Rose's take-out box…

                …Only to find the weapon caught in a grip of iron.  She glared in anger at the redhaired, pig-tailed girl who'd snatched it.  "Stay out of this…" she suddenly found the words dying in her throat as she took in just how angry the new arrival seemed to be.

                "Ranma?" whispered Kodachi, becoming aware of the late arrival.

                Ranma-chan turned a pained glance her way.  "Guess I'm gonna have ta show you how things really are," she said grimly.  Ranma-chan shifted her grip on the noodle noose, then blurred into top speed.  Kaori was caught completely off-guard by the sheer velocity of the attack.  Ranma-chan wrapped the noose around her foe several times, then jerked it hard.  Kaori was sent whirling into the air (in the opposite direction of the finish line) and out of sight.

                Ranma-chan gave a satisfied grunt, then turned back to Kodachi.  "Why'd you buy that load of bull, Dachi?  Don't you trust me at all?!"

                The hurt in that last question actually made Kodachi feel worse than she had upon hearing Kaori's insinuations.  "I'm… I'm sorry, Ranma," she whispered.  "It's just so hard for me to believe that someone like you would care for me.  I know I don't deserve you."

                "Don't deserve me?!  That's crazy!"  So crazy, in fact, that Ranma-chan didn't even know how to respond to it.  After several seconds of desperate thought, though, words came.  "Dachi, you promised me once that you'd never let my curse matter to you.  You said I was the man you wanted at your side.  Well, here and now I promise to be there.  Until you tell me to go, I'll be there for you.  Got it?  I don't wanna hear any more crap about you not deservin' me.  You're the best thing that's happened to me in as long as I can remember."

                "Oh, Ranma…"  Kodachi carefully set down her take-out box, then enveloped the other girl in a fierce hug.  Some minutes later, she let go and asked quizzically, "Why exactly are you in your cursed form, anyway?"

                Ranma-chan grimaced.  "When Shampoo blew up the street, a guy next to me jumped and splashed me with his drink.  Just as well, though.  This race was only open to girls."  She bent down and picked up the take-out box, handing it to the White Rose.  "Now let's win this thing!"

                Kodachi smiled, and took the box.  She and Ranma continued through the rest of the course without any further difficulty… only to find a certain purple-haired Amazon waiting for them on the other side of the finish line.

                Shampoo smirked at her friends.  "You two too slow."

**************************************************************************************

                Author's notes

                Credit must go where it's due.  I think a fair amount of this story's version of the encounter with the Golden Pair was inspired by D. B. Sommer's story Shampoo ½ (which is one of THE best fanfics out there).  Also, I know I read something somewhere else about Mikado and Azusa being able to draw on cold chi.  I don't remember what story that came from, so all I can say is it's not original to me.

                Nor is the concept of Ryoga with Oni blood.  I can't count the number of fanfics that feature that.  However, I tried to take it in a different direction from anything I've read so far.

                About the Bakkusai Tenketsu… my idea is that for a little while after the training, the protection from crushing blows is automatic.  But after a certain amount of time has passed, it needs to be summoned by a conscious effort of will.  The inspiration for this came from Jim Robert Bader's story A Tale of Two Wallets.  A pity that Ranma is actually too good to learn it.

                Is Ranma acting out of character?  Well, by now he's been living for several months with a sane, supportive family full of intelligent people.  That's bound to have some impact.

                How did Shampoo manage to beat Akane even with one arm effectively out of commission?  Anyone who asks that question deserves to be duct-taped to a chair and forced to watch the Shampoo introductory episode for nine hours straight.  Next time:  Happi days are here again!


	5. Death of a Dream

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  Also, there's an extremely condensed version of The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle (which is an excellent story, even if it doesn't have a traditional happy ending).  Lyrics from the poem 'Invictus' also used without permission.

                Words in [brackets] indicate spoken English.

**************************************************************************************

                Chapter 4:  Death of a Dream

***************

                The crash of thunder resounded, drawing Kodachi's attention away from the chessboard to the window.  She shivered a little.  Her reaction distracted Ranma from plotting his next move.  "Dachi?  What's wrong?"

                The White Rose gave a semi-embarassed smile.  "Nothing, really.  It's just easy to imagine that  demons are prowling abroad on a night like this.  And being out here in the midst of a forest, it's a lot easier to credit such things than it would be back in the city, surrounded by civilization."

                "Ah, don't let your imagination run away with you.  Pop and me spent more time camping out in the middle of nowhere than we did in cities.  And so far, all the crazy stuff has happened in Nerima."  Ranma considered that, then amended, "Well, all the Japanese crazy stuff, anyway."

                "Besides, most self-respecting creatures of the shadow prefer a calm, foggy night in the dark of the moon to do their prowling, not a storm like this," Godai reassured his daughter.

                "Still, I hope this bad weather doesn't linger too long," Hitome said.  "It would be a shame if our vacation were ruined."

                The Kunos and Ranma had just begun a week-long trip to a secluded cabin the family maintained in the mountains near Nerima.  This would cause the children to miss some class, but they were all doing well enough (even Ranma, since Kodachi had motivated him to try his hardest) that Godai and Hitome didn't think it would hurt.  Tatewaki had invited Nabiki, but she had been unable to come.  

                Another, even louder crash of thunder shook the cabin (well, to the Kunos it was a cabin.  To most people, it would have been considered a dream home).  Kodachi deliberately began to look more nervous than she felt.  Maybe Ranma would offer to comfort her...

                "Hey, Dachi, come on.  If you let yourself get distracted like this it ain't even gonna be any fun to beat you.  It's already too late for it to be a challenge."

                This remark washed her pose away like a wave on a sand drawing.  "In your dreams, Ranma-kun."

                Forty-five grueling minutes later, Kodachi announced, "Checkmate."

                Ranma scowled at the board.  Oh, well, you win some, you lose some.  Then he grinned up at the White Rose.  "You don't look like you're too worried about the storm anymore, Dachi."

                Kodachi resisted the urge to tell him that THAT wasn't how she'd wanted him to take her mind off things.

***************

                Less than a mile away, a charred boulder rested at the base of a cliff.  A cave, uncovered for the first time in a decade, stared out from the face of the rock like the eye socket of a skull.

                Inside, Happosai shook off the trance state that had allowed him to survive ten years without food, water, fresh air, or women's undergarments.  He smiled.  After that little nap he'd taken, there would be a whole generation of pretty ladies who'd never had the pleasure of meeting him.  And he couldn't wait to see what great advances had been made in the field of lingerie.  Yes, it was good to be alive.

                And by now, Ranma must have grown into a young man.  Happosai sighed wistfully.  He remembered the sheer potential he'd sensed in Genma's young son.  That was why he'd told Genma he'd take over the boy's training himself once the lad was old enough.  The ancient master snorted.  That fat fool had probably filled the boy's head full of nonsense.  Happosai would just have to correct whatever failings his father had passed on to Ranma.  After all, the Anything Goes school he'd founded had a certain image to live up to...

***************

                There could be no doubt about it.  Genma was being punished for some transgression committed in a previous life. 

                The elder Saotome was certain this was the case.  He couldn't think of anything he'd done in this existence to warrant such suffering, after all.

                The week since Happosai's return to the Tendo Dojo had been the longest of Genma's life.  Fortunately for himself and Soun, their groveling skills had returned almost immediately.  This had deflected much of the Master's ire when he learned that Genma had let the heir to the Anything Goes school slip away, but Happosai was still not a happy camper.  He'd gone to the Kuno mansion to find Ranma, only to learn that the inhabitants were vacationing in the forest.  Since Happosai had no intention of leaving the city, or more accurately the supply of lovely young ladies, he contented himself with forcing Genma and Soun to come along on his panty raids while Ranma wasn't available.

                Genma groaned in spirit.  He knew from first-hand experience how unwise it was to resist the Master.  How could Ranma ever turn out to be a man among men once that old lecher got his claws into his son?  The desire to keep Happosai away from their children had been the only thing that had given Soun and Genma the courage to dare to try to get him out of the picture.

                "Genma!  You worthless excuse for a disciple!  Go and buy me some tobacco.  And don't be all day about it... girls' gym class starts in forty-five minutes at Furinkan!"  Happosai glowered at his student, but inwardly he felt much more like smiling.  This certainly beat resting in suspended animation in some dark hole in a mountain.  And in just three more days, when his unsuspecting new pupil arrived back in town, things were only going to get better.

***************

                Ranma focused about one-tenth of his attention on his teacher's lecture.  The rest of his mind was busy designing a new kata.  This trick of Kuno's had helped him immeasurably in his schoolwork–  now that he wasn't so mind-numbingly bored in class all the time, he was able to stay awake and learn.

                Of course, it was always harder to get back into the daily grind of school on a Monday, and even worse after a week of freedom.  He hadn't realized just how much he'd missed being out in a natural setting until he spent that week with the Kunos at their cabin.  He'd even slept out under the stars most nights, grateful that the first evening's thunderstorm had been the only occurrence of bad weather.

                Nobody had been ready for the vacation to be over (except Tatewaki, as he was getting anxious to spend time with Nabiki again), but all good things must come to an end.  They'd gotten back quite late the previous night.  As a result, everyone had overslept.  Ranma had made it to school on time, but he'd had to run at top speed the whole way.  He suspected Kuno was probably stuck doing bucket duty.

                Ranma's thoughts were interrupted by a swishing sound.  He glanced down to see a piece of paper folded into the shape of a shuriken embed itself in his desktop.  He removed it, unfolded it, and read, "Nabiki needs to see you.  –Minami".  He looked over at the author of the note, who sat clear on the opposite side of the classroom from him, and wondered just who had come up with Martial Arts Note-Passing anyway.

                It had been more than a little surprising to find that this new classroom was just as full of weirdos as his first one had been.  There was Taruka, presumably the only 125-pound sumo wrestler in the world.  There were three girls named Sakura, who were completely identical as far as anyone else could tell, yet supposedly unrelated to one another.  And Ranma had heard that at the beginning of the school year, there had been a boy who claimed that someone had reset the world, whatever that was supposed to mean.

When he'd returned to Furinkan after the infamous Rhythmic Gymnastics match, Ranma hadn't been looking forward to having class with Akane again.  It had come as a pleasant surprise, therefore, to find that in his absence Nabiki had pulled some strings and gotten him transferred into another class.  Of course, she'd done it more for her sister's sake than his own, but he was grateful all the same.  Although some of his new teachers were even more boring than the old ones.

                And his current sensei seemed to be trying to set a world's record for dullness.  By now Ranma had given up on the lecture.  He'd heard enough to realize that this was material that the textbook covered, so he'd just make sure to read it later.  Instead, he amused himself by trying to figure out why Nabiki wanted to see him.  Probably wanted him to set up another match with Tatewaki, Ranma decided.  The students never did get tired of watching two world-class martial artists in their sparring contests.  Ranma usually won, but there was the occasional draw, and it was never an easy battle.  Even with the prices Nabiki charged for tickets, nobody ever complained about not getting their money's worth.

                A commotion in the hallway interrupted the teacher's lecture.  Shouts of "What a haul, what a haul!" and "Give us back our swimsuits!" could clearly be heard over the thundering sound of running feet.  For no apparent reason, Ranma felt a chill run down his spine.

***************

                The bell rang, and almost immediately the halls were filled with hordes of students, pushing and shoving, fighting to get to the lunch lady before all the good stuff was gone.  Ranma shook his head, grateful that the Kuno servants provided him with a box lunch.  He usually ate alone, since the St Hebereke lunch break was at a different time from Furinkan's, and the way the other students stared and drooled whenever they saw him chow down on cold lobster or French quisine tended to put him off his appetite a little.

                Today, though, he'd join Nabiki and Tatewaki.  Ranma walked through the halls, which were considerably less crowded now.  Sakura, Sakura, and Sakura were walking ahead in front of him, their conversation clearly audible.

                "I can't believe the nerve of that old guy!"

                "How can anyone be so perverted?!"

                "I've had to buy more lingerie this week than all last year!"

                "It's ridiculous that nobody's doing anything about it."

                "I heard Akane Tendo tried... she rounded up a big posse of girls to get rid of him, but he just gave them the slip after taking hers."

                "That geezer is something else.  How does he move so fast, anyway?"

                "Maybe now that Ranma and Tatewaki are back, they can protect us."

                "*Sigh*  I sure wish that hunk Ranma didn't already have a girlfriend."

                "I know.  Did I ever tell you about the dream I had about him?"

                Ranma gulped, and tuned out the rest of the conversation.  Sometimes it didn't pay to walk so quietly nobody knew you were behind them.  He wondered what they'd meant about some perverted old guy.

                "Ranma!"

                The hissed whisper came from a storage closet.  The door was open just enough for Ranma to see Nabiki and Tatewaki inside.  Nabiki was frantically gesturing for him to join them.  He did so, and she shut the door so fast that there was a momentary smell of singed wood.

                "What's up, Nabiki?"  Ranma didn't like the grim look on her face.

                Nabiki sighed.  "Ranma, did you ever wonder why your father and mine are such pathetic wimps, why between them they almost have the moral fiber of one goat?  Why they can tell right from left but not right from wrong?"

                "Uh, no."  Some things were just a given.  The sky is blue.  Water is wet.  Genma can't be trusted farther than Kasumi could throw him.  You never really stop to ask why.

                "Well, as far as I can tell it's because of this monster they trained under.  He put them through all kinds of hell during their younger days.  The freak's been gone for ten years, but he's back now.  And he's making life not worth living at the Dojo."

                "Whaddaya mean, a monster?  Is he some kind of Oni?"

                "No, he's human."  Nabiki hesitated, then added, "Probably.  Look, imagine a male version of Shampoo's great-grandmother.  He's the same size, just as old and wrinkled, and about as powerful from what I can see.  And he's the biggest pervert in the history of the universe, at least according to Daddy."

                Now the conversation he'd overheard a few minutes previously was starting to make sense.  "Has he been causing trouble here at school?"

                "Yes," said Tatewaki grimly.  "He regularly steals the girl's undergarments and makes their lives miserable.  Any girl who tries to stop him gets leered at or groped.  Any boy who tries gets flattened like a pancake."  He'd heard all the sordid details from Nabiki already, during their morning classes together.

                "And it gets worse, Ranma."  Nabiki gave him a grim stare.  "This pervert is the founder of the Anything Goes school.  And he considers you his heir.  He's planning to start training you personally."

                "Hah!  The day Ranma Saotome takes some old freak like that for a sensei is the day I stop being a man!"

                "Interesting choice of words, my boy."  The words had an odd, echoing sound to them.  This was explained as the pail Tatewaki was sitting on suddenly shot up into the air, leaving the kendoist embedded in the ceiling and revealing a little old man in a maroon outfit.  The ancient one smiled and lowered the pipe he'd used to propel Kuno skyward.  He calmly lit it and began to puff.  

                Ranma glared at him.  "Who are you?"

                The diminutive master blew a smoke ring.  "The name's Happosai.  Like Nabiki said, I'm the founder of the Anything Goes school.  Your new sensei.  And let me tell you something, Ranma, I'm not about to let you turn into as big a disappointment as Genma has."

                For a second, Ranma felt a little sympathy for the figure in front of him.  With his father as a pupil, no wonder the geezer was disappointed.  Then Happosai continued.  "Genma learned the lessons about scamming for free food and the like, but that's only the first few steps along the road to greatness.  He and Soun both completely resisted my attempts to help them develop a healthy interest in women's underwear.  I'm not about to let their sorry example spoil you, my boy.  Consider this the beginning of your training regimen."  His free hand whipped a water pistol from inside his clothing and squirted Ranma in the face.

                As Ranma-chan sputtered inarticulate curses, Happosai's eyes bulged to twice their normal dimensions.  "Hotcha Mama!  I knew you had a Nyaniichuan curse, boy, but nobody told me you had a body like that!"  The pipe disappeared as if by magic, and Happosai launched himself in a purplish blur at Ranma-chan's chest.

***************

                'If I never have another day like this again, it'll be too soon.'

                That was the only extraneous thought Ranma allowed himself as he concentrated with all his might on sneaking away undetected after school.  Since St Hebereke's classes ended thirty minutes after Furinkan's did, Ranma always met Kodachi at her school.  The last thing he wanted to do was lead the old freak back to her.

                Kodachi looked around as she exited the building.  Ranma appeared to be late.  Perhaps he was serving detention for being tardy to class that morning.  Oh well, she'd just have to go to Furinkan and look for him...

                "Pssst!  Dachi!"  The whisper from the bushes startled her.  She looked closely, and could just make out her boyfriend's form, shrouded in the shrubbery.  The White Rose walked over to him.

                "What is it, Ranma?  Is something wrong?"  Once she could see him clearly, she became a little worried.  Ranma's hair was disheveled, his clothes were wrinkled (and seemed to bear the evidence of numerous recent encounters with cold and hot water), and there was a wild gleam in his eyes.

                Ranma laughed bitterly.  "You could say that.  Once again, one of Pop's mistakes is coming back to haunt me."  He went on to tell her the horror story that had been his day at school.  The fights with Happosai.  The multiple transformations.  The indignity of fleeing while Happosai was busy with another posse of girls led by Akane. The youngest Tendo had hoped the old pervert was worn down enough that she could finish him off, though it hadn't looked that way to Ranma as he'd made his exit.  It went against his grain to run from a fight, but he'd worried that if he didn't meet Kodachi at St Hebereke she'd probably come to Furinkan looking for him.  The thought of Happosai targeting her was enough to bury his reluctance to beat a strategic retreat.  Akane would just have to take her chances.

                As Ranma finished his tale, Kodachi laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "Don't worry, Ranma-kun.  If need be, you and I and Shampoo or my brother can gang up on him and teach him a lesson he won't forget."  Too bad it would have to be Tatewaki OR Shampoo, rather than both, but her brother was adamant about not giving the Amazon anything that could remotely be construed as encouragement.  The White Rose consoled herself with the thought that surely three of them would be enough.

                "I dunno, Dachi.  I don't want you to have to even meet this guy.  He's a real nightmare."

                "Oh, come, Ranma.  Surely he's not THAT bad."

                "Of course not.  I'm just a sweet little old man.  My ungrateful pupil is misrepresenting me, that's all."  Happosai faded into view on a tree branch behind Ranma, who whirled at the unexpected voice.

                "STAY AWAY FROM HER!" the pig-tailed martial artist snarled, crackling with more battle aura than he had yet shown that day.

                "I don't think so!" Happosai sing-songed as he launched himself at Kodachi.  He had to give the boy credit–  Ranma's lunging punch almost connected, but Happy flipped over it with a judicious twist of his pipe, and landed on a stunned Kodachi's chest.

                For a split second the ancient lecher's face twisted in agony... then he fell unconscious to the ground.

                Ranma and Kodachi looked at the diminutive figure sprawled on the dirt.  After a minute of silence, in which Happosai didn't even twitch, Ranma picked up the longest, sturdiest stick he could find.  He used this to poke Happosai a few times.

                "Ranma!" Kodachi protested.  Her boyfriend got a defensive look on his face.

                "Hey, when we fought today I got in one good shot that shoulda taken him out, and he just shrugged it off.  I'm just checking to make sure he ain't faking."  Ranma allowed a note of awe to creep into his voice.  "What exactly did you do to him?"

                Kodachi looked worried.  "Nothing.  I was too surprised to react.  I have no idea what happened to him, Ranma-kun."  She chewed her lower lip apprehensively.  "I think we should take him to a doctor."  Pervert or no pervert, she didn't want to be responsible for hurting him.

                "Come on, Dachi, Nabiki told me this guy survived ten years in a cave without food or water.  I say we make tracks while we still can."  Ranma looked at the pleading expression in her eyes, and relented.  "All right," he sighed, sliding the stick under Happosai's top and hoisting the little lecher into the air.  "Let's take him to Dr Tofu."

***************

                Dr Tofu looked up from his examination.  "His vital signs are weak but stable.  As for any more detail... I'm sorry, but I've never seen anything like his condition.  If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go call someone who might be able to tell us something more."  He left the room.

                Kodachi looked at Happosai's still-unconscious form, and sighed forlornly.  Ranma regarded her closely.  She looked like she was really feeling guilty.  "Come on, Kodachi.  Why are you beating yourself up like this?"

                "Look at him, Ranma.  It's like he's in a coma!  I don't want to be responsible for hurting someone that much!"

                "I don't see how you could be.  You said yourself you didn't do nothin'.  He just passed out.  And you didn't see how he was running around at Furinkan today and fighting me.  Probably just ran out of energy.  Remember, this guy is OLD.  I bet it ain't even anything to do with you."

                Kodachi shook her head.  "I wish that were true, but you didn't see his face.  He... he was clearly in pain from touching me."  She looked down as she said that last part.

                By now Ranma had realized that she was taking this harder than seemed reasonable, even given her tender nature.  "Dachi, there's something you aren't telling me."

                After a long moment of silence, she responded.  "Remember what I told you about my early years, Ranma-kun?  How every little cut was a serious threat?  I was so scared of hurting myself during those times.  Once I finally was cured, though, everything changed.  I couldn't care less about injury to myself any longer.  The knowledge that I'll heal so quickly makes it seem meaningless.

                "But the thought of really hurting someone else is something I can't bear.  It's like the focus of my fear switched from myself to everyone else when I was healed.  I suppose it was diluted by virtue of that, or I wouldn't be able to participate in martial arts.  Even so, I prefer to win matches by forcing my opponent to concede, or by forcing them out of the ring when that's an option.

                "And knowing that I may now be responsible for someone getting seriously hurt... even someone like him..." Kodachi's voice trailed off as tears welled up in her eyes.  Ranma put his arms around her and gave a reassuring hug.  He didn't know what to say, but she didn't really need words from him just then anyway.

                After a few minutes, Dr Tofu coughed apologetically.  Ranma and Kodachi jumped a little, and ended the embrace.  "Sorry about that, but I thought I should warn you that you might want to slip out now.  Since Happosai is a guest of the Tendos, I called the dojo and told them about his collapse.  Soun and your father will be here shortly, Ranma."

                "Thank you, Dr Tofu, but I need to find out what has happened to the old man."  Besides, it would be a cold day in one of the Burning Hells before Kodachi would allow Genma or Soun to intimidate her.  "What specialist did you contact?"

                "Nihao!"

                Ranma and Kodachi turned to find Shampoo in the doorway.  "Shampoo?  You're the one Dr Tofu called to figure out what's wrong with the old freak?" Ranma asked incredulously.

                A swat to the top of his head was the answer.  Cologne touched down in front of him. "That would be me, sonny boy.  You need to learn to pay better attention to your surroundings."

                Ranma sighed.  "Don't start with me, granny, I've had a hard day."

                Cologne just snorted at this, and turned her attention to the patient.  Her eyes widened in shock.  "H... Happy?" she whispered, then turned to Ranma.  "Is his name Happosai?"

                Ranma indicated this was in fact the case, and was somewhat unnerved to see the grim smile which slowly spread across her features.  Cologne turned back to the diminutive pervert, and there was silence for some fifteen minutes as she examined him closely.  Just as Ranma was beginning to wonder where the heck his father and Mr Tendo were, she turned back to the group.

                "It's no wonder you didn't know what happened to this pathetic excuse for a martial artist.  It's a chi disorder that a nice young man like you would never have encountered, Dr Tofu.  You see, Happy's lechery is actually his source of power.  He has the ability to siphon off chi from the women he targets, or even from their stolen lingerie.  This is what keeps him going at such a remarkable pace."  All those years ago, when she had first encountered him, she hadn't understood what path he was walking down.  Only in later years, as she'd learned more and more about the manipulation of chi, had she come to understand his behavior then.  That Happy had taken an easy but corrupting route to power, not caring about the misery he'd inflict on women over the centuries, still grated on Cologne.  There were much better ways to attain chi-mastery.

                Kodachi saw where this was going.  "So when he tried to drain my chi... he overloaded.  Am I correct?" she asked quietly.

                "You are indeed."  Cologne was impressed at how quickly her great-granddaughter's best friend made the connection.  Not for the first time, she considered what an excellent Amazon Kodachi would have made.

                "I see.  And will he... recover?"  Kodachi braced herself.

                Cologne smiled.  "He'll be fine.  This is actually the best thing that could have happened–  his upper maximum limit of chi control has been permanently lowered.  Within a few weeks, he'll be back on his feet.  But he'll never be the terror he must have been prior to this."

                It was a good thing that Shampoo had moved out of the doorway quite some time back, because at this point Soun and Genma, who had been eavesdropping in the corridor outside, raced in and prostrated themselves at Kodachi's feet.  Had the purple-haired one been in their path, they would have flattened her without even noticing.

                "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!"

                "You don't know what a great service you've done to the world!"

                "I would be proud to call you my daughter!"

                "Please forgive two foolish old men for their mistakes!"

                In stereo:  "I promise we'll never try to separate you and Ranma again!!"

                Kodachi just looked down in shock at the two crying, quivering martial artists in front of her.  After a few minutes, as Soun's and Genma's tears began to make an inconveniently large puddle on the floor, Dr Tofu shooed everyone out of the clinic (except Cologne, who is remarkably hard to shoo).  Soun and Genma quickly made their way to their favorite bar in order to get down to some serious celebration.

***************

                "HIII-YAHH!"  Releasing her emotions in a primal scream, Akane slammed her fist into the training dummy, smashing it to kindling.  Usually it took a number of blows before they would be destroyed, but after the humiliation of the afternoon her anger was operating at just about maximum capacity.  Consequently, she was running in one-shot-one-kill mode.  Akane looked grimly at the pile of splinters and scraps of cloth, and fetched another dummy.  She'd just finished setting it up when Nabiki's sardonic voice reached her.

                "You don't need to bother with that anymore, Akane."

                Akane glared at her sister.  "Why not?  Because I'm not good enough to be an heir to the Anything Goes school?" she asked bitterly.

                "Huh?!"  It wasn't often that anyone saw Nabiki truly flabbergasted.  Akane might have enjoyed the sight if she hadn't been in such a lousy mood.  "What are you talking about, Sis?"

                "I'm talking about how nobody takes me seriously!  All I've heard from that old pervert is how he can't wait to start training Ranma as the heir to the Anything Goes school.  Like I'm not even there!  And I might as well not be, whenever I try to stop his perversion he just humiliates me and dances away!"

                Nabiki stared at her sister for a long moment.  "Ohhhhhkay.  Then you're saying you want to be trained by Happosai?"

                "Of course not!"  Akane growled.  "But that's not the point!  He treats me like a joke.  And... and Daddy didn't even stick up for me at all.  Oh, no, it was just 'Master, Ranma will be everything you hoped for in an heir.'  That, that was what really hurt."  By now she wasn't shouting anymore.  Her voice was just barely above a whisper as she continued, "My own father doesn't even believe in me."

                Nabiki suppressed a wish that Kasumi was present.  Even if she had gotten better with this touchy-feely stuff, she knew it still wasn't her forte.  "Akane," she said slowly, "I've got news for you.  You really need to grow up and stop taking everything as a personal insult to you.  I can't believe you didn't realize why Daddy was pushing Ranma as the Anything Goes heir, but let me spell it out."  She took a deep breath.  "Are you listening?"

                Akane nodded.  Nabiki repeated the question, but in a lower tone of voice.  Akane nodded again, her confusion beginning to be tinged with annoyance.  Nabiki lowered her voice to a stage whisper and asked yet again.  Akane frowned, nodded, and leaned forward.

                "HE WANTED TO KEEP THE OLD FREAK AWAY FROM YOU!!" Nabiki shouted at the top of her lungs.  Akane flinched and jumped back, landing in the koi pond.

                Nabiki rolled her eyes and gave her little sister a hand.  "Honestly, Akane, you should have been able to figure that one out for yourself.  Why the heck do you think Daddy has actually been training you personally again?"  She pinned her sister with a piercing stare.  "He's proud of you, Sis.  He knows you want to get better, and he wants to help you.  Just because things got crazy with that old freak Happosai around doesn't change how he really feels."

                Akane stared at her sister with more hope than she'd felt in a week.  "Really?" she asked.  Then she remembered something.  "Then why did you say I didn't need to practise anymore?"

                "There you go again, taking something somebody says the wrong way."  Nabiki bit back the impulse to ask why she hadn't learned her lesson about that from Ranma.  She gestured at the target Akane had set up.  Like the others she'd demolished that evening, it was about a quarter of the size of a standard training dummy... and wore a maroon outfit... and had a lustful leer scrawled across its face.  "What I MEANT was that the old pervert shouldn't be giving us any more trouble.  You don't need to smash any more effigies of him."

                "Huh?!"  Akane looked closely at her sister.  Not even Nabiki at her worst would joke about something like that, she decided.  "You mean it?"  Then her face clouded a little.  "Wait.  Let me guess.  This was the first day Ranma was back in town.  He beat Happosai, right?"

                Nabiki hesitated, but she knew Akane was bound to find out sooner or later.  "'Fraid not, Sis.  It was Kodachi.  She fried the old lech with a chi attack, or so I heard from Dr Tofu, and from now on he won't be nearly so tough.  Even Daddy should be able to handle him now."

                "Kodachi.  Just wonderful."  Akane looked down and sighed morosely.  "Why can't SHE lose once in a while?" 

***************

Shampoo spent the rest of the day with Kodachi and Ranma, returning to the Nekohanten late that evening.  She still wasn't sure why her great-grandmother had been pleased enough at Happosai's infirmity to close the restaurant early.  One thing Shampoo had gotten used to, though, was that her great-grandmother seldom gave explanations unless she wanted you to know her reasons, in which case she'd tell you without being asked.

                "Great-Grandmother, I home!" she announced.  Cologne was at a nearby table, balanced on her staff.

                "Ah, Shampoo.  Please, sit down."

                Suppressing a twinge of anxiety, the Amazon maiden did so.  "What you want, Great-Grandmother?"

                "I wished to ask you what progress you've made in the last few weeks toward winning your Airen's heart."

                Shampoo sighed, and sat quietly.

                After a minute had passed, Cologne glared and repeated the request.

                "Shampoo already answer when she say nothing.  There nothing to say."  A tear slipped down her cheek.  "Shampoo only see Tatewaki few times in last few weeks.  Each time he treat Shampoo same as always... just like Lin Rei do."

                Cologne sighed.  The Amazon matron in question had never forgiven Shampoo for defeating her daughter effortlessly time after time.  Many of the older generation had similar feelings toward the girl who'd beaten all their offspring without once suffering a defeat, but Lin Rei was far and away the most bitter, and therefore treated Shampoo with the most coldness.

                Before Cologne could say anything, Shampoo burst out.  "Why, Great-Grandmother?  Why wouldn't he give me a chance?  I know I made a mistake when I used the Xi Fang Gao on Nabiki, but it's not like I hurt her or anything.  And I even decided I'd be willing to share him with her.  But nothing I did ever made any difference."  Tears welled up in her eyes.  "What's wrong with me?  Why does he treat me like a monster?"

                Cologne reached out and gently stroked her great-granddaughter's hair.  "Nothing is wrong with you, Shampoo.  And Tatewaki doesn't hate you."

                "Yes, he does," Shampoo said hopelessly.

                "Child, I would wager this restaurant against it.  It's not your fault he was so firmly attached to the Tendo girl before you came onto the scene.  This is why he feels he must discourage you by treating you coldly.  Remember, you have taken much the same path with someone else.  I had hoped you would be able to win enough of his love that he'd accept both yourself and Nabiki, but I am nearly certain now that he isn't open to the possibility of multiple wives.  You must have learned by now that the Japanese have strange notions of honor."

                "And so for his honor, I will lose all mine," her great-granddaughter whispered, her face downcast.  

                "No, that is not how this will end, Shampoo.  I will not allow this outsider male to ruin your life."  The ancient Amazon said this in a tone of rock-hard certainty, which caused Shampoo to look up, a question in her eyes.

                Cologne smiled, and stretched out her arm... on which rested a golden bracelet with three luminescent pearls.

***************

                "Hey, Tachi, how do you feel about a trip to the beach?"

                Kuno looked up from his reading to find Nabiki standing at his shoulder.  This was surprising, to say the least, but surprises like that were more than welcome.  "It sounds like a wonderful idea," he replied.  "Last week wasn't much of a vacation for me, since you weren't able to come along."

                Nabiki gave her best Cheshire-cat grin.  "Glad to hear you say so.  We'll have to ditch our families as soon as we can."

                "Eh, what?"  How had other people suddenly become involved in their date?

                Nabiki gestured to the window.  Looking out, he realized he'd lost track of time.  It was quite dark outside.  "Tachi, it's well past my curfew.  Aren't you in the least bit curious as to why I'm here, in the Kuno library with you, rather than at home?"

                For a second Tatewaki looked puzzled, then the kendoist gulped loudly enough to be heard in the corridor outside.  Nabiki thought back over her choice of words, blushed furiously, and quickly continued.  "Daddy and Mr Saotome have already made a formal apology to your family, but they don't think that's enough to really show their gratitude for the way Kodachi took care of Happosai.  So they came up with the idea of inviting your family on a trip to the beach this weekend.  I came over to give you guys the news."

                Tatewaki let out a breath he hadn't even been aware he was holding.  A mixture of relief and disappointment showed on his face.  "I'll be looking forward to it."  Then a question he'd been meaning to ask her recurred to him.  "Have they truly given up on their dream of wedding Ranma to a Tendo daughter?  I'm certain he and Kodachi would like reassurance on that point before they commit to spending a day with your family."

                "Let me put it to you this way.  I had to argue long and hard before I convinced Mr Saotome that it wouldn't be a good idea to try and arrange an engagement between Ranma and Kodachi.  That panda just does not seem to grasp the concept of letting well enough alone.  And Daddy was all for it too.  He thinks that anyone who can defeat Happosai is a must-have addition to the Anything Goes school."

                Tatewaki snorted.  "Why am I not surprised.  Oh well, at least they are acknowledging part of their debt to my sister."

                "PART of their debt?" Nabiki asked curiously.

                "The smaller part, at that," her boyfriend continued cryptically.

                Nabiki glanced meaningfully at the clock.  "Tachi, as much as I'd like to play twenty questions, Daddy is going to go nuts if I'm not back pretty soon.  Could you just tell me straight out what you mean?"

                "Well, 'Biki-chan, what do you think would have happened if they HAD succeeded in forcing Ranma and Akane to wed?"

                Despite her need for speed, Nabiki let a minute slip by as she contemplated the possibility.  "You know, I think I understand what you mean, Tachi," she said at last.  "They were a pretty terrible matchup, weren't they?"

                "In my humble but accurate opinion, yes."  He smiled, then said seriously, "Ranma has grown up without much comfort or tenderness.  He needs someone like my sister, who will believe in him and support him.  And Akane... at least for now, she is not going to be able to truly accept anyone who so far outstrips her in the area wherein she finds her self-worth."

                "Martial arts," Nabiki said.  "Ironic, isn't it?  Daddy and Mr Saotome picked Akane to be Ranma's fiancée because they figured they'd have so much in common, what with their martial arts skills and all."

                "I thought they picked Akane because... let's see, how did Ranma describe it?  Ah, yes... because you and Kasumi 'bailed out faster than Genma from a diet'," her boyfriend commented drily.

                "Um, well, that too."  Nabiki tried not to think about that too often these days.  'I'd apologize to her, if mentioning Ranma wasn't such a good way to get her in a bad mood.'  It was probably a good thing that Akane had already had plans for this weekend.  

***************

                The late morning sunlight shimmered on the waves as they broke and curled on the beach.  It bathed Kasumi in a gentle glow as she began setting up for lunch.  It shone with extra strength on the panting panda on a nearby blanket.  It danced around two girls, one with white hair, the other with red, as they made their way back from the volleyball area toward the main group of Tendos and Kunos.

                Kodachi giggled.  "I still say that was a dirty trick," Ranma-chan growsed.  "Puttin' a chi charge into a volleyball so it explodes when your boyfriend tries to return it."  The redhead still hadn't noticed there was a scrap of the ball caught in her hair.  Kodachi finally relented and plucked it out.

                "Come, Ranma, you must let me have my minor victories.  After all, your side did win rather handily."

                "Well, yeah, that was pretty much a given.  I mean, me and Tatewaki against you and Nabiki?  We should've gotten Pop on our side and your mom on yours.  That woulda made things a lot more even."

                Kodachi pictured Genma-panda attempting to play volleyball, and broke out in peals of laughter.  "I wish we had.  I'd have sent that Blast Ball his way instead."  She took a deep breath of the ocean air.  Cursed form or no cursed form, Ranma-chan was quite conscious of the interesting things this did to her swimsuit.  "It's been too long since I've been to the seaside.  Hard to credit though it is, Ranma-kun, I believe that your father and Mr Tendo actually had a good idea for once."

                "Yeah, you're right.  Of course, the Tendos are the ones who REALLY needed the vacation.  Think about what it musta been like for them, having to put up with the old freak for a solid week while we were in the mountains.  It'll be really good for them to have some time without any stress."

                "Nihao!"

                Kodachi and Ranma-chan turned in surprise to find Shampoo standing behind them, a ramen delivery box in hand.  "Shampoo?  Just how far out does your restaurant deliver anyway?" Ranma-chan asked incredulously.

                Shampoo smiled at the redhead, although Kodachi noticed it seemed a little forced.  "Silly Ranma, look over there."  She pointed, and Ranma-chan and the White Rose saw that what had been a block of changing stalls when they'd first arrived at the beach had been retrofitted into a ramen take-out joint.  Behind the counter, Cologne waved at the three.  "Great-Grandmother thinking of opening franchise here at beach, so we come today, see how good business is."

                "Quite a coincidence, that we should pick the same day for our vacation," Kodachi said drily.

                "Is good to see you.  Is okay Shampoo join you for lunch?"

                Kodachi hesitated, trying to think of the best way to respond.  On the one hand, she wasn't willing to disappoint her friend.  On the other, she knew very well that Tatewaki wasn't going to be happy if Shampoo joined their party.  Over the past several days, her brother had had to work much harder than usual to avoid the Amazon, and the White Rose didn't think Shampoo would enjoy the reception she would inevitably receive if she tried to horn in today on Tatewaki's time with Nabiki.  How to respond?

                "Sure, if ya don't mind waiting a while.  Our family and the Tendos were gonna eat soon, but me and Dachi ain't hungry yet.  Why don't you come by in an hour or so and the three of us can get some free ramen from your granny?"  Ranma-chan tightened her stomach muscles to the consistency of steel as a growl threatened to escape and spoil the lie.

                "Okay, that sound good.  Shampoo see you at noon.  Now must get back to delivery.  Bye-bye!"  Shampoo trotted off.

                "Nice save, Ranma-kun," Kodachi said appreciatively.

                The redhead sighed.  "Back when she was chasin' me across China, I never thought I'd ever feel so sorry for her," she said.  "And I sure didn't think she'd wind up as a friend.  Someday I'd like to meet whoever came up with those stupid Amazon laws and give them a piece of my fist."

***************

                Upon finishing her latest delivery, Shampoo checked the time.  Less than thirty minutes until she was to meet Ranma and Kodachi.  She sat down behind a sand dune.  Less than thirty minutes until her Airen would be hers.

                Why didn't she feel happy about that?

                It was time to be honest with herself.  Over the last few days, she'd told herself she was trying to catch Tatewaki in a situation that would give her a chance to use the pearls.  And she'd tried... just hard enough to maintain the lie.  He hadn't had any real trouble avoiding her.  And she hadn't been bothered by that.

                Shampoo looked down at the bracelet on her wrist.  One pearl, the right pearl, and Tatewaki would never push her away again.  He'd never choose Nabiki over her.  He'd never look at her with anything other than devotion.

                Why couldn't she imagine it?

                The Amazon tried to picture what her life would be like.  What it would be like for Tatewaki to look at her like he looked at Nabiki.  No, scratch that, after the pearl it would be like he'd previously looked at Nabiki, for her great-grandmother had told her that the magic of the pearls was absolute and exclusive.  Anyone under their effects would love only the object of their magic-induced affections.  After he swallowed the lifetime pearl, he'd never give a second thought to Nabiki.

                She tried to see it, and failed.  She just could not form a believable picture in her thoughts of a future together with Tatewaki.  It had been too long and he'd been too consistently cold to her.  Shampoo took a good look into her heart and realized there wasn't even the slightest flicker of life in the ashes that had once been the fire of her love for her Airen.

                But couldn't she build something new, even if the old had gone?  Tatewaki was still the same man she'd loved at first.  He was still honorable, and handsome, and a warrior with the heart of a lion.  He would still make a husband that would have every woman in the village even more jealous of her... Shampoo ground down on that image.  This was NOT the time to think of anything that would distract her further.

                What about Nabiki?  Shampoo frowned.  Why should she care?  When had the sneaky girl ever given HER a chance?  She'd been willing to share Tatewaki, but if Nabiki had even entertained the thought once, Shampoo would eat her bonborri.

                But she did care, at least a little, the Amazon admitted glumly.  Not about Nabiki per se, but about the idea of hurting someone else so much to get something for herself.  Too much exposure to Kodachi, Shampoo decided.  Her best friend's compassion and belief in fair play had rubbed off on her more than she'd realized.  She knew Kodachi would consider it dishonorable to use magic to take a man away from someone else, even if Shampoo's Amazon heritage said otherwise.

                Honor.  What WAS the path of honor, anyway?  And did she have the courage to take it, even if it went against everything she wanted?

                At that thought, Shampoo blinked.  Where had that come from?  Her heart couldn't be that set against this path.  It wasn't as if she hated Tatewaki, or was disgusted by the idea of spending her life with him.  It was just that until now he'd been so cold to her.  Once that changed, everything would be all right. Nabiki might be sad, but she'd get over it.  Shampoo's honor would be maintained.  Everything would be fine.  She'd love Tatewaki again once he was kind to her.

                In a moment of clarity, the Amazon realized that she was trying to convince herself of something she didn't believe.  "What's wrong with me?" Shampoo whispered.  "Why am I so confused?"

                It should have been an easy decision.  It should have been no decision at all!  Her honor as an Amazon was at stake here.  Tatewaki was her Airen, she'd been given a choice and she'd made it, even if there really had been no choice at all, and that was that.  But she wanted...

                She wanted...

                'What do I want?!' Shampoo thought desperately.  It felt like there was something important just out of reach, some iceberg of revelation floating just beneath the surface of her consciousness.  She reached out to it, trying to understand what was keeping her from the path she should take.

                In her mind, a lock broke, and a door cracked open just a little, barely enough for her to see what had been slumbering on the other side.  The door began to swing wider.

                Shampoo began to tremble in horror... then threw everything she could into shutting it again.  Amazon will collided with Amazon desire.

                Eventually the former won, but she was left with the terrible knowledge that the door wasn't  locked anymore.  And what was on the other side was now wide awake.

                The irony of the situation forced a bitter laugh from Shampoo.  Well, she now had ALL the motivation she needed to use the pearls on her Airen.  Nabiki would just have to get over her loss.

                And she'd just have to pray a devoted Tatewaki would be enough to put those other feelings back to sleep.

***************

                Kodachi looked up as a tell-tale flash of lavender drew her attention.  "Shampoo's early," she commented to Ranma.

                "I knew Tatewaki was pushin' his luck.  He and Nabiki shoulda taken off five minutes ago."

                A few blankets over, Tatewaki groaned as he realized the same thing.  What good was it for Ranma to warn him if he didn't act on the warning?  But it had been too great a temptation to rest for just a few minutes more as he gave Kasumi's wonderful food time to digest.  Kuno hoped the Amazon wouldn't try anything too embarrassing in front of this many people.  Surely there were limits to even her brazen nature.

                "Glad you came early, Shampoo, me and Dachi got hungry faster than we expected.  Come on, let's go get some grub from your granny."  Ranma was a little disconcerted as the Amazon gave him a strange smile, then walked past him and Kodachi without saying anything.

                For no apparent reason, Tatewaki felt a sudden thrill of fear run through him.  He opened his mouth to ask Shampoo why she was looking at him like that...

                Perfect.  So quickly a normal person wouldn't have even been able to see her fingers move, Shampoo plucked the pearls from the bracelet and tossed them at the target Kuno had been so gracious as to give her.

                It was one of those moments that seem to want to hang frozen forever, when time appears to slow down to a crawl.  To Shampoo, it was like the world was reduced to 1/10 its normal speed.  The three pearls crawled toward her Airen's open mouth.

                Swish!  Tatewaki's bokken lashed out.  It struck true, deflecting all three orbs from their course.  It figured that he would be able to draw and strike with his weapon faster than he could close his mouth, Shampoo thought numbly.

                Time was still running in its extreme slow-motion state as the Amazon almost disinterestedly watched the pearls scatter.  What were the chances that any of them would land in anyone's mouth?

                Pretty good, apparently.  The dark blue pearl shot to one side, sliding down Kasumi's throat as she stared in awe at the speed with which Tatewaki had moved.

                The white and light green pearls flew back over Shampoo's shoulders, toward Ranma and Kodachi.  And the Amazon knew, with the same sensation of unquestioning acceptance that one experiences in dreams, that they'd each swallowed one.

                For just a moment longer, the odd sensation of dilated time (so common during a catastrophe) persisted for Shampoo.  Then everything seemed to speed up.

                And all hell broke loose.

                "Shampoo..." Ranma's voice trembled with the most tenderness she'd ever heard from him.  "Don't worry.  I won't ever let him hurt you again."  He reached out, turned her to face him, and drew her into his embrace.  "I was your Airen first, and I swear I ain't letting anyone else take you away from me!"

                "Ranma-sama... no..." Kodachi whispered, falling to her knees and beginning to cry.

                Shampoo felt her heart twist through some extremely uncomfortable contortions.  "Let go of Shampoo!" she snarled, slipping out of his arms, then grabbing him in an elbow lock and turning him to face Kodachi.  The White Rose was sobbing now.  Even though she would never be able to match Soun Tendo's usual quantity, it was obvious her heart was breaking.  "She one for you, stupid Ranma!  Not Shampoo!"

                Ranma blinked, and shook his head as if dizzy.  Then his eyes focused on the sight in front of him, and the memory of his last action slammed him with a vengeance.  He fell to his knees so fast the sand beneath them was nearly compressed to sandstone.  "Dachi!  Don't cry!  It... that wasn't really me!  I don't know what happened, but it's over now!  You're the one I want, not Shampoo!"

                Kodachi's desperate sobs stopped, but there were still tears flowing down her face.  "R- really?" she whispered.  Could he really have shaken off the effects of Shampoo's failed gambit?

                "Yes, really!"  Ranma reached out and gave her a hug.  As he felt the tension in her release, he sighed a deep breath of relief.  "I don't know what happened," he repeated.  "Maybe it was a hallucination brought on by hunger?"  A feeble joke, but he truly did not understand why he'd reacted like that.  The memory of swallowing something had been overridden completely by the rush of intense desire and affection he'd felt immediately afterward.  Guilt like he'd never experienced before stabbed him.

                Unlike Ranma, Kodachi had been standing in a position that gave her an unobstructed view of Shampoo's previous actions.  It hadn't been hard to draw the correct conclusion after she'd seen the pearls plucked, thrown, and deflected, and had witnessed quite clearly that Ranma swallowed the one that missed herself.  

                Equally clear to her, now, was the expression of guilt and confused remorse that was spreading over his face like a dark cloud.  "I feel quite certain it wasn't your fault, Ranma-kun," Kodachi said.  She glanced over her shoulder at Shampoo, who turned away in shame.

                "Shampoo?  What have you done now?!"  Kuno's growl jerked the Amazon's attention back to the main group.  Kasumi was sobbing quietly, for no apparent reason.  Soun was bawling like a baby, for the very apparent reason that Kasumi was unhappy.  Genma, still in panda form, was holding up a sign that said, 'What's going on?'.  Nabiki was sitting well back from Kasumi, still in shock at the way the oldest Tendo daughter had jerked away from her when she'd tried to comfort her sister.  Godai and Hitome were looking confused as well, but from the gazes they turned on the Amazon it appeared they were quickly shifting to follow the lead of their son.

                When she didn't respond, Kuno glared at her and snapped again, "What have you done?!"

                As the full impact of what had just happened finally hit Shampoo, she backed up... first one step, then another... then she turned and ran as fast as she could.

***************

                Cologne gazed impassively at the group of angry people in front of her.  "Shampoo is not feeling well right now," she said, fixing the group with her best stare of quiet menace.  "I suggest you come back later."

                Apparently the intimidation power of her best stare of quiet menace was being spread too thin.  In any case, only Genma seemed ready to call it quits.  In fairness to him, Cologne's aura was reminding him too much of Happosai right then.  Soun was affected similarly, and wavered for a moment, but then he remembered the look of hopelessness on Kasumi's face.

                "Do not pretend you don't know what has transpired," Kuno said in a tone of ice.  "If Shampoo does not wish to show her face, well and good.  But we require answers!"

                Kodachi gulped as she saw Cologne's eyes narrow dangerously.  Her brother hadn't spent nearly as much time around the Matriarch as she had, and didn't realize just how thin the ice he was tromping on really was.  "Elder Cologne?  Shampoo attempted to use a love charm of some sort on my brother.  Is that not so?"

                The tone of respect seemed to bank the fires of anger in the Matriarch.  Suddenly she just looked old and tired.  "Yes, that is correct.  In what way did she fail?"  That her great-granddaughter HAD failed had been painfully obvious, when Shampoo came running up in tears and locked herself in the kitchen.  Cologne had been waiting for her to gain her composure before asking for details.

                "She removed three pills from a bracelet and attempted to throw them into Tatewaki's open mouth.  He parried, and they were swallowed by others instead."  Kodachi suspected part of their magic had been responsible for guiding them so surely to nearby targets.

                So there went any chance of recovering the lifetime pearl.  It would take much too long to wait for the bracelet to regenerate a new set.  Cologne sighed.  "Who were these unlucky ones?"

                "Was Kodachi, Ranma, and too too nice girl Kasumi."  Shampoo was standing in the kitchen doorway.  Her expression showed she was struggling desperately to maintain her composure.

                "So there you are..." Kuno's growl was cut off suddenly as the point of Cologne's staff shot out and touched his throat just under his Adam's Apple.

                "Be SILENT!" she ordered.  Tatewaki found himself with no other choice as the shiatsu technique left his vocal cords unresponsive.  Cologne turned back to her great-granddaughter and spoke gently.  "Who swallowed which pearl, child?"

                "R- Ranma swallow one what last for moment, Great-Grandmother.  And Kasumi swallow dark blue one.  That all Shampoo know."

                "What do you mean, for a moment?"  Then Nabiki made the connection.  Ranma had only acted out of character for about a minute.  "Do the pills last for different times?"

                "Yes," Cologne affirmed.  "They cause intense love for the first person of the opposite sex you see after swallowing.  One pearl's effects last a moment, another's endure for a day... and the third for a lifetime."  Putting off the worst for a moment, she turned to Kodachi.  "What happened in your case, child?"

                Kodachi answered, "Well, I was looking at Ranma, because he... he was latched onto Shampoo like he would never let her go.  But I... I... didn'tfeelanydifferentafterIswallowedthepill."  She mumbled the last, blushing fiercely.

                Ranma, who was only just now getting over the shock of dread he'd felt on hearing Kodachi had also swallowed a pearl, heaved a huge sigh of relief.  "Your chi defenses musta blocked the effect."  He looked around in surprise.  "Why'd everybody facefault?"

                Cologne picked herself up, and considered giving him a swat on the head for general principle, but in the three hundred years of her existence she'd learned that cluelessness couldn't be cured by hitting someone.  Still, it was tempting to see if Ranma might be the exception to the rule... she realized she was stalling and spoke again.  "Kasumi, dear?  Who was the first man you saw after you swallowed?" she asked as gently as she could.

                Kasumi continued to look down and answered quietly.  "Tatewaki."

                Thanking the Creator that it hadn't been her father, the Matriarch continued.  "Why are you so miserable, child?  Is he objectionable to you?"

                "I... I can't t- take him away from Nabiki."  Kasumi began to cry gently again.  "I'd n- nev- never do that to her.  And he, he loves her, anyway.  N- not me."

                Cologne sighed bitterly.  "You may want to try and change that, Kasumi.  I'm afraid you swallowed the lifetime pearl."

***************

                Grim silence was the general theme of the group as they left the beach and rode the train back to Nerima.  This was broken only by Godai's request that everyone come to the Kuno mansion, rather than the Tendo party returning to their home.

                Once at the Kuno mansion, the group sat down in the largest living room.  Godai slipped out, much to the surprise of the others, since they'd assumed he had something to say.  After an uncomfortable five minutes, Hitome spoke up.

                "Tatewaki, this must end."

                Kuno nodded, looking frustrated.

                His mother continued.  "You have said she's pursuing you because of the laws of her people.  We must find some way to use those laws  to end her pursuit.  Simply discouraging her doesn't seem to be enough."

                Kuno nodded again.

                "Well?  Do you have any idea how to do this?"

                Kuno sighed, got up, walked over to a writing desk, got out paper and a pen, and wrote a message.  Everyone else looked at him in confusion until he pointed at his mouth, shook his head, then held up a second piece of paper showing an extremely unflattering caricature of Cologne.  After seeing the others' looks of dawning comprehension, he handed the note to his mother.

                " 'I don't know many details about Amazon law.  But I do remember that the Matriarch cancelled Ranma's obligation to Shampoo.  I intend to convince her to do the same for mine.' " she read aloud.

                "All this is fine, but what about your obligation to my little girl?!"  This was Soun, as if it weren't obvious.  Tatewaki looked even more frustrated than before, and wrote two quick kanji on another note, which he handed to the Tendo patriarch.

                " 'Which one?' "

                As Soun was still trying to find a response to this, the door opened and Godai returned.  Kodachi was surprised to see that he was carrying her old night-light.

                Godai set the orb above the table in front of Kasumi.  "Pray to the Kami this works," he said cryptically.

                The globe, which normally glowed with a warm white light, began to pulse with different colors.  It floated higher, until it was level with Kasumi's face, and began to rotate.  Slowly at first, then faster and faster it spun.  A rainbow aura began to form around the oldest Tendo daughter, who was too enthralled even to utter an "Oh my!"  Then there was a bright flash of light...

                As everyone's vision cleared, they were struck by the radiant beam on Kasumi's face.  "Oh my.  I'm cured!"  She turned to Tatewaki.  "I don't feel any more magical love for you!"

                Seldom have the occasions been, even down through the centuries, when the news that a woman as gentle and beautiful and kind as Kasumi does NOT love him have granted a man as much relief as this gave Tatewaki.  He turned to his father, a question evident on his face.

                "Father?  Why did my old night-light break the enchantment on Kasumi?"  Kodachi saved her brother the need to write another note.

                "I never told you the story behind it, Dachi.  It's called the Orb of Amalthea."  Her father's eyes seemed to be focused somewhere far away.  His voice took on a distant tone as well.  "The legend has it that there was one unicorn, the last unicorn free in all the world.  All the others had been captured and cast into the sea.  Their beauty was contained there for the pleasure of an evil king, who had ordered it done.  His servant that bound the unicorns somehow missed one, and eventually she went looking for her people.  Along the way she met a fledgling wizard with no real control over his power, who turned her from unicorn to mortal woman.  

                "Eventually she fell in love with the son of the king who had imprisoned her people.  Together they tried to free the unicorns, but the king's servant, the Red Bull, saw through her disguise as a mortal.  The wizard was forced to return Amalthea's true nature to her.  In the battle that followed, the Red Bull slew the prince she loved.  After this, in her grief and rage she succeeded where all the other unicorns had failed, and overmastered the Red Bull.  It was forced into the sea, and the unicorns were freed again to walk the hidden glens and shadowed forests of their world.       

                "Amalthea used her magic to restore her prince to life, but she could never again resume the veil of mortality.  She had lost the future she had hoped to share with him, and this globe was formed from the tears she shed when she knew this at last."  Godai wiped some tears from his own eyes.  The story as told by Amalthea herself had made an impact on him that would last for his lifetime, he knew.  "It is said that Amalthea's anger at the plight of her people, held captive by a creature of darkest magic, shines in the globe.  The legend says it has the power to break enchantments of enslavement.  I could only hope that the love charm on miss Tendo would qualify."

***************

                The next day, Kodachi and Shampoo sat side by side on the roof of the Nekohanten, Kodachi having picked this habit up from Ranma.  They remained that way for quite some time, without saying anything.  Eventually Shampoo broke the silence.  "Thank you for not hate Shampoo."

                The White Rose gave her friend a sympathetic look.  "Why did you think I would?"

                "Because Shampoo almost take Ranma away from you.  One chance in three, wrong pearl go to Ranma, he forget you and love Shampoo for rest of life."  The Amazon met Kodachi's gaze squarely.  "No tell Shampoo you would no hate her then."

                Kodachi hesitated, then said, "Shampoo, we managed to remove the love spell from Kasumi."  Not really an answer.

                Shampoo's eyes widened.  "How you do that?"  After hearing the explanation, she laughed, a short, bitter sound without any real mirth.  "So even if plan no fail, it no make difference."  And no other plan that relied on magic could be counted on either.

                Conversation flagged for several minutes after that.  Eventually Kodachi spoke up again.  "Shampoo, as your friend, I must tell you that Tatewaki is not going to abandon Nabiki for you.  I'm sorry, but his feelings for her were too strong before you even arrived in Japan."

                "Shampoo see that for own self long time ago, Kodachi.  Shampoo willing to take Nabiki as co-wife to Airen.  Is okay by Amazon law."  The Amazon watched her friend's expression closely as she said this, looking for any clue that Kodachi thought her brother might be willing to accept this.

                After a long moment, Kodachi quietly said, "I don't think even that's an option, Shampoo.  I don't think it ever was."  She paused, but when her friend said nothing to this, she continued.  "It's just... not how we do things in Japan.  At least not anymore."

                "Really?  In Japan, no two women ever share same man?"  Shampoo asked this in a sarcastic tone that indicated she knew very well what the answer was.

                "Many men do take mistresses," Kodachi admitted.  "When they aren't satisfied with their wives.  But my brother has too much honor to do something like that."  Not to mention the fact that Tatewaki was anything but unhappy in his relationship with Nabiki.  The White Rose had no wish to twist the knife in her friend's gut by emphasizing this.

                After another long pause, Shampoo asked her, "So mans of Japan think it no is honorable to have more than one wife?  What you think?  Is Amazon way wrong?"

                "I don't know," Kodachi responded.  "Perhaps it depends on the situation.  After all, in the past, nobles of Japan did take multiple wives.  But times have changed here."  She hesitated, then continued, "Shampoo, my brother intends to have your great-grandmother cancel the obligation you have to him, even as she did for your previous tie to Ranma."

                "It no work like that," Shampoo said miserably.  "Great-Grandmother is Matriarch, but not above law.  Only reason she can do that for Ranma is because Shampoo have two men who should be Airen, and only can have one."

                "Shampoo... why in the name of sanity do your people have such a moronic law?!"  This outburst caught Kodachi by surprise as much as Shampoo.  The White Rose realized this had been building for a while.  "You have told me that among your people, women are honored just as much as men are, more so in many ways.  Why do you have a law that sets them up to be victimized like this?!"

                Shampoo seemed to be searching for the right words. "Is for make tribe stronger.  Amazon what no can stand up for self no deserve to be Amazon anyway.  Should be healer or artisan or something else.  Same thing if no want strong fighter as husband, or if no willing to be under marriage law.  To be Amazon is, is... job..." she grimaced, knowing that wasn't the right word but unable to come up with 'caste', "with most honor, because is for defend whole tribe.  Must be willing to do what it take to keep tribe strong."

                "What will happen if... if you cannot comply with the law?"  Kodachi was more than a little afraid to hear what the answer would be.  It was a while in coming.

                "Then Shampoo lose everything.  No can go home–  shame of failure would be on whole family then.  We lose place in leadership."  Shampoo's eyes blazed like fire as she turned to her friend.  "Shampoo no do that to them.  Family only ones in village what matter to Shampoo.  And Shampoo lose them if no can follow law."

                The White Rose could think of nothing to say.  

***************

                Even as Shampoo and his sister were sitting on the rooftop looking eastward, Tatewaki approached the Nekohanten from the west.  He took a deep breath, and called on all his courage, then stepped through the door.

                Cologne looked up from the ramen she was preparing.  "Well, well, son-in-law.  Don't you know it's polite to knock before entering?"

                "Before entering a restaurant?" he snapped.

                "When the restaurant is not open for business, such as now, this remains my home, and your future wife's."  Cologne's stare made Tatewaki feel as if he were carrying a mountain on his shoulders.  He nearly broke eye contact, then reminded himself of how close the latest Amazon ploy had come to destroying Kasumi Tendo's life.

                "I will not marry Shampoo."  This was said in as final a tone as he could manage.  "I will never reject Nabiki for her."

                Cologne's eyes narrowed, giving her the expression of the cat who swallowed the canary.  "And who said you would need to?  Multiple women may share the same husband under Amazon law.  This would allow you to fulfill ALL your commitments, sonny boy."

                Kuno had been prepared for quite a different reaction.  His mouth gaped open for a few seconds before he could respond.  "What do you mean, ALL my commitments?"

                Cologne sighed, and once again she looked old and weary.  "I am referring to the unfortunate matter of Kasumi Tendo.  Believe me when I say that I regret her involvement most bitterly."  The Matriarch had met the eldest Tendo daughter in the marketplace once or twice, and had clearly seen what a sweet and innocent creature she was.

                Sensing a weakness, Tatewaki struck.  "That matter has already been resolved to everyone's satisfaction.  I am here to see that nothing of the sort ever occurs again."

                "Then you agree to marry my Shampoo and fulfill your obligation toward her?"

                "I do NOT!"  Kuno took a deep breath.  'Mustn't let her get to me,' he thought.  "I am here to ask that you do for me what you did for Ranma, and dissolve the alleged obligation."

                Cologne was quiet for a moment, during which time she studied him intensely.  Finally she answered, "Boy, I am the Matriarch, but that doesn't give me unlimited power.  If another warrior should challenge you for Shampoo's hand, and defeat you, then she could choose him and end your obligation to her.  But I or another Amazon elder must witness the fight, and if you throw it, it doesn't count."  In point of fact, after such a thorough rejection, the only way to restore Shampoo's honor would be for Tatewaki to die at her hand.  Cologne opted not to get into those details just yet.

                "Is there no other way?"  Kuno heard the desperation in his voice, but didn't care that much just now.  "How could such an asinine law have endured so long?"

                Cologne suppressed a smile as an idea occurred to her.  "So you don't think much of Amazon law, do you, sonny boy?"

                Tatewaki snorted.  "I assume the question is rhetorical."

                "Well, then, there is something you can do.  It's not an easy task, mind you, but it is possible for an outsider to prove himself above certain facets of Amazon law.  Including the marriage statutes."

                Fearing a trap in the making, the kendoist spoke with care.  "And if I pass this... test... then you will no longer seek to marry me off to Shampoo?"

                The Matriarch looked at him for a minute before speaking in a much more bitter tone of voice than was usual for her.  "You have consistently hurt my great-granddaugher whenever she has tried to show her affections to you.  You have spurned her as unworthy, when she is the best of her generation."  Cologne glared at him, and despite himself Tatewaki flinched back.  "One way or another, boy, this will end.  You will accept my great-granddaughter, or she will be free to leave you with her honor intact."

                "What must I do?"

                Cologne smiled mirthlessly.  "To show yourself as above Amazon law requires some exploit beyond what could be expected of even an exceptional person.  I could set you a task such as bringing me the fang of a dragon, or to slay an enemy of the tribe, or search out one of the treasures of the Amazons that was lost in antiquity."  There were still several unaccounted for, even after she'd recovered those Happosai had stolen.  "But I think we'd do better to choose something that can be settled quickly, one way or another.

                "Face me in combat, son-in-law.  If you defeat me, you'll have proven yourself worthy to be free from the bonds of our law.  You will no longer be my great-granddaughter's Airen, and indeed you need not fear any Amazon seeking to make you her husband.

                "But if you lose... you are honor-bound to accept my great-granddaughter, forgive her for her mistakes, and embrace her as your wife in truth."

                Kuno stood there, motionless, silent, for quite a while.  Considering honor, and the different directions it could pull one.  Weighing the likely destinations of different paths available to him.  For a long moment he felt as if he were standing balanced on the razor's edge of a swordblade, where the slightest wavering would send him toppling to one side or another, making his decision for him.  Then he smiled, realizing just how appropriate the image truly was.

                "I accept."

***************

                "'Biki-chan?  Do you trust me?"

                The tone of her boyfriend's question caught Nabiki off guard.  "Of course I do," she responded automatically.  Then her eyes narrowed.  "Why exactly do you ask?"

                Kuno laughed nervously.  "Well, our troubles with Shampoo will soon be over, but I had to agree to a larger gamble than I would have liked."  He went on to recount his morning's encounter with Cologne. 

                As he finished, he braced himself.  Nabiki was obviously struggling to hold onto her composure, and equally obviously was losing.  "Are... you... INSANE?!" she gritted through her teeth.

                "You need not worry, 'Biki-chan, I-"

                Nabiki cut him off.   "Don't WORRY?!  Damn it, this is no time for macho posturing!"  The tears in her eyes made her boyfriend feel lower than dirt, but before he could respond, she continued.  "When was the last time you beat Ranma in a sparring match, Tachi?!  And he admits himself the old bag of bones is better than he is!  How the HELL do you think you're going to win?!"

                He sighed.  "Come with me... and I'll show you."

                Nabiki's eyes glittered, but she reigned in her emotions.  "All right, Tachi, but this had better be good."  The fire seemed to go out of her suddenly, and she said bitterly, "I don't want to lose you... not to Shampoo.  Not to anyone."

***************

                "Great-Grandmother?  Is true Tatewaki can win free from law?"

                Cologne gave her great-granddaughter an inscrutable gaze.  "Are you asking me if I lied to your Airen?" she asked mildly.

                Shampoo gulped loudly and switched to Mandarin.  This was no time to be fumbling for words in a language she still wasn't comfortable with.  "Of course not!  But remember, I only heard about this from Kodachi, after she heard from him.  He might have heard what he wanted to hear, not what you really told him."

                The Matriarch was actually impressed.  The distinction indicated Shampoo might finally be learning some measure of sublety.  "A good answer, child.  In point of fact, though, it IS true that a great deed of skill and strength can win immunity to the laws relating to treatment of outsiders.  You haven't heard about this point of law because it's so rarely invoked.

                "As to your question... can he win free of the law..."  Cologne gave her great-granddaughter a grim smile.  "Do you think he has any chance to defeat me?"

                Shampoo shook her head.  "So when he fight you?" she asked.

                "Four days from today."

***************

                Ranma gazed at the sight in front of him with an odd feeling of déjà vu.  "Brings back memories," he muttered.  A long section of tree trunk hung suspended in the air.  It was as close a match to the challenge log he remembered from his visit to Joketsuzoku as the Kuno servants could contrive.

                "But surely they've lost most of their sting by now?" Kodachi asked.

                Ranma considered, then shook his head.  "It ain't the kinda thing you forget that quick," he said.  "I mean, the way Shampoo came stalking up, and gave me that kiss, then just stepped back with this awful look of menace on her face..."

                "And then what happened?"  Kodachi had never heard the story in this much detail.

                "Then the guide we were with told me about the Kiss of Death, and we made tracks."

                "Hmmm... interesting that she didn't just try to finish you off while surrounded by allies."  Kodachi still felt honor-bound not to tell Ranma the truth about the Kiss of Death, but nothing said she couldn't give him little nudges in the hopes he might work things out for himself.  After all, someday she'd like to visit Shampoo's village, but that would be problematic if Ranma were still Amazon-shy.

                "Eh, she probably had to do that because of the stupid law.  I mean, it's supposed to be a promise 'to track your enemy to the ends of the earth' if you need to.  I'm just glad she eventually decided to break the law."

                The White Rose grimaced.  Apparently she'd need a stronger hint.

                Tatewaki sat calmly off to one side, in a meditative pose.  Nabiki, on the other hand, had worn a noticeable groove in the ground by pacing back and forth.  "Five more minutes," she muttered, looking at her watch.  "Five more minutes, and she's late.  We can say she threw the fight, and everything's okay."

                "Don't count on it, miss Tendo."

                Nabiki, along with Ranma, Kodachi, Godai, and Hitome, whirled and stared in shock.  No one had seen her arrive, but Cologne was undeniably now present on one end of the challenge log, balanced atop her staff.  Shampoo dropped from a wall, landing next to Kodachi and seating herself.  "Nihao," she said quietly.

                Kuno opened his eyes and calmly regarded his opponent.  "Greetings," he said, springing to land on the opposite end of the log.

                Cologne gestured toward their battlefield.  "Quite a nice touch.  It shows respect for your Amazon heritage... son-in-law."

                Tatewaki's calm was unruffled.  "I propose simple terms of victory, elder.  Combat to begin at my father's signal, and to continue until one of us is forced or retreats from the log or is rendered unable to fight."

                "Acceptable, with one proviso."  Cologne stared into his eyes, not quite liking the confidence and sadness she saw there.  "Should you use some hidden feature of the log itself to defeat me, it shall count as your loss rather than mine."

                "Agreed."  Tatewaki bowed, then turned to Nabiki.  "'Biki-chan, if you would?"  He held out his hand.  Nabiki walked over to a cabinet, removed its contents, walked back, and handed her boyfriend his weapon.

                There was a sudden hush of stillness as Shampoo and Cologne realized that the blade Tatewaki was planning to use was definitely NOT made of wood.  He unsheathed it, revealing a Western style broadsword.

                Cologne considered that for a second, wondering why he would use the unfamiliar weapon, before concluding that he was attempting to win a psychological edge through the use of live steel.  She admired the effort, but it was misplaced.  He was about two hundred eighty-five years too late to succeed with a tactic like that.  The Matriarch did wonder a little at the choice of a broadsword over a katana.

                Tatewaki executed a salute to the Matriarch with the sword.  Then he turned and faced Shampoo.  The Amazon maiden met his gaze expressionlessly, not even seeming to notice the regret and pain in his eyes.  Kuno gave a slight bow to her, then turned back to face his opponent.

                All traces of sadness were gone now, replaced only by a steely determination to see this through to the end.  Raising the sword to a ready position, he spoke, "[I am the monarch of my fate, I am the captain of my soul!]"

                In an instant, the blade became a blaze of light.  A milder corona surrounded Kuno.  "Begin!" shouted Godai.

***************

                An enchanted sword!  Cologne spared only the tiniest fraction of her concentration for cursing this twist of fate.  Time to toss the dice.  The elder dropped from sight as she raced forward at full speed, hoping to win before her foe could bring the magic of the blade to bear.  She fed as much chi into her staff as she could, praying it would be enough to prevent the wood from being destroyed.

                Tatewaki couldn't even see his opponent, just a sort of greenish blur.  But he didn't have to.  Each strike by the staff was parried by the sword, which was quite clearly wielding HIM rather than the other way around.  The furious exchange lasted several minutes.

                Shampoo had seemed almost listless before the beginning of the fight.  In fact, Kodachi had been rather worried about her friend.  Such behavior was most out of character for the Amazon she knew.  But after Tatewaki invoked the sword's power, she had become much more animated.  After watching her great-grandmother going all out, yet failing to break through her Airen's guard, she turned to Kodachi with a fair amount of desperation on her face.

                "What happening, Kodachi?  Where he get sword like that?"

                "It is a relic my father picked up in his travels," the White Rose answered.  "It is named Invictus, and its use renders one invincible in battle."  Although its magic could only be accessed on days when a new moon rode in the sky, which rendered the blade somewhat less than generally useful.

                "Why he not already win, then?"  Shampoo's mind was still struggling with the concept that her great-grandmother might actually lose.

                "The sword don't make him win automatically, it just protects him from losin'."  This was Ranma.  "It's an unbeatable defense."

                Back on the challenge log, Cologne cursed as she began to feel the effects of moving at top speed for this long.  Her gamble had apparently failed–  whatever enchantment was on the sword was too strong for her best efforts to overwhelm, and her chi reserves were being depleted dangerously quickly.  It was time to try a less direct approach.

                The elder changed the angle of her latest attack at the last minute, touching the point of her staff to the challenge log even as she sprang backward.  In a cloud of splinters, Tatewaki's end of the log exploded... but instead of falling, he hung there in space as the corona around him sent out streamers of energy.  The splinters and chunks of wood smoothly joined back together and the log was whole under his feet again.  Cologne gaped, dropping her guard entirely.

                In an instant, Tatewaki sprang forward and went on the offensive.  His sword lashed out... and Cologne smiled grimly.  She swayed gently to one side, noting that he'd only tried to hit her with the flat of the blade, and struck like a snake with her staff.  She'd hoped that the sword only enhanced his defense, and by tricking him into offense, he'd leave himself open.  And so it had proven to be.  Her staff struck true in a blow that should have sent him sailing from the log.

                Except that the haze of energy surrounding her foe absorbed the force of the strike as if she'd thrown a marshmallow at him instead.  Several other attacks faired no better, as the Matriarch continued to dodge her opponent's attacks.  Cologne mentally snarled another curse, and took something of a risk.  She lashed out in a blow that was backed by all the strength and skill and chi she could muster.  It would have shattered Tatewaki like a porcelain doll if he'd had no magical protection, and she hoped it would reduce whatever force was protecting him.

                But there was no effect.  The glow surrounding him didn't diminish even slightly.  Tatewaki smiled, and stepped back from her.  "Do you yield?" he asked.

                Cologne glared at him, then dropped her eyes in a gesture of submission.  "Wo de airen... wo ai ni," she said resignedly.

                The blood rushed from Tatewaki's face, leaving it whiter than his sister's.  His sword slumped, and the aura around him disappeared... and Cologne struck.  Summoning all the chi she could spare, she formed it into one massive blast projectile that lanced out at her great-granddaughter's stubborn fool of a husband-to-be.

                This tactic, her final gamble, fared no better than the previous ones.  The sword had not yet been sheathed, so the resumption of hostilities triggered the re-emergence of its magic.  The chi blast was reflected straight back at the Matriarch.  As the chi had originated from her, she weathered the force much better than anyone else could have, even managing to directly absorb most of it back into her reserves.  But she was still rendered groggy and disoriented by this, which gave Tatewaki, who had somewhat belatedly remembered that winning this fight placed him outside of marriage laws for ALL Amazons, the opportunity he needed to spring forward and nudge her off the log.

***************

                After that, there hadn't been much to say.  The Matriarch acknowledged the end of Tatewaki's status as Shampoo's Airen, and the two Amazons returned to the Nekohanten.  Shampoo in particular felt more numbness than anything else.  This cold detachment was lessened only a little by the sympathy she'd felt from both Kodachi and Ranma.  She was grateful for their cares, although she had been just as glad they didn't try to speak to her at the moment.

                Back at the restaurant, Cologne wore an enigmatic expression as she examined her staff.  It had served her well for almost two hundred years.  The repeated flows of chi which she had channeled through it with such frequency had kept the wood in near-perfect condition.  But now, in a single afternoon, it had taken more damage than all throughout those last two centuries.  The staff was marred with knicks and scratches.  Still, there were no deep cracks.  It remained a perfectly serviceable weapon to the casual glance.

                And a more detailed examination would show something much more startling.  The flow of chi within her staff had resonated with the magic of the Kuno boy's sword, and as a result, a faint, nearly undetectable ghost of the enchantment had been duplicated into her weapon.  It would grow slowly over time, she sensed, and though it might be decades, eventually the tribe would have a new treasure.

                The Matriarch looked up from her staff to her great-granddaughter.  Shampoo was quietly cleaning up the restaurant, focusing on the task at hand rather than the recent past or the uncertain future.  Cologne considered the changes that had taken place and were still progressing in her youngest descendent.

                "Shampoo."  Her great-granddaughter looked up from wiping a table.  "Forgive me for failing you."

                Shampoo bowed her head for a moment.  "You did not fail me, Great-Grandmother," she said.  "Even if you had won, he would never have loved me.  I do not wish to be trapped in such a pairing."

                "I do not believe that to be true, child, but it doesn't matter now."  Cologne examined her great-granddaughter closely.  "There is nothing to keep us here any longer, Shampoo.  Do you wish to return home?"

                "Are you giving me the choice?"  Shampoo asked.

                "Yes," the elder replied, neglecting to mention that she would be severely disappointed if Shampoo made the wrong decision.

                Shampoo looked down at the table as if it were an oracle that would give her the answers she needed.  However, the patterns of water from her washrag proved less than enlightening, and her contemplation quickly shifted inward.

                Here she had friends her own age.  At home she had Mousse, who was there every time she turned around, except of course when he was off intimidating the other boys from her village from approaching her.  Here there were people who admired her rather than resenting her.  At home every Amazon was jealous of her, and her position was too high to allow her to spend much time with the other, lesser castes.

                It all came down to one thing, really.  She'd been lonely for so long before coming to Japan.  And there was no reason to think things would have changed if she returned home.  Far better to remain here.

                Even if she would have to be strong, to keep a certain door closed tight.

                Shampoo looked her great-grandmother squarely in the eye, and deliberately spoke in Japanese.  "Shampoo rather stay here."

                Cologne inclined her head in a gesture of respect, gladdened to see her young relative wasn't retreating to the easy, familiar path.  "Glad I am to hear it."

**************************************************************************************

                Author's notes

                I claim no real familiarity with Japanese culture.  In fact, pretty much everything I know comes from watching Ranma ½ and reading fanfics.  So any mistakes in my account of Kodachi's explanation to Shampoo of the matter of mistresses shouldn't be taken too seriously.  After all, Ranma's Japan is certainly no mirror image of the "real" Home Islands.

                And I plead similar ignorance in my use of –kun and –sama.  I'm doing my best to use them more or less as I've seen them used, but there's a good chance I'm missing lots of nuances.  So let me just state here how they should be taken when used by Kodachi toward Ranma:  both are expressions of affection, with –sama representing a much stronger level of devotion than –kun (and therefore used whenever she can't be bothered too much to hide how she really feels).

If defeating the Matriarch is enough to free Tatewaki from his status as Shampoo's Airen, why then, in the original series, did Ranma not receive the same concession when he (or rather, she) used the Cat-Fist to defeat Cologne?  Simple–  to qualify for an exemption from the law, one must pass a challenge specifically given for this purpose by the current Matriarch or Council of Elders.  No surprise Cologne hasn't mentioned this option to Ranma in the original series, is it?  Next time:  It wouldn't be Ranma ½ if Akane Tendo weren't kidnapped at least once.


	6. Sleight of Hand and Twist of Fate

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  

**************************************************************************************

                Chapter 5:  Sleight of Hand and Twist of Fate

***************

                Ryoga stumbled back into the clearing, and his last hopes were dashed.  His campfire was still burning merrily.  His tent was still intact.  His stash of food still hung unmolested from a high tree branch.  A casual observer would, at first glance, think everything appeared to be in order at the campsite.

                A second glance, and some basic arithmetic, though, and the hypothetical observer would have realized there were two tents, and only one Hibiki present.

                Ryoga seated himself moodily on a log, and tossed a few sticks onto the fire.  He cursed himself for seventeen kinds of an idiot.  How stupid could one person be?  His mother had said she'd go fetch some more water for the stew he was preparing, and he'd just grunted an agreement.  Not until a critical two minutes had passed had the significance of that statement dawned on him.  And now, a full hour of searching later, he was pretty certain he wouldn't be seeing his mother again anytime soon.  She could be anywhere by now.

***************

                Kozue Hibiki looked around, noting the complete absence of forest with a familiar sinking feeling.  Noticing a swarthy man in a large hat watching her with mild astonishment, she walked up to him and asked, "Excuse me, could you direct me back to the forest?  Or even point me in the direction of Tokyo?"

                The man made a gesture of helpless apology.  "Lo siento, senora.  No comprendo."

***************

                Ryoga sat and stared into the campfire for quite a while.  "Should I have told her?" he eventually whispered.  "How can I, though?  I don't really understand it myself.  And how do you tell your mother that she's half-demon?"  The flames gave him no answer, not that he'd expected one.  "I had to wait more than two months at home before she showed up.  All that time I tried to plan how I'd tell her and Dad."  He laughed bitterly.  "And I didn't get a single good idea.  It just seemed a lot easier to let that Amazon elder explain it."

                The former lost boy sighed, and consoled himself with the knowledge that he'd told his mother that the person they were going to see was to be found in Nerima, at the Nekohanten.  Sooner or later, then, she'd show up there.  Probably she'd walk through the door and ask Shampoo for directions to Tokyo, he thought wryly.  It was the sort of thing he'd done for so many years, after all.

                It would be interesting to see who got to Nerima first, his mother or his father.  Ryoga had actually expected to wait much longer at his home before either of them would show up.  His mother's quick (for a Hibiki) arrival had been a pleasant surprise.  Of course, Ryoga's happiness at seeing her again had only made it that much harder to face the thought of telling her what he'd learned of their family heritage.

                So, in the end, he'd taken the easier path of telling her that he'd learned how not to get lost anymore, and that the person who might be able to help her do the same was waiting in Nerima.  They'd left roughly seventy notes containing this information scattered throughout the Hibiki house, where his father would be sure to find them once he made his way home, and Ryoga and his mother set out for the Nekohanten.

                And they'd made it almost to Nerima before his mother wandered off.  Just one more day's travel would have put them in the city.  It had taken unceasing vigilance on his part to get them this far, and Ryoga once again cursed his idiocy in focusing too much of his attention on preparing dinner.  As if triggered by the thought, his stomach gave an insistent growl.  Ryoga sighed, but wallowing in one's own self-pity was easier without distractions.  He got up,  and looked sourly at the charred mess that was all that remained of what would have been a tasty stew, if he hadn't left the pot over the fire for well over an hour.  Ryoga snorted and wondered aloud if anyone anywhere had ever prepared a worse meal.

***************

                Passing by outside Akane's room, Kasumi heard the distinct sound of a sneeze.  'Oh my, I hope little sister isn't coming down with a cold.'

***************

                Not really being in the mood to spend much more effort cooking, Ryoga settled for rice and some dried beef jerky.  Then it was time for what had become his standard evening routine—a grueling four hours' worth of katas.  Ryoga was still a little disgusted with himself at the way he'd let his skills degenerate after his last, terrible fight with Ranma.  During those months, he'd tried to practise only once or twice, each time quickly breaking it off as visions of a wounded Kodachi had risen up to torment him.

                The former lost boy knew it was quite possible he would have given up on martial arts entirely if it hadn't been for that incident two weeks before his mother had returned.  He'd been taking a shortcut back from the market, only to find a group of bullies ganging up on one boy.  He got there just as they separated the kid from his weapon and tossed it onto a nearby fire escape.   Ryoga had taken out two of the five from behind, before they knew he was there.  He'd told their former target to stay back and let him handle the other three, but this proved to be a mistake.  Ryoga's strength and endurance were a far cry from what they had once been, and his fighting style pretty much depended on those qualities.  It hurt to admit that he'd been getting beaten up by some punk kids who had to be a year or two younger than him.

                But their former target had slipped past them while they were busy with him, and retrieved his weapon from where the others had thrown it.  Ryoga still wondered a little about that.  He supposed he had no room to talk, having used a battle umbrella as his main weapon, but that kid's choice was just too weird.  The former lost boy knew he'd never look at a spatula in quite the same way again.

                The incident had been a definite blow to his pride, what with needing to be saved by the thirteen-year-old boy he'd been trying to rescue, but it had also given him a much-needed wake-up call.  He could practise martial arts again, without seeing Kodachi's blood on his hands now.  Just so long as he didn't forget his honor.

                By the time Ryoga had finished the last kata, it was time for bed.  He piled enough wood on the fire to make sure it would last throughout the night, and retired to his tent.

                His sleep was sound at first.  But sometime after midnight, a light breeze began to blow.  The normal night sounds of forest life fell silent.  The leaves in the nearby trees hissed as the wind slipped through them, sounding like whispers out of a tomb.  Anyone present would have been hard-pressed to describe just what was causing it, but there was a definite feeling of wrongness in the air.

                In his tent, Ryoga began tossing and turning, muttering words at first too soft to be understood.  Then...

                "No... no... NO!!!"

                Gasping and panting, Ryoga sat bolt upright from his sleeping bag.  His heart was pounding far harder than it had during the most strenuous of the evening's katas.  But already the dream was fading, already he could only remember a few random glimpses of it... of where his dream self had returned to.

                Jusenkyo.

                And for the life of him, he couldn't understand the feeling of dark elation that had surged through his dream.

***************

                Ranma and Kodachi walked along, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the fair.  Kodachi had nearly finished the pastry she was eating, not letting the gruesome name detract from her enjoyment.  It was beyond her why anyone would WANT to imagine they were eating an elephant's ear.  Ranma was only halfway done with his funnel cake, but it should be mentioned that he'd already consumed a sausage sandwich, a roast chicken on a stick, and three green tea ice cream floats.  How in the world could he eat so much and not gain weight in either body, the White Rose wondered.  Perhaps the nourishment was split between his forms. Then she grinned mischievously and decided the next time Ranma downed that much food in female mode, she might have to make a remark about 'eating for two.'

                By the time both had finished their desserts, their walk had taken them from the food vendors to the game booths.  Ranma shaded his eyes from the afternoon sun with his free hand, and looked around at the various array of prizes available at the different games.  "See anything you like, Dachi?" he asked.

                Although Kodachi didn't care all that much about stuffed animals per se, the idea of Ranma winning one as a gift to her was quite heartwarming.  And if she knew her boyfriend, the tougher the challenge was, the more he'd enjoy it when he handed her the prize.  Looking around, she quickly crossed off from consideration those games which were more random than skilled in nature, or easily rigged.

                This actually left a surprisingly small number of booths from which to choose.  But she saw one that should fit the bill--a game which required the player to toss rings so that they landed around bottle necks.  The booth offered a number of different sizes of plush animals; presumably the more rings one landed on a given try, the larger the prize.  And there was one animal which was much larger than the rest.  In fact, it was just about the biggest prize she could see at ANY booth.  "That one," Kodachi said, pointing at the huge tiger.  She was looking at the prize rather than Ranma's face, so she missed seeing the way his smile crumbled a little at the edges.

                The pig-tailed martial artist took a deep breath, looked away from the plush doll, and stepped up to the counter.  "What do I have to do to win that one?" he asked, gesturing toward it without looking.

                "Good to see someone so confident in his abilities," the barker replied cheerfully.  "The way it works, son, is you get ten rings for five hundred yen.  Get four of them on different bottles, or two on the same one, and you get yer choice of one of the smallest prizes.  Get seven on different bottles, or four on the same one, and you win a bigger one.  Get all ten on bottles, or seven on the same one, and you get one of the next-to-biggest ones.  But if you want the big boy there, you're gonna have to land all ten rings on the same bottleneck."  He gave Ranma a wink.  "Gonna try yer luck winning something for the lovely lady?"

                Ranma, still not looking at the prize he was ostensibly hoping to win, slapped down five hundred yen coins and gave his cockiest grin.  "Hey, I'm Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything Goes school of martial arts, and this ain't gonna be about luck."  He accepted his ten rings, and almost casually sent them winging out to all land on the same bottle.  The barker's jaw dropped, but he rallied and handed Ranma his prize with a sickly smile.  As Ranma and Kodachi walked away, Ranma being careful to think of what he was holding as nothing more than a collection of stuffing and plush, they heard him mutter, "I shoulda listened to Jin when he warned me about Nerima."

                A few minutes later, Kodachi was mentally kicking herself.  It very quickly became apparent that there wasn't much else they could do at the fair while one of them was stuck carrying something as big as her T-chan.  The only logical recourse, therefore, was to return home, and come back to the fair the next day (not that she minded getting two dates for the price of one).  The pair set out toward home.

                Midway back, they encountered Shampoo, who was on her way to the market.  "Aiyah, that one big doll," the Amazon remarked.  "Is present you give to your Airen, Kodachi?"

                This amused both her friends, Kodachi somewhat more than Ranma.  "Uh, no, you got it backwards," he answered.  "I won it for her at the fair."

                "Then why she not carry?"

                As recently as two months prior to this time, Ranma would have made some remark about how that was a guy's responsibility.  Kodachi had been gently leading him away from those old patterns, though, and was having some success in countering Genma's influence.  It helped that Ranma still didn't interact with his father on a frequent basis.

                Of course, he still FELT like it was his responsibility as a guy to carry the heavy loads, and stuff like that.  He just knew better than to say it in an insulting way.  Sometimes.  "Well, the point was it was a gift.  I mean, I was doing something nice for her by winning it, an' it's a nice thing to do to carry it for her, so there you go."

                "Shampoo glad.  For minute there I almost think it Japanese male sexist thinking.  Like she too weak to do for own self or something."  She gave a smirk at the way Ranma seemed to suddenly find great interest in a patch of open sky somewhere off to his left, then bid them good-bye.

                "Guess you're right about her getting' back her old spirit," Ranma said as they walked away.  Kodachi had seen more of the Amazon than he had in the weeks since the showdown between Tatewaki and Cologne.

                Kodachi looked pensively back in the direction her friend had gone.  "Yes, but she still has a way to go.  That was a good face she put up just now, Ranma-kun, but she certainly didn't remain with us long.  Have you noticed how she seems to stay away when we're together?"  The White Rose sighed.  "I can understand why she wouldn't want to be around couples just now, but I hope she gets over that soon."

***************

                Akane sat in the dojo, and tried to find the calm center she needed for her kata.  It was a difficult one, which Mr Saotome had only just showed her two days before, and so far she had yet to make it all the way through flawlessly.  She'd tried a few times tonight, but her performances had been worse than the attempt she'd made after first being shown the form.

                She tried to figure out what was disrupting her concentration so badly tonight.  With a feeling of surprise, she decided at least part of it was the quiet.  The stillness and calmness of the dojo seemed to be preventing those sensations from taking root in her.

                Then Akane sighed.  Maybe it wasn't what was in the dojo after all.  Maybe it was what she'd seen at the fair in the local park that afternoon.  Ranma and Kodachi, walking along hand-in-hand.  Ranma not doing or saying anything to make his date angry, and in fact winning that huge prize for her so effortlessly.  Akane thought back to the smile she'd seen on Kodachi's face, and felt a familiar twist of bitterness in her stomach.  "That could have been me," she whispered.

                The old, familiar debate threatened to start up again in her mind.  One voice would argue that Ranma was a jerk and a pervert, that he'd chosen Kodachi because she was rich and would let him get away with anything.  That voice had been the stronger at first, but by now the other one, the one that whispered he'd picked the White Rose because she believed in him and trusted him, was nearly as insistent most of the time.

                However, Akane was in no mood for internal arguments tonight.  Besides, what good did it do?  'Things happen, good and bad, and it's not like I can go back and change the past.  I should just get on with my life,' she thought as forcefully as she could, trying to convince herself.  Really, everything was for the best anyway.  After all, whenever anyone came in contact with Ranma, their life ended up getting turned upside down, right?  Nabiki got given a case of amnesia, and almost had her boyfriend stolen by a gaijin.  Kasumi... poor Kasumi nearly had her whole life ruined by one miserable trip to the beach with Ranma.  Akane fingered her own short hair.  She still didn't really like the style.  One more upheaval that was ultimately Ranma's fault.  Yes, she was better off without him in her life.  She could use the peace and quiet.

                As if in response to the thought, the far wall of the dojo exploded.  Curiously, the debris halted in midair before it could reach the stunned Akane, then dropped to the ground.  A dark figure, wrapped in a crackling shroud of energy, stepped through the hole.  He smiled.  "Hello, Akane."  Had the youngest Tendo not been scared out of her wits, she would have heard real affection in the greeting.  But the more obvious hunger in his eyes had temporarily frozen her mind.  "It's good to see you again."

***************

                One thought cycled through Nabiki's mind like a mantra.  She had to get to the Kuno mansion and get Tachi's father's help.

                The first part was accomplished fairly easily.  She might not be a martial artist, but she kept herself in good shape.  Running the distance to her boyfriend's home wasn't any trouble at all, especially considering the sheer quantities of adrenaline flooding her system at the moment.  She ran over several people without even noticing.

                Unfortunately, upon arriving she was informed that Godai and Hitome had left on a week-long trip.  This revelation left her with the distinct sensation of running at full speed into a brick wall.

                "Gone?" Nabiki asked blankly.  "Gone?... WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?!"

                The familiar voice, coupled with the unfamiliar note of panic and hysteria, brought Tatewaki onto the scene at a dead run.  Close behind were Ranma and Kodachi.  Nabiki saw him, quit shaking the terrified servant, and pulled herself together with a tremendous effort of will.  She drew a shuddering breath.  "Tachi, some... *thing* has kidnapped my sister.  Magic was clearly involved.  I need to know if you can help."

                "What?"  Kuno fought off a sense of disorientation.  "Please, tell me what happened."

                "There's no time for that kinda stuff!  We've gotta go rescue her!"  Ranma turned to Nabiki.  "Which way did whatever it was take her?!"

                "I don't know!"  Nabiki grimaced, and blinked back some tears.  "I heard a crash, and a scream.  I got to the dojo just in time to see them vanishing.  It was like... there was some kind of hole in the air.  It closed up behind them."

                "Um... what was Kasumi doing in the dojo?" Ranma asked. 

                "Not Kasumi, you numbskull, Akane!"  Nabiki turned back to her boyfriend.  "I couldn't get a good look at whatever took her, just some big figure glowing black.  I don't know where to look or what to do..."  The sensation of helplessness threatened to overwhelm her.  "Do you know of anything of your father's that might help?"

                Meanwhile, Ranma was looking bewilderedly at Kodachi.  "I thought in all those stories it was the pure, sweet, innocent princess-type that gets taken by evil monsters," he whispered to her.

                The White Rose frowned.  "You're quite right," she whispered back.  After all, she'd read dozens and dozens of such stories over the years.  "I suppose it must just be a particularly inept villain.  Or perhaps one with a heavy streak of masochism."  She returned her attention to the main conversation.  Kodachi was even more familiar than Tatewaki with her father's collection of magical artifacts.  If there was anything there that could help in the present situation, she was unaware of it.  A glance at her brother's face told her that he was faring no better.

                "No, 'Biki-chan... I don't know what to do."  Tatewaki spread his arms in a gesture of helplessness.

                "We're going to have to go to the Nekohanten and beg a favor from the Matriarch."  Kodachi spoke with all the determination she could muster, intending to override any reluctance from Nabiki or her brother.  "Remember the way she uncovered what had happened to Ryoga.  It's obvious she has some mystic lore... at least there's a chance she might know what to do now.  Ranma and I will go and ask for her help."

                "And leave us here to wait for you to get back?  Screw that!"  Nabiki turned to Kuno.  "We're coming too, right Tachi?"

                "Of course."  Pausing only to grab a bokken, Tatewaki made for the door.  "Come, there's no time to waste."

***************

                Ryoga groaned, again, but it seemed as if the world was just about stabilized.  His head still hurt, although the imprint on his face from the bricks had mostly faded.  He grimaced disgustedly.  Ryoga knew he'd lost a lot of strength and endurance, but to be run over by a non-martial-artist girl like Nabiki was just about more than he could stand.  Maybe he should up his training routine to six hours.

                The former lost boy continued on his way to the Nekohanten.  Walking several city blocks without losing his way was still enough to bring his spirits up a bit.  He intended to leave word with Cologne about his mother's and father's eventual arrival, just in case by some miraculous chance one should show up this evening, then go on to the Kuno mansion.  Ryoga was sincerely grateful to the Kuno parents for giving him that standing invitation.

                He was almost to the restaurant when the main group caught up with him.  Seeing the look of constrained sick anxiety on Nabiki's face, Ryoga quickly forgot his grudge at the accidental trampling.  "What's wrong?" he asked.  

                "Some manner of dark creature has kidnapped Akane," replied Kuno.  "They disappeared by magic.  We go to ask the Matriarch for her help in locating them."

                Ryoga paled.  Even though Akane had made her feelings toward him abundantly clear, he still cared for her.  Not another word was spoken until the group had reached the Nekohanten.

***************

                "Gone?" Nabiki asked blankly.  "Gone?... WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE?!"

                Shampoo backed nervously away from the girl before her.  "Great-Grandmother go on trip, look for special herbs what only grow in Japan.  She come back next week."

                Nabiki would have liked to grab the Amazon and shake her, but possessed enough of a survival instinct to refrain.  She slumped in despair.  "My little sister's been kidnapped by a demon or something, and the only people who could help find her are on [expletive deleted] vacations!"

                Shampoo's eyes grew wide at this.  "What you say?  Kidnapped by demon?"  Kodachi related the full story.  The Amazon gulped, seeming to struggle with a decision.  Then she said,  "Shampoo no can promise, but maybe can help."  Turning, she led the way to the room she shared with Cologne.  Shampoo pointed to the large trunk that stood in one corner, and said, "Is where Great-Grandmother keep treasures and magic items.  Is one she get back from demon master Happosai, jewel that let you see far away.  Shampoo willing try to use it to find girl."

                About a minute later, Nabiki broke the silence.  "Well?!  Aren't you going to open it?!"

                "No rush Shampoo!" the Amazon snapped back.  "Stuff in chest is priceless.  Is maybe trap to protect.  Shampoo trying remember if Great-Grandmother do anything special when she open."  Unfortunately, she'd never really paid attention.

                Ranma bit his lip, looking uncharacteristically nervous... then dashed forward, grabbed the stunned Amazon, tossed her back behind everyone else, opened the chest, and jumped back at full speed.

                "What the hell was that for?!" an irate and quite shaken-up Shampoo demanded of him, slipping into her native tongue due to the emotional shock.

                Ranma let out a deep sigh of relief.  "Looks like it wasn't trapped, after all."

***************

                Deep in the mountains, Cologne looked up from gathering herbs.  Someone had just opened the chest which held her most valuable items.  With a start, she realized that the nagging feeling of having forgotten something she'd been experiencing for the last two days was due to the fact that she hadn't reset the trap on it.  The Matriarch bit off an oath, hoping it was just idle curiosity on Shampoo's part and not the act of a thief.  She quickly settled into a lotus position and cast her mind back toward Nerima, using the blood relationship between herself and Shampoo as a guide.

***************

                Back in Nerima, the frost in both Shampoo's and Kodachi's gazes registered on Ranma.  "What?" he asked.

                "Why Ranma do that?" Shampoo asked in a tone like velvet sliding over a knife blade.  If it was more of his male sexist thinking, she swore she'd teach him to respect women of the Amazon tribe!

                "Simple.  You're the only one who can use this jewel, so we can't afford to have you hurt tryin' to open the chest.  I figured with my speed, I might be able to avoid the trap if there was one.  That made me the best choice to open it."  Shampoo's expression softened quite a bit at this, but Kodachi's only warmed up slightly.

                "Well, Ranma-kun, I give you excellent marks for the first conclusion, and abysmal ones for the second."  Kodachi stepped forward so that less than six inches separated her nose from his.  "Of a certainty we could not afford to have Shampoo incapacitated, but don't you think perhaps it would have been better to have the chest opened by someone who would recover instantly from whatever trap might have been present?"

                "Ah... heh heh..." To say Ranma now looked sheepish would have been like saying Soun tended to be emotional.  I.e., a BIG understatement.  "I kinda... forgot."

                "You forgot?  You FORGOT?!"  The frost of the White Rose's annoyance suddenly melted into wide-eyed wonder.  "You... forgot."

                As Ranma, considering the hearts-and-flowers gaze his girlfriend was turning his way, was deciding once again that he'd never understand girls, and Kodachi was reflecting that she could pretty much be certain now that even on a subconscious level he wasn't freaked out by her ability, Shampoo walked up to the chest and began searching through it.  The others noted with varying degrees of unease that the pile of discarded items growing beside the chest contained several items much too large to fit within its apparent confines.  "Stupid chaotic extradimensional expansion effect," Shampoo muttered.  The chest had only been shaken a little from Ranma's hyperfast lifting of the lid, but all the small items, like the jewel she was looking for, had inevitably settled to the bottom.

                Eventually, though, she found was she was looking for... a three-inch oval of tiger's eye, with a line of tiny runes scribed along the lesser equator.  The Amazon settled down and concentrated, bringing to mind the image of the short-haired girl who'd been so hostile to her during the Martial Arts Take-Out race.

***************

                Back in the mountains, Cologne's eyes snapped open as her connection to Nerima was suddenly broken.  She'd not be able to observe her great-granddaughter again until Shampoo had finished working the magic.  But what worried the Matriarch was that she hadn't ever instructed the girl in the use of the gem, besides simply telling her what it did.

                Cologne could think of two potential reasons for her great-granddaughter's action.  One, that Shampoo had studied her scrolls of magic on the sly, and had learned how to use this device.  If this were the case, the Matriarch would be annoyed, but also a little proud of her great-granddaughter for accomplishing something so difficult while managing to keep it a secret.

                The other, much less desirable possibility, was that Shampoo didn't know what she was doing.  Cologne knew her great-granddaughter had been changing, becoming less impulsive, but she still feared that this was the more likely of the two explanations.  Shampoo might be acting on a whim, or she might have a genuine need to locate someone, but without the proper training use of the gem could be disastrous.  Shampoo could wind up depleting her life-force dangerously, in a worst-case scenario even fatally, low.  Cologne re-entered the meditative trance, waiting for the moment when she could locate Shampoo again, hoping her great-granddaughter had at least some idea of how to use the artifact.

***************

                Shampoo struggled with all her might to bring the magic of the Eye of Bastet to bear.  Her eyes were closed, but instead of darkness or mental imagery she perceived a roiling cloud of amber mist, shot through with the occasional flash of energy.   Not knowing what else to do, she sought to move beyond it and find Akane through sheer force of will.

                A tiny piece of her mind asked why she was doing this.  Shampoo considered the question, sensed what the answer was, and told the nagging voice to shut up, this was no time for distractions.  She strove against the amber cloud, noting that the energy bolts were becoming more frequent and getting closer to her apparent position.  She concentrated, ignoring the sensation of some sort of tiredness that she'd never experienced before.  The cloud convulsed.  The next volley of energy crashed in on her...

                ...Then the glare left her vision and she saw.

***************

                As Nabiki was leaving Ryoga in her dust...

                The rip in the air closed behind them.  He set her down gently, more amused than anything else by the fear in her expression.  That would be gone soon enough...

                Akane began to back away, not registering the replacement of the dojo by an outdoor setting, not really even capable of rational thought as she tried to cope with the sight of her abductor.  She stopped as she felt her back flatten against the face of a cliff, and whimpered a little.

                "Come on, Akane," he said, and she flinched again at the sight of the oversized fangs, "where's the girl I fell in love with?  The girl who had so much fire in her heart?"  He reached and touched her cheek with a gentle, if clawed, finger... then slowly began trailing his hand south.  Down her neck, and showing no signs of stopping...  Akane temperarily overcame her fear.

                "Pervert!"  She slapped him with all her considerable strength.  He just grinned at this, a hungrier smile than ever.  Akane felt her brief flare of anger sizzle out, leaving fear once again the dominant emotion in her mind.

                "That's more like it," he said.  "You don't know how special you are, Akane.  So gentle when you want to be, but with rage enough to match an Oni.  And I should know."

                "Please."  With a massive effort, Akane recovered some measure of self-control.  "Please don't do this."

                "Don't do what?"  He leaned in closer, his eyes burning.  "What don't you want me to do?" he asked, his voice a throaty whisper.

                "Whatever it is you dragged me here for!"  Something about the situation was nagging at her.  Maybe it was the way he didn't seem angry or bitter.  Probably just hiding it, Akane thought.  She gulped, and continued.  "I'm sorry for how I hurt you.  But you hurt me first!  I--" she stopped in confusion as his laughter cut her off.  For the life of her she couldn't understand what was so funny about what she'd just said.

                "Akane, don't apologize," he said once he could talk again.  "If you hadn't done what you did, I never would have been freed.  You had every right to hate what I once was... a weak, pitiful little boy who couldn't even tell you how much he loved you, who deceived you just to be near you.  But I'm not that weakling anymore."

                "No... you're a monster!"  Akane nearly passed out as her tendency to act or speak without thinking got the better of her.  She crossed her hands over her mouth and turned as white as a snowdrift.  However, he didn't seem to mind.  After nearly a minute, in which he did nothing threatening, Akane swallowed, and asked, "Ryoga... what's happened to you?!"

                It was a reasonable question.  He was still recognizable as the boy who'd fought Ranma, who'd given her an unwanted haircut, who'd trained her in Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, but there were also vast differences.  This Ryoga stood at least six inches taller, and was even more muscular. He had claws on his fingers, and his fangs were much more pronounced than before.  His eyes were emerald green and seemed to catch the light at odd moments... or perhaps to glow with their own inner fire.  His skin had a definite tinge of gold to it.  The dark battle aura that had prevented Nabiki from recognizing him was still present, though much less visible at the moment.  He still wore a black-and-yellow bandana, but the stripes had been replaced by runes at which Akane couldn't seem to bring herself to look directly.  All in all, he looked like something out of the kind of movie the youngest Tendo usually avoided like the plague.

                "Like I said... freedom."  He gestured to a nearby boulder.  Hesitantly, Akane sat down on it, then eeep'd as Ryoga seated himself in midair.  "The pathetic version of me you knew is dead, Akane.  Ryoga Hibiki was born with two souls, one human, one Oni.  Thanks to some traumatic events, we eventually separated.  Without you it never would have happened, and that's why I said not to apologize."  Ryoga-Oni looked away and smiled a different smile for a moment, a much more evil grin than any he'd used on her.  "Wouldn't have happened without Ranma, either.  I may even let him live, after I beat the living daylights out of him.  Depends on how good he is at begging."

                He looked back to Akane, and his expression grew less dark.  "He forced my soul out of my body.  I was left a spirit without refuge, wandering unseen.  I looked a long time, searching out places with secret knowledge, trying to discover how to gain a body again.  You want to hear the biggest irony of all?  When I finally found a way, it was through the place that had once been my greatest sorrow.  Jusenkyo.  Spring of drowned Oni.  I merged with the waters, and was given flesh again."  The massive stone shelf that covered the spring had proven no barrier to his spirit form, and had shattered with a single blow afterward.

                As Akane tried to take this in, Ryoga-Oni got up and walked over to the cliff.  He reached into a hole and removed a glass flask filled with water.  Akane suddenly had a VERY bad feeling about this.  "W-what's that?" she asked, hoping against hope that her intuition was wrong.

                "My gift to you," he replied.  "Water from the spring that gave my life back to me.  Do you think you've really lived up to now?  You don't even know the beginning of what you can have, what heights you'll reach.  For a human, you're strong and skilled.  But can you even dream of doing this?"  He reached down with his free hand, picked up a rock, and crushed it to dust.  "Or this?"  He levitated three feet into the air.  "As an Oni, you'll realize your old life was a joke.  Just like I did."

                "No.  NO!  Stay away from me!!"  Akane tried to jump to her feet and take off running.  Unfortunately her legs wouldn't obey her.  "Please!  I don't want this!!"

                He smiled.  "Don't you?"  Ryoga-Oni landed and walked up to her, kneeling down to look her in the eye.  "Don't you?" he whispered, looking through her eyes into her soul.  "Don't you want to show Ranma just how great a fool he was to throw you away?  You can make him feel a hundred times over all the pain he caused you.  You can steal his heart and let him live the rest of his life knowing he'll never touch yours."  Ryoga-Oni was a little surprised to note that that didn't appeal to her nearly as much as he'd expected.  He tried another angle.

"Remember how skilled Ranma is?  You'll be able to go as far beyond him as he is beyond Kasumi.  Don't you want to show Kodachi what you're really capable of?  You can challenge her to a match and defeat her in front of all Nerima. You can make her grovel like a dog at your feet."  Ah, that was more like it.  That struck a deep chord in her.  He could feel a part of her begin to want what he was offering.

                Akane could feel the same thing, and bitter shame rose up to war with the sudden rush of desire.  "No," she whispered, then drew a shuddering breath and said more firmly, "No.  I will not do that."

                Ryoga-Oni shrugged.  "Your choice, of course, but I think you may change your mind after you change."

                "NO!  Please, Ryoga..." Akane didn't try to stop the tears now.  Ordinarily, she would have hated the thought of crying to get what she wanted.  But this was no ordinary situation.  "Please don't do this.  You said you loved me!  Don't..." she found her voice would no longer obey her.

                "Never doubt it.  But remember, I've been human.  Close enough, anyway.  I understand how scared you are.  Even with the fire that burns in you, there's still that stain of human weakness and fear that all the anger in the world can't ever really burn away."  Ryoga-Oni grinned.  "So we'll wash it away instead.  You'll thank me later."

                Akane couldn't move, could only blink the tears out of her eyes.  Ryoga-Oni gestured, and she floated into the air.  He held the flask of cursed water up.  It began to glow, brighter and brighter.  "I'm not going to stick you with a Jusenkyo curse, Akane.  I'm focusing my own magic through this.  The spell will take a while to work, but when you wake up, you'll be completely Oni."  The spell was now fully formed, the flask glowing as brightly as a lantern.  But he wasn't quite ready to release it.  Stepping forward, Ryoga-Oni looked Akane in the eyes... then kissed her.  "Sleep well, and dream of your new birthright," he whispered.  Akane's eyes closed as the sleep enchantment took effect.

                Ryoga-Oni stepped back, and took a long last look at the old Akane.  He wanted to remember this moment forever.  Then he released his hold on the spell of transformation.  The flask shattered, the water inside flashing to magical plasma which streamed forth to surround Akane in a sparkling red cloud of energy.

                Immediately a bright blue glow emanated forth from her, trying to push back the red.  The Oni noted the sheer power of her battle aura, manifested now by her unconscious will to resist, and was impressed yet again by her strength.  He'd known the spell would have to work its way through her natural resistance, but hadn't really thought it would take more than eight hours or so.  Instead, it looked as if she'd be able to hold out for almost two days.  Ryoga-Oni didn't want to wait that long, and considered focusing his will to directly break her resistance.  For a moment, Akane's fate hung in terrible balance.  But then he decided that breaking her will wouldn't be a good way to start their future life together, and resigned himself to patience.

                For just a moment, he had the oddest sensation of being watched.  Then it passed.

***************

                Back in the Nekohanten, Shampoo opened her eyes and stood up.  Then she sat down again abruptly, as a wave of dizziness threatened to push her into unconsciousness.  "Shampoo find her," she said woozily.  "In mountains not too far away.  We..." her voice trailed off as the blackness rose up and swallowed her.

***************

                Cologne breathed a curse as she witnessed her great-granddaughter's collapse.  She quickly shifted her spirit back into her body.  Judging from the little Shampoo had said before falling unconscious, her youngest relative had been searching for her.  There must be some emergency back in Nerima which required the Matriarch's personal attention.

                If nothing else, she would need to make sure her great-granddaughter did nothing to drain her life force farther.  Her chi energies were already at a very low ebb.  Not even bothering to gather the drying bundles of herbs spread out on the rock before her, Cologne began heading back for Nerima as quickly as she could.  She kept her senses wide open... she'd take a direct route back, and anyone coming out in search of her would be sure to come close enough for her to detect them.

                Of course, the Matriarch had no idea that Akane was also present in the mountains, quite far from her current position.

***************

                Four hours later, Shampoo struggled back to consciousness.  The first sight she saw was Ranma's face, wearing an expression of concern mixed with relief.  "Shampoo's awake!" he called to the others.  They quickly threw down their cards and got to their feet.

                "Shampoo, you can take us to Akane, right?  You said you knew where she was.  Come on, let's get going!"  Tatewaki's idea to soothe Nabiki's nerves with the poker marathon had been only partially successful.  Throwing herself into the game had kept her from degenerating completely into nervous anxiety, and had resulted in Ranma losing all his chips twelve times over in three hours and eventually quitting in disgust, but she was still on edge from the hated sensation of helplessness.  Having absolutely no control over a situation was something Nabiki tended to handle nearly as badly as Ranma did close encounters of the feline kind. 

                The Amazon sat up blearily, regarded the girl in front of her, then tapped a series of shiatsu points.  Nabiki collapsed into dreamless slumber that would last for twenty-four hours.  "That better," Shampoo muttered.  Before Tatewaki could recover and begin snarling at her, she said, "Must get to Akane quickly.  Demon cast some magic on her.  Shampoo not know how much time we have."  Indicating Nabiki, she said, "Is too too dangerous let her come with us.  But Shampoo think she no let us leave behind."

                For a long moment, Tatewaki's face reflected indecision, then he relaxed and almost reluctantly nodded.  "A good point."  He picked Nabiki up and gently arranged her on the bed just vacated by the Amazon.  "Let us be off."

***************

                The next ten hours were some of the most miserable ones Ranma had had in a long time.  This was because they were spent walking first through a forest, then through hills, then finally up the first slopes of a mountain, without a single rest break.  By the time they reached the ridgetop, with his stomach informing him that right now he should have been sitting at the breakfast table, Ranma was grumbling to himself that this was almost as bad as the time his father had gotten hold of a poorly-translated Russian military manual and tried to teach his son the dreaded Forced March technique.

                Of course, Ranma should have been thanking Genma for the mistake.  Due to his previous experience he'd been able to hold up much better than most of the others.  Shampoo informed everyone else that they were quite close to where she'd seen Akane, and stated flatly that she would need to rest for at least a while before she could even think about fighting supernatural evil.  Tatewaki and Ryoga were forced to agree; both were nearly at their limits, sustained only by pride and desperation, respectively.  Kodachi, on the other hand, still looked as fresh as a newly-bloomed rose.  However, she was more than ready to take a break from the envious glances being shot her way.

                Ryoga sank down against a boulder, trying to fight the urge to race off over the ridge.  His stomach still felt like it had compacted to the size of a tennis ball.  This sensation had been with him ever since Shampoo had related just what she'd seen of Akane's abductor.  After what she'd witnessed, it hadn't been hard for everyone to draw the conclusion that the Matriarch hadn't been quite right about the former lost boy's Oni side causing no more trouble.  Ryoga sat, his face set like the stone of the boulder at his back, and swore that even if it cost his life, he would defeat that part of himself he'd come to despise so much.  Just as soon as he'd rested a little, he'd be ready to take on a dozen Oni if need be.  Just... a little... rest...

                Tatewaki settled into a meditative position, and tried to ignore the guilt he was feeling.  There was no way Nabiki could have kept up with the pace they'd set, he told himself.  And if she had been awake now, she would only have been fretting herself into a state of emotional collapse worthy of her father...  Tatewaki's eyes snapped open and he bit off a curse.  In their hurry, no one had thought to send word to the Tendos that a rescue party was underway!  Well, he'd rectify that.  Kuno whipped out his cell phone and placed a call to his home, instructing one of the servants to send the message of hope to the Tendo household.  This gave him a little relief, and he closed his eyes again, seeking the perfect meditative state that would... prepare his mind... 

                Shampoo curled up in a hollow between two boulders, intending to take a quick catnap.  She was worried about the unfamiliar feeling of exhaustion...  it was completely different from the kind left by a good eight-hour workout.  She had brought the Eye of Bastet with her, just in case Akane should not be present when they reached the valley where Shampoo had originally located her, but desperately hoped she wouldn't need to invoke it again.  That one use had left her... so very... tired...

                Ranma sank to the ground with a grateful sigh.  Just because he COULD walk for eighteen hours straight without taking a break, didn't mean he wanted to.  Now that his mind wasn't taken up by the march, he let his thoughts roam back to the objective.  It seemed somehow... appropriate... that Akane had been kidnapped.  He wondered why.  Maybe it was because it was an Oni that had taken her... figured that violent uncute tomboy would have... admirer like that...

                Kodachi looked around as everyone fell asleep.  'I'll give them forty-five minutes,' she decided.  The White Rose was glad she could draw directly on her excess chi for new energy.  She didn't feel at all tired.  Still, it was rather a strain to do so for so long, and so she went back to normal mode.  Glancing down at Ranma, who was already well out of the waking world, she let herself entertain a brief guilty thought of snuggling down in his arms.  No way would he awaken... she closed her eyes to better enjoy the fantasy... 

***************

                Nearly four hours prior to Kodachi slipping into REM slumber, Cologne arrived at the Nekohanten.  The Matriarch was less than thrilled to find no-one was home.  She'd been somewhat uneasy at not encountering anyone in the nine hours it had taken her to make her way back.  Cologne had deliberately made the last half of the journey at a slower pace than she liked, just to ensure she didn't miss whoever would be coming out in search of her.  Not encountering anyone had led her to assume Shampoo hadn't yet recovered to the point where she could lead others to her great-grandmother.  Her youngest descendent's absence from the Nekohanten was a pretty big blow to this theory, though she might be at a clinic resting from her collapse.  Cologne settled down to once again search for Shampoo via the astral plane.

                A moment later, and she muttered an oath.  Shampoo and the others were heading toward the mountains, but their path wasn't leading toward where she'd been when she'd first sensed the opening of the chest.  At this point, the Matriarch decided it was time to stop making assumptions and running off with insufficient data.  She calculated the direction of the path the group was taking, then sent her thoughts ranging on ahead.  On out of the foothills and into the mountains...

                Cologne's eyes snapped open and she snarled a string of curses that nearly blistered the varnish off the nearby tables.  Those children were heading for a direct confrontation with an Oni!  She was conscious of a strange feeling of familiarity, but hadn't been able to make out any details since the demon's aura was creating interference and the gem that would have allowed her to bypass that was currently in Shampoo's belt pouch.  The Matriarch fought down a feeling of hopelessness.  Shampoo and the others would reach the Oni in little more than four hours at their current pace, and it would take her nearly seven hours to get there.  Still, all she could do was try, and hope for a miracle.

                The Matriarch took stock of herself.  She'd depleted only a little of her reserves in her journey back, but without the Eye of Bastet the astral searches were far more exhausting.  She was nearly as spent as she'd been after the fight with Tatewaki.  There was no choice at all... she hurriedly retrieved one of her most priceless potions, one which would completely revitalize the drinker, and gulped it down.  Cursing the need to use that resource, as the recipe had been lost a decade ago, the Matriarch set out once more.  She set the fastest pace she could sustain without draining herself again, and swore that if all she could do was avenge Shampoo, then that Oni's suffering would be legend until the end of time.

***************

                Kodachi awoke to a tickling sensation along her forearm.  She opened her eyes, and looked over to see a small rock lizard crawling up toward her shoulder.  Some girls would have shrieked and thrown a fit, but the White Rose was made of sterner stuff.  She reached over and brushed it off, then closed her eyes again, gave a wide yawn, and snuggled a bit closer to Ranma.

                At this point a little klaxon began ringing in the back of her mind.  What was she doing next to Ranma?  A possible explanation was supplied (current-situation = dream-state == wake-Ranma-up-and-get-to-more-interesting-part-of-dream), but then the voice of reason pointed out that her bed was considerably softer than wherever she was currently lying.  And even with her eyes closed the light was quite strong.

                The White Rose managed to shake most of the cobwebs of sleep out of her mind.  She opened her eyes and got up, and the realization of just what had occurred slammed into her.  A quick glance at her watch showed they'd slept for more than two hours.  Kodachi bit her lip.  This was not good.  She might not be overly fond of Akane, but she'd never meant to jeopardize the rescue attempt like this.  A massive bout of shame rocked her.  They had to get moving right now!

                "EVERYBODY WAKE UP!!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs, realizing a minute too late that her sense of good judgement hadn't quite woken all the way up yet.  Shampoo went from lying curled up to crouching on top of a boulder, holding a bonborri and scanning frantically for the threat with sleep-blurred eyes.  Kuno and Ryoga both leaped to their feet as well... unfortunately one or both had apparently shifted position in their sleep, and they ended up ramming their heads together.  Ranma just muttered incoherently and rolled over.

                "What?!  What is it?!"  The angle of the sun registered on Ryoga, and, understandably, he panicked.  "Akane!  We've got to save Akane!  WAKE UP!!" he screamed, grabbing Ranma and shaking him.  After his head hit the rock behind him for the third time, the pig-tailed martial artist finally struggled back to consciousness.  Kodachi glared daggers at Ryoga and checked her boyfriend's scalp for signs of damage.

                "Ohhh, man," Ranma groaned.  "This is nowhere near as nice as how I usually wake up back home, Dachi."

                For no apparent reason, this seemed to really annoy Shampoo.  "We no want to hear perverted details," the Amazon snarled.  "Need to get to Akane fast!"

                The group set off at top speed, Ranma wondering what was perverted about the access tube connecting his room to the kitchen.  The smell of breakfast cooking was the best alarm clock he'd ever had...  his stomach gave a growl and he quickly pushed thoughts of food out of his mind.  Down through one valley and up the far slope they went, then over a long stretch of broken stone.  As they neared the edge of this, Shampoo motioned for quiet.  They were approaching the edge of the valley where she'd located Akane.  Looking down, the Amazon gave a nod to the others... the figure glowing red was the girl they'd come to save.

                And the figure glowing black was the one they'd have to go through to do it.

***************

                Where a human learns about magic through careful study, and invents new spells through painstaking experimentation, an Oni's powers are instinctive.  They learn to use them as naturally as mortal children discover hand-eye coordination.  Taken through this viewpoint, Ryoga-Oni was suffering from a severe case of arrested development.  He was only just now beginning to get dim glimpses of powers that should have been second nature long ago.  And so it was that he completely missed the approach of the crew from Nerima until they entered the valley to engage him.

                Even then, he didn't bother to react to their presence (the daydream of his coming life with Akane was too pleasant to end before he really needed to) until they'd left the slope and were coming along the valley floor.  Then he opened his eyes and stood up, sneering at the fools who would dare oppose him.  Tatewaki.  Some girl with purple hair.  His old rival, Ranma... He snarled at the pig-tailed boy, and wondered briefly to see the other without his white shadow, but the main target of Ryoga-Oni's ire was the one in front.  His old, hated human self.  The symbol of the weakling he'd once been.  The part of what he once was that had been responsible for losing Akane.

                Ryoga regarded the figure in front of him.  So that was what he'd have looked like if he'd been born fully Oni.  The former lost boy wished for an elephant gun.  Not that he'd grant that monster a clean death, though... a shot to each shoulder and knee, and one to the gut, that seemed like a good way to pay back this dark side of himself.  The personification of the monster he'd once been.  The part of what he once was that had been responsible for hurting Akane.

                "What have you done to her?!" demanded Ryoga.  It was taking all he had to refrain from launching himself at the hateful enemy standing before him.  'Stick to the plan,' he told himself, forcing down his bloodlust.

                "Just given her more than you ever could.  Just lifted her beyond the accident of birth."  Ryoga-Oni smiled, a much less pleasant expression than he'd ever direct toward Akane.  "She'll be the Oni she should have been when she wakes up.  And anyone who laughed at her, or didn't take her seriously, is going to be in for a Hell of a time."  He turned his gaze to Ranma.  "Better tell that ghost girlfriend of yours to watch out.  Where is she, anyway?"  He snickered, and created an illusion of a cute-as-a-billion-buttons Ranma-chan in a frilly little sundress.  " Did she finally leave you for a real man?"

                Now it was Ranma who had to choke down the urge to leap forward and get medieval on the Oni.  But then a glimpse of motion on the cliff edge above and behind his enemy caught his eye, and Ranma developed a smile that managed to rival Ryoga-Oni's for sheer menace.  "She's closer than you think," he said.

                It wasn't nearly warning enough.  Kodachi poured all the chi she could into a gymnastics club and sent it flying straight for the demon's back.  The club actually left a glowing trail behind it as it streaked through the air, then burst against its target in a massive explosion.  Ryoga-Oni was flattened against the ground.  His battle aura instantly lost about sixty percent of its intensity.  Kodachi sent another club his way, but the Oni's survival instinct kicked in and he rolled frantically to one side.  The blast from the club as it hit the dirt kicked up a huge cloud of dust, momentarily obscuring the scene.

                Surging to his feet, Ryoga-Oni whipped off a bandanna and threw it at Kodachi with all his might.  He snarled as she dodged effortlessly.  Ranma and the others were beginning to close the distance to him, and Kodachi was readying another club.  Desperately, he threw another bandanna, but aimed at the cliff face just below her feet.  The missile struck with enough force to cause a minor avalanche, which carried the White Rose down the cliff to land half-buried in a pile of rubble at the base.

                "KODACHI!!" Ranma screamed.  It was as if history were repeating itself.  A red haze filtered over his vision, and he shot forward and began to pummel Ryoga-Oni with blows that would have been instantly fatal to a human.  The other tried to counter, or at least block, but Ranma wove his attacks around those efforts without even seeming to try.  The speed with which it had happened made it seem all the more unreal... but through a dull sense of disbelief the Oni realized that he was losing.  Losing the fight, and would lose his life if he didn't find a way to turn the tide.  He engaged his flight ability, pulling up into the air about fifteen feet above the ground, and tried to bring his thoughts back into focus.

                Ranma grinned like a demon, and prepared to launch himself after his enemy.  Midair combat was a specialty of the Saotome Anything Goes school, after all.  But then, just as he was ready to take to the air and end the battle, he saw Kodachi pull herself out of the rubble and brush the dust off her.  Keeping one eye on the hovering Oni, Ranma rushed back to her.  "You okay, Dachi?" he asked anxiously.

                "I'm fine, Ranma-kun," she reassured him.  Ranma felt the berserk edge leave him.  A wave of fatigue swept over him in its wake, but he choked it down.

                Meanwhile, Ryoga, Tatewaki, and Shampoo had caught up with the other two, having been left behind initially as Ranma ran forward at limit-breaking speed.  The group spread out, and began slowly stalking toward their target, who was hanging somewhat lower in the air now.

                Ryoga-Oni frantically considered his options.  His link to the spell working on Akane made any major use of magic impossible.  He was fairly certain it was too late to try rational discussion.  Desperately, he scanned his enemies, looking for any sign of weakness.  They were all pretty tired, but any three of them, really any two that didn't include his human half, would still be able to finish him off.  He suspected that either Ranma or Kodachi might be able to do it unaided.  With a mounting sense of panic, Ryoga-Oni realized he might not survive this fight.  The sheer stress cleared his mind of the rest of the disorientation from the hits he'd taken, and allowed him to see one last, desperate hope.

                He dropped to the ground.  "Come on then," he taunted.  "Better hurry, though, the spell on Akane has almost finished.  Just another ten minutes or so."  This was an outright lie, of course--there still remained well over a day before it would be complete.  But the others didn't know this.  They rushed forward, intending to overwhelm Ryoga-Oni with numbers as quickly as possible.  They were tired, and unused to fighting as a group, which was all that saved him.  The Oni dodged and twisted, retreating constantly and not attempting any counterstrikes.

                Shampoo tried to concentrate through the buzz of weariness in her head.  Why wasn't their enemy attacking?  Was he trying to wear them out?  The way she felt, it might easily work against her, but Kodachi's strength basically regenerated as fast as she could spend it.  Perhaps the Oni didn't know that... and didn't he realize that he was retreating in a spiral, not a circle?  They'd catch him in another minute and it would be all over...  The Amazon blinked.  Why was the thought of a spiral setting off a warning in her mind?

                "End of the line!"  Ryoga shouted, pushing forward as his dark reflection hit the center.  The anger he was feeling now was as intense as any he'd ever carried while the Oni soul was still a part of him.  It felt like he was burning up, so intense was his fury.  Ranma easily matched him for strength of anger, and the rest weren't far behind.  Even Kodachi was quite willing to spill Oni blood.

                Ryoga-Oni smiled.  "HIRYU SHOTEN HA!"  He loosed the cold chi he'd gathered, and desperately flung himself backward.

***************

                Less than two miles away, Cologne felt the distinctive surge of the Amazon chi technique.  She threw caution to the winds and increased her speed to maximum.

***************

                The screaming wind swept up the five teenagers like feathers.  Kodachi desperately tried to counter the spin with her ribbon, but for the first time she faced an 'enemy' with a far greater amount of chi than she could bring to bear.  As Ranma was swept by her, she tried to reach him, but the capricious winds threw them apart.  She tried to ride them, tried to finesse her way back to him, and as a result didn't sense Ryoga until she collided with him.  The former lost boy was knocked unconscious; he'd already been close to it from the turbulence.  Kodachi grabbed hold of him, then snagged her brother as he passed by.  She peered frantically through the roaring chaos, trying to spot when and where Ranma or Shampoo would swing near her...

                At which point the tornado, unstable to begin with due to having been formed with far more hot than cold chi, shuddered and dispersed.

***************

                Ranma stared in horror as the White Rose was flung in the opposite direction from himself, far too quickly for there to be any chance to get back to her.  He could only pray her Rotary Ribbon technique would be enough to protect herself, Tatewaki, and Ryoga.

                Of course, he had no such ability.  Twisting desperately, Ranma tried to determine someplace to land that might not be too damaging.  He was still rising, due to his exit trajectory from the tornado, and was dangerously high.  Before he could locate anything, his attention was snagged by the purple blur off to his left.  Shampoo!  She'd gone even higher than him, but was beginning to fall now.  Angling his flight with every ounce of skill he could muster, Ranma managed to intercept her.  The last of his upward momentum was cancelled out by the velocity of her descent.  It was better than nothing, he thought dryly.

                Shampoo groaned and shook her head.  She'd been temporarily rendered unconscious by the air pressure in the tornado.  The jolt as Ranma caught her brought her most of the way back to wakefulness, then the increasing rush of wind against her face finished the job.

                Ranma twisted and fought the air currents, using every trick he knew to slow their fall.  Trouble was, he was nearly certain it wasn't going to be enough.  He cursed the fact that they were over rocky ground, and especially that he hadn't been able to learn the toughening aspect of the Bakkusai Tenketsu technique.

                As if reading his mind, Shampoo twisted until her mouth was right next to his ear.  "Ranma!  Let Shampoo take fall.  Use Bakkusai Tenketsu training to absorb damage!" she shouted.  Ranma barely managed to make out the words over the rush of the wind.

                It was the hardest decision he'd ever had to make.  To just hold back, and let a girl take what his mind was screaming would have to be a fatal fall.  Or to take that fall himself, KNOWING it would kill him, but hoping he could cushion her enough to let her live.

                The Amazon could clearly see the indecision in his eyes.  "Please trust Shampoo!!" she screamed.  The ground was coming up awfully quickly...

                His nod felt like it took all his remaining strength.  With all the willpower he had, he forced himself to relax and go limp.

                Shampoo twisted so she was underneath, and concentrated with all her might on toughening herself against the coming impact.  Ranma caught a glimpse of pure terror in her eyes as her chi responded... at less than half normal strength.

                And the ground rose up to meet them.

***************

                Ryoga-Oni cursed bitterly as he saw Kodachi begin spinning her ribbon, slowing her fall.  He should have remembered that technique from the time she'd faced Ranma-chan, so long ago.  Then he looked closer.  It seemed she was being pushed to her absolute limit, holding onto Ryoga and Tatewaki while one arm was occupied with spinning the ribbon.  She didn't seem able to direct her descent, just slow it to a level that wouldn't be dangerous.  The Oni smiled grimly, and removed a bandanna from his forehead.  Just a little more, and she'd drift low enough to be within range.  He'd send this one through her throat...

                At this point a sense that had only just begun to develop screamed "DANGER!"  He turned, and saw a greenish blur rocketing toward him.

                The battle between the Amazon Matriarch and the Demon was not one that would ever be made into an epic saga.  The main reason was it was too short for anything other than a limerick or haiku.  Cologne was still moving at speeds Ryoga-Oni couldn't even imagine, let alone match, as she whipped out a blade carved from rowan wood and sliced a rune into his chest.  A green flare of energy surrounded him, encasing the Oni in a prison from which he could not escape.  Off in the distance, the red haze around Akane cleared, and she slumped to the ground, still fast asleep.  Cologne spared the barest fraction of an instant to confirm that Kodachi and her passengers would land safely, then shot off in search of her great-granddaughter.

***************

                Shampoo drew a breath.  

                From the way the rib fragment shifted within her lung, she judged she had less than two hundred such remaining.

                The pain was there, not as bad as she'd expected.  It helped that she couldn't feel anything below her waist.  She'd hurt much worse than this during training sometimes.  Perhaps it was some sort of 'no pain, no gain,' thing, she thought muzzily.  There was no way she'd bounce back from this, after all.  No gain, so not so much pain.  A small gentleness for one who hadn't had much of that in her life.

                "You idiot," Ranma choked out, looking down through tear-filled eyes at his dying friend.  "How could you do this to me?!  You said you wouldn't get hurt!"

                "Sorry, Ranma," she whispered.  Talking louder than that was beyond her.  "Strength not come when Shampoo need.  Just too tired..."

                "DON'T!!" he cried as her eyes began to drift shut.  "Hang on, Shampoo!  You're gonna be okay!"

                She smiled a little at this, a bittersweet smile.  "You is right, Ranma.  Just not how you think.  This not what Shampoo wanted, but was maybe only way to win."

***************

                Cologne was too drained for an astral search.  Instead she raced to the top of the cliff, hoping it would be possible to locate her great-granddaughter from that vantage point.  Her eyes widened in dread as she saw Shampoo's broken form, breathing only with difficulty, with Ranma crouched over her in tears.

                At that moment the Matriarch's face was a sight more terrible than anything Ryoga-Oni could match.  The ancient Amazon turned, and sped back down the cliff.

***************

                "Win?!  What're you talking about?"

                "What Shampoo want so much, she never have."  The Amazon stifled a gasp as a much stronger wave of pain hit her for a second.  "Shampoo love Tatewaki first, have hope maybe things change.  Maybe Shampoo not be so alone.  But he never give Shampoo chance.  He never even once smile at me, Ranma.  By time he win free, Shampoo not have any love for him anyway."

                She looked at him intently.  "Shampoo always want... what she no can have..."  Her eyes began to drift shut again.  "Strong man, who Shampoo could respect, who would care for her... promise you no forget me, Ranma... Airen..."

                "Shampoo?  What're you saying...  Hey!  Stay with me now!" he said desperately.

                She forced her eyes to focus on him.  Wanting him to understand.  "Is good way for Amazon to go... save man she love... please make Kodachi... happy... please tell her... she sister Shampoo wish she could have..."

***************

                "No..." Kodachi whispered in dread.  The Matriarch hadn't said a word, just dragged her here at a speed that nearly dislocated the arm the elder was holding onto.  She knelt down and picked up Shampoo's free hand.  Ranma was holding the other, tears streaming down his face.  Shampoo was still breathing shallowly, but her eyes were closed and it was clear she was nearly through the Final Doorway.

                "We have no time for grief," Cologne said in a tone only slightly less intense than a laser beam.  "We must act quickly to prevent her death."

                This got through to Ranma.  He turned desperately to face her.  "How?" he demanded, echoed by Kodachi.

                Cologne turned to the White Rose.  She spoke rapidly but concisely.  "Your chi surplus is the only thing that can save her.  I will use an Amazon technique known as the Heart Link, which will join first your soul to Ranma's, then his to Shampoo's.  In the first link, I will transfer as much energy as you can spare to him, then pass it from him to Shampoo.  She'll heal just as you would."

                "Very well." Kodachi knew she didn't have time to hesitate, even though it did occur to her to wonder why the elder didn't just link her directly to Shampoo.  "What must we do?"

                "Join hands."  They did so.  Cologne gathered her concentration, thanking the Creator that this technique required almost no chi expenditure on her part.  "I will forge the link and guide the chi transfer.

                "All you have to do... is hang on."

***************

                One moment he was looking into Kodachi's eyes...

                ...The next he was looking out through them.

                Then he was swept into a maelstrom of completely unfamiliar thoughts and emotions.  All vision faded, and Ranma was conscious of nothing but spiritual turbulence.  The whirling chaos spun him round and round, like a bottle in a raging sea, or a teenaged martial artist in a tornado.  Out of the formless grayness, fragments of light began to glimmer.  Ranma caught glimpses of them, but not enough to make out any real sense of what they represented.  Then the tumult subsided, and the brightness flared up...

                And Kodachi's life flashed before his eyes.

***************

                The White Rose would have gasped in wonder, had she still had a mouth.  She was reliving Ranma's life!  All the memories he had, all the things that had gone into forming the man she loved, she was experiencing them now as a passenger in his train of thought!  The earliest memories were vague and muddled, not really much more than images.

                There was his mother!  Kodachi recognized, somehow, that this memory had been cherished for a long time, and Ranma had clung to it as hard as he could.  But over time it had faded and was no longer available to his conscious mind.  Kodachi burned the image into her own memory, determined to hold onto it.  Someday soon, she'd paint a very special portrait for Ranma.

***************

                Awe.

                Ranma/Kodachi looked on as Hitome Kuno practised Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics.  Mother was so graceful, so elegant.  She moved through the air like a bird.  Ranma/Kodachi felt a fierce longing to do the same thing, to flow like water, to make the ribbon dance like it was alive, to spin the hoop so fast it blurred in the air and sliced through the practise dummies!  He/She watched as Hitome spun over and under the uneven bars, striking out with her ribbon on each pass between them to hit a different target.  His/Her mother practised for two hours, and for all that time Ranma/Kodachi watched, entranced.  He/She knew without a doubt that he/she had to learn this.  Surely Mother would teach him/her!

                Disappointment.

                It wasn't fair!  Tachi got to start learning Kendo from Father right now, but Mother and Father both said that Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics could only be practised by big girls, that he/she wouldn't be able to start learning until he/she was at least twenty!  For a moment, Ranma's immersion into Kodachi's memories was interrupted as he realized what a little girl hadn't--that this was a dodge, to allow her time to realize for herself that a hemophiliac couldn't do such things.  Ranma's sadness mirrored that five-year-old's own, and the tide of memories submerged him again.

***************

                Anticipation.

                Pop had said he was gonna teach her/him a new technique today!  A really neat technique that would make her/him a great martial artist real fast!  Kodachi/Ranma couldn't wait to get on with it.  Pop always said she/he was gonna be the best martial artist in the world someday.  Kodachi/Ranma thought that sounded great.  Maybe once she/he was the best, she/he wouldn't have to move around all the time to learn new stuff.  She/He was tired of leaving friends behind...  Maybe this Cat Fist training would make her/him the best right now!  But why the heck was Pop wrapping her/him in fish sausages?

                Terror.

                Kodachi/Ranma pleaded not to be put back in The Pit.  Begged not to go back to the hungry darkness, where the yowls of the starving cats drowned out her/his own cries of pain and screams of terror.  Pop just told her/him to face it like a man, and to get down there and learn the Cat Fist.  Kodachi/Ranma tried to hold back the scream that wanted to burst forth, but it leaked out as a whimper anyway as Genma pushed her/him forward into Cat Hell.  The fear mounted, reaching higher and higher... Kodachi partially disconnected as Ranma's mind snapped into the Cat for the first time--the Heart Link allowed understanding, but it didn't duplicate mental damage.  As the episode passed, she sank back into the flow of memory.

***************

                Elation.

                Ranma/Kodachi raced at breakneck speed up and down the stairs.  He/She had stumbled halfway up the first time, and had been terrified by the fall.  But the pain went away right away!  The bruise just vanished like magic! Ranma/Kodachi reached the top of the staircase, and spun around and around in a pirouette.  Then he/she glanced at a window and saw it was a bright sunny day outside.  He/she grinned, giggled, and ran outside to spend the next four hours under sunlight that wouldn't burn him/her anymore.  He/She was exhausted by the time evening fell, which was just as well.  Mother had said that with his/her special gift, he/she would be able to start learning Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics now!  And soon he/she would be going to school like a normal little girl!  If Ranma/Kodachi hadn't been so tired, he/she would never have been able to get to sleep.  He/She was too excited.

                Loneliness.

                After a few weeks of school, Ranma/Kodachi was ready to go back to learning at home.  Nobody wanted to play with him/her!  They all just teased him/her, calling him/her ghost, chalk-face, and worse!  That was the ones who weren't too scared to even come near him/her.  A lot of the other children really seemed to think he/she was a monster just because he/she healed so fast.  Mother told him/her things would get better as he/she got older, that the other children were just too young to understand that being different wasn't bad.  Father made him/her smile with tales of others who had been misunderstood but went on to find happiness for themselves.  The dragon girl who married a prince became his/her favorite story.  He/She certainly knew how Sarissa must have felt.  So alone, just wanting someone to look past the outside and see who he/she really was.

***************

                Uncertainty.

                At first it was great to stay in one place, and sleep in a real bed, but Kodachi/Ranma was getting a little worried.  It had been two weeks since she'd/he'd seen Pop.  Sensei had said Pop wanted her/him to learn a new way to fight, and wanted her/him to stay here for a while.  Kodachi/Ranma hadn't been too worried at first, but in the ten years of her/his life she/he had never been away from Pop this long.  And the other day she'd/he'd overheard Sensei talking to someone else, saying something about she/he would make a great Pit fighter someday.  Kodachi/Ranma knew she/he was gonna be a great fighter, but she/he thought she'd/he'd heard something bad somewhere about the Pit.

                Panic.

                Pop had finally shown up.  But he told her/him that Sensei was a bad man, that he'd stolen her/him to train to do bad things for other bad men.  They had to get away!  Pop didn't know Sensei was in the next room.  Sensei had come out and tried to kill Pop!  Kodachi/Ranma had never seen Pop fight so hard.  He'd taken Sensei out with a technique he'd never shown his son, then said they had to run and run fast.  Kodachi/Ranma concentrated on running, so she/he wouldn't have to think about the blood on the floor under Sensei.

***************

                Hope.

                It wasn't quite extinguished yet.  This would be the fourth school he/she attended, St Hebereke's school for girls.  He/She had never yet managed to win anything like general acceptance at the others.  But this time would be different!  Ranma/Kodachi swore it!  He/She had chosen St Hebereke after learning their Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics team had been undefeated for the last few years.  He/She had trained with Mother for the last seven years, and knew without a trace of hubris that he/she was a champion.  Surely the girls of the Gymnastics team, at least, would warm up to him/her after they learned that.

                Outrage.

                How dare these cheaters call themselves martial artists!  They won their matches not by skill, but by ambushes and skullduggery!  They struck from the shadows and rendered their opponents unable to compete before the matches, then won by default!  Ranma/Kodachi wished that he/she had taken the time to learn a little more about the school than just that they were undefeated.  It had only taken one session of watching the team practise for Ranma/Kodachi to realize that he/she was far more skilled than any of these pretenders.  So much for hoping to find common ground here.  Ranma/Kodachi made a vow.  He/She was through trying to win acceptance from those who proved they didn't deserve his/her friendship.  These gymnasts would learn to play fair, if not from personal morals then through fear of his/her wrath!  And perhaps some of those who'd been hurt in the past by these honorless harridans would be grateful enough at the change to give the new team captain a chance.

***************

                Confusion.

                How was she/he supposed to react?  Pop had said they were gonna go stay with some old friends of his.  Said the Tendos even had their own dojo.  Kodachi/Ranma agreed that would be nice, but the first priority should be going back to China to get a cure for their curses!  Except that Shampoo was there, and the Amazon had shown she could pretty much track her/him at will through China.  But then, less than a mile away from the Tendo place, Pop sprung the news of a fiancée on her/him!  What kind of girl would want a fiancé that was only half a man?  She/He couldn't deal with this now!  She/He HAD to get back to China and find a cure.

                Hurt.

                The Tendo girls' reactions had been everything she'd/he'd expected.  Disgust.  Rejection.  She'd/He'd had a little hope, when the youngest had been kind at first, even offering to be friends.  But then Akane had said she was just glad she/he wasn't a boy.  And then had come those blasted bath encounters!  Kodachi/Ranma knew she/he was a freak; she/he didn't need to have it rubbed in her/his face.  She/He would have left then, if there had been anywhere to go.  But Pop was determined to stay, and she/he couldn't quite get the desperation to leave the old man behind.  He might not be much, but he was all she/he had.

***************

                Resignation.

                The other schools had quickly learned that St Hebereke's team had a new captain.  Unfortunately, they all seemed to conclude the way to get him/her to stop the sneak attacks was to give him/her a taste of his/her team's own medicine.  That he/she might have already changed team policy didn't seem to occur to anyone.  After the first couple of fights, Ranma/Kodachi gave serious consideration to just standing still and letting the next attackers beat him/her as much as they liked.  But he/she couldn't find the willingness to just take abuse like that.  Not to mention how much it hurt when others saw him/her heal instantly and looked at him/her like he/she was a freak of nature.  When would he/she ever find someone who'd judge him/her fairly?

                Amazement.

                 He/She looked up into the face of his/her rescuer, and saw nothing but concern in his eyes.  Not even the slightest tinge of revulsion.  And he was holding him/her quite tightly, not as if he/she was something with which to minimize contact.  Ranma/Kodachi looked up into his hypnotic blue eyes, and felt a sense of rightness that he/she would have been hard-pressed to explain.  Had he/she believed in reincarnation, he/she might have decided they were lovers in a previous life.  They talked for awhile, Ranma/Kodachi learning that the girl he/she had met the previous day was related to him.  Kodachi thought the two must have had wonderful parents to be so freely accepting.  Ranma temporarily lost his immersion in her stream of consciousness, unable to take the 'wonderful parents' idea in stride.

***************

                Not much left now to see.  Each lived the past several months again.  Events they'd shared were revisited through the other's eyes.  Ranma watched, feeling more than ever like an intruder, as Kodachi's affection and attraction to him deepened quickly into love.  Kodachi's spirit smiled, as she witnessed Ranma's own heart go out to her, shyly and clumsily, but definitely hers.  She felt a moment's gratitude to Cologne.  Who knew how long it would have taken either of them to take that last step of admission without this bridge?  She could feel herself changing, her soul and Ranma's both shifting to fit together like pieces of a puzzle.  It was a wonderful feeling, comforting in a way she'd never experienced.  The growing sense of completion was so overwhelming that his last memories didn't even register on her at first.

***************

                Cologne ended the direct fusion. Ranma and Kodachi both blinked and gasped like divers coming up for air.  The White Rose nearly fell over.  Her chi reserves were almost completely drained.  But already they were refilling as she absorbed new energy from the earth beneath and the air around her.

                Ranma was vaguely conscious of a massive surge of energy within him, just waiting to be released.  He looked to Kodachi, and their eyes met again.  He wanted to say something.  He felt like there was no need for words.  He wanted to stay here and look into her eyes forever.  He wanted to hold her tightly to him.  Before any of the impulses could win out, Cologne grabbed his hand and placed it over Shampoo's.  "Brace yourself, sonny boy," she said.  Ranma didn't really have time to register the advice before the world shifted and went dark.

***************

                The blackness was replaced just for a minute by a glimpse of her own broken form.  Then everything was dark again, but Shampoo knew she was no longer unconscious.  This must be death... the Amazon felt cheated.  Wasn't her life supposed to pass before her?  Not that there was all that much she wanted to see again.  Maybe this whirling dimness with flashes of light was better than reliving all that pain.  And then the sense of motion faded, even as the light crashed in on her...

***************

                Ranma felt a minute of sheer panic as he realized that apparently he was about to live yet another person's life all the way through.  He wasn't sure he could take this... he knew, on some deep instinctive level, that the first Heart Link had changed him, more so than just by showing him Kodachi's life.  But this was the only way to save Shampoo...  He forced himself to calmness.  If this was what it took to save her, Ranma Saotome would do it.  No way would he let a girl die to save his life!

                His thoughts broke off as the earliest images from Shampoo's memory began to cascade around him.  Her father, leading her through the first steps of her people's fighting style.  The gift from her mother of the heirloom hairpieces.  Her father's face as he tried to explain to his daughter that she wouldn't be able to see her mother again.

***************

                Happiness.

                Shampoo/Ranma ran just a little faster, reached out her/his hand, and slapped her/his friend on the shoulder.  "Tag!  You're it, Ucchan!"  She/He turned and ran, but not as fast as she/he could.  It was no fun if her/his friend couldn't ever catch her/him.  Shampoo/Ranma was glad her/him and Pop had stayed here so long.  Ucchan was a great buddy.  And his dad made the best okonomiyaki in the world!  Maybe they'd stay here a long time.  After all, with the free meals they were eating better than they had in a long time.

                Determination.

                Shampoo/Ranma forced down the feelings of loneliness.  Pop said that to be the best martial artist in the world, she/he would hafta learn not to need other people.  Pop said Ucchan understood that.  That's why the other boy had run after them, waving goodbye.  That's why they'd been given the yattai.  Pop said she'd/he'd be lettin' Ucchan down if she/he was sad.  So Shampoo/Ranma gritted her/his small teeth and looked off down the road.  The road that never seemed to let go of her/him for long.

***************

                Hatred.

                Ranma/Shampoo didn't understand what was going on.  He/She didn't know who this man was, or why he was so angry with Father.  And he/she didn't care.  His/Her mother had died in childbirth.  This other man had no right to say Father had killed her!  Ranma/Shampoo felt the tears run down his/her cheeks at the look of pain and fury on his/her father's face.  How dare he hurt Father like that!  Ranma/Shampoo knew that Father would make this stranger pay.

                Devastation.

                Ranma/Shampoo sat in shock, trying not to remember.  Father had fought his challenger more fiercely than Ranma/Shampoo had ever seen.  The other couldn't even land a single blow.  Father beat him until he couldn't stand or fight anymore.  He deserved it for what he'd said, Ranma/Shampoo was certain.   But then... but then... Ranma/Shampoo began to tremble as the memory remorselessly progressed.  The challenger glowed black... and his whole body exploded.  And Father... was...

***************

                Trepidation.

                Shampoo/Ranma gulped, and tried not to be so nervous.  Last time Pop said she/he was gonna learn a special technique, it was the C- Ca- Cat Fist.  After that, Pop promised there wouldn't be any more that bad, but she/he was still a little scared.  Still, Pop had just said this technique would help her/him with her/his running speed and balance.  Maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

                Frustration.

                She/He WOULD do this!  At least it wasn't like the C- C- other training.  Running over a break-away balsa wood floor fast enough that she/he didn't fall through onto the hard dirt below wasn't that bad.  But why did the stupid floor always hafta break underneath her/him just as she/he got almost to the edge?!  Pop was disgusted, saying he might as well go out and buy a dress for her/him if she/he was going to act like a weak little girl.  Shampoo momentarily broke free of the immersion effect at this, just long enough to wonder why the heck RANMA'S life should be flashing before her eyes.  And how could he believe the garbage his father was feeding him about girls being weak?!

***************

                Triumph.

                Ranma/Shampoo panted and grinned, his/her bonborri resting against his/her opponent's throat.  That was more symbolic than anything else--it was just a sparring match, after all.  But it was the first one he'd/she'd had with a real opponent.  And he'd/she'd won!  Against a girl two years older than himself/herself!  Ranma/Shampoo closed his/her eyes and said a quick prayer to Father's spirit, sure he'd be proud of him/her.  It hadn't been easy, but he/she didn't regret asking Great-Grandmother to raise him/her and train him/her to be the best warrior he/she could be.

                Anger.

                How dare Li Rin say he/she cheated!  Just because he/she knew a technique the other girl didn't.  Ranma/Shampoo told the older girl in no uncertain terms that her form was sloppy and she should be grateful to Ranma/Shampoo for pointing this out.  But Li Rin just challenged him/her to a rematch.  It was a harder fight this time, but he/she still won.  And then Li Rin's sister Ti Lon challenged her, to avenge her sister.  And then her friend Perfume after that...  Ranma/Shampoo frowned.  If all the girls in his/her age group had to challenge him/her and lose before they accepted he/she was the best, then fine!  He/She would NOT let Father down!

***************

                Sympathy.

                Here was somebody who Shampoo/Ranma could identify with.  A boy with a desire to be a great martial artist.  A guy who didn't have much of a home life.  Someone who spent a lot of his time on the road.  Of course, there were pretty big differences in Ryoga's situation and her/his own.  The way the other boy got lost all the time was kinda a mix of sad, funny, and pathetic.  And Shampoo/Ranma at least had a father around all the time... she/he wasn't sure if she/he was better or worse off than Ryoga in that respect.

                Exasperation.

                So what if she/he usually caught the last piece of bread before Ryoga could?  Why was Hibiki getting' so mad anyway?!  Didn't the way Shampoo/Ranma walked the other to school make up for that?  The lost boy would never be able to attend consistently if it weren't for her/him.  So why the big fuss over a few pieces of bread?  At least if Ryoga wanted to fight about it, he shoulda showed up by now!  

***************

                Disgust.

                Stupid Mousse!  He was nearly blind without his glasses, but he was too proud to wear them most of the time!  Ranma/Shampoo was so tired of him proclaiming his love for him/her to farm animals and fixtures of the landscape!  He/She was sick to death of the blind idiot always being there whenever he/she turned around!  He'd/She'd almost had a glimmer of hope for Mousse when he vowed to become a strong fighter for him/her.  Maybe Mousse would learn independence and become something more than an object of pity.  But no, even though he managed to become quite a decent fighter with his Hidden Weapons style, he still curled up into a spineless little ball around him/her!  What did it take to get it through the fool's head that he/she NEEDED someone he/she could respect?!

                Disbelief.

                He/She had thought it was bad when Mousse was just proclaiming his love for him/her.  He/She hadn't had a clue just how bad it was going to get.  The clueless, spineless, obsessed WEAKLING had somehow managed to intimidate all the other boys in the village into staying away from him/her!  Ranma/Shampoo stared into his/her great-grandmother's mirror.  He/She knew he/she was one of the most beautiful girls in the village.  He/She was undefeated in combat.  He/She was a descendent of the Matriarch, even if he/she wasn't in line to inherit the role of leadership.  Wasn't he/she worth enough for a decent man to risk Mousse's wrath?

***************

                Confidence.

                What was the big deal about this place, anyway?  Just a bunch of bamboo poles sticking up out of some springs.  Even if the water weren't there to cushion your fall, it wasn't nearly a big enough drop to faze a trained martial artist.  Shampoo/Ranma snorted.  This place wasn't going to be any big impact on her/his training.  She/He launched herself/himself into the air after the old man, not paying any attention to the ramblings of the guide.

                Horror.

                This could not be happening.  This could NOT be happening!  When she'd/he'd kicked Pop into that spring, a giant Panda had come sailing back out!  The guide started wailing something about curses that turned people into whatever drowned in the spring.  Shampoo/Ranma was NOT in any shape to handle a sudden assault at that point, but Pop had to go and knock her/him down anyway!  And into the spring of drowned g- g- girl... Shampoo/Ranma felt as if all the times Pop had spurred her/him on to new efforts by threatening to buy her/him a dress were coming to hideous life.

***************

                Insult.

                How dare this outsider woman!  She and her pet panda had just gorged themselves on HIS/HER prize!  The reward for his/her first official tournament win!  Ranma/Shampoo had looked forward to this moment for years, when he/she would officially become the Champion.  And now this disrespectful little foreigner had ruined it.  And the nerve of her!  She didn't even apologize when told what she'd done, just challenged Ranma/Shampoo over the meal.  Ranma/Shampoo decided he/she would teach this impudent one to respect women of the Amazon tribe.

                Betrayal.

                It wasn't supposed to be like this.  He'd/She'd been in a state of shock at being knocked so easily off the challenge log.  Clearly the outsider was a warrior of unbelievable skill!  Ranma/Shampoo had felt a momentary pang at not being the best anymore, but then realized that after the redhaired girl passed the final test and became a new sister, she'd be the first girl his/her age not to resent Ranma/Shampoo.  He/She had seen a chance for a real friend... only to watch that turn to ash as the girl revealed herself to be a coward.  Ranma/Shampoo had lost so much more than his/her undefeated status and his/her title as Champion.

***************

                Anxiety.

                Shampoo/Ranma called herself/himself seventeen different kinds of an idiot.  There was NO reason to be afraid!  Kodachi had flat out TOLD her/him that she wanted them to be more than friends.  Okay, she hadn't known who she was telling this to at the time, but what difference did it make?  She hadn't changed her tune once she/he told her the truth, after all.  After a couple of weeks of settling in to life with the Kuno family, Shampoo/Ranma had gathered every scrap of courage she/he could, and managed to ask the White Rose out on a real, honest-to-Kami d-d-date.  She'd accepted in a heartbeat, which was encouraging, but now Shampoo/Ranma was facing the fact that she/he had absolutely NO idea how she/he was supposed to behave for the evening.

                Relief. 

                She/He had felt so awkward at first, but Kodachi had made it clear that she didn't expect her/him to become some kinda different person for the night.  She/He managed to relax after that, and the evening was a lot of fun.  First dinner at a nice restaurant (but not one so fancy that she/he felt out of place), then a movie they'd both wanted to see, then ice cream afterward.  For old times' sake they went to the same dessert shop where they'd first started getting to know each other.  The irony of the accidental splashing on their way there returning her/him to the same female form she'd/he'd worn that first time wasn't lost on either of them.  But somehow even that didn't spoil things.

***************

                As before, so again.  The degree of submersion lessened as they began reliving the last few months, somewhat like a roller coaster ride slowing down as it reaches the end of the line.  Ranma watched as Shampoo found real friendship for the first time ever.  First Kodachi, then himself... he saw when those feelings began to change, even as she remained unaware.  When she finally did realize it, he experienced her sorrow, as tentative queries didn't reveal much hope Kodachi might be willing to accept the Amazon multiple wives custom.  Nor did she see any indication that there was room in his heart for another.

                Shampoo saw Ranma's initial fear of her become replaced by sympathy, and then affection.  At first tentative, but as she proved she wasn't the killer he'd first feared, it deepened to real friendship.  Regret stronger than any she'd ever felt before washed over her.  She knew him now, better than he knew himself, and she knew how much he was going to be hurt by letting her die to save himself.  At least that's how she knew he would see it.  Even as the last memories passed before her, she wished with all her heart that there was some way things could be made better.

                And then she gasped, and opened her eyes.

***************

                Had it really happened that quickly?  The White Rose was stunned.  Ranma had shuddered, his eyes snapping shut... then a few seconds later, Shampoo's wounds closed and they both opened their eyes again.  Difficult to believe that such a profound experience had taken so little time.  Kodachi noted that apparently it had taken every bit of the chi she'd donated to bring her friend back.  Shampoo was whole again, but she looked to be on the ragged edge of exhaustion.  So, for that matter, did Ranma.  In fact, even as she watched, the shocked expressions faded off their faces and they collapsed into a more normal manner of unconsciousness.

                Kodachi felt the last few memories she'd picked out of Ranma's mind rise up and begin clamoring for her attention, but as Cologne turned to face her, an indescribably weary expression on her face, she choked them back down.  "Child, I am very near my limit, and I still have to attend to that Oni.  There are some things you need to hear before I go off and sleep for a week.  Until the Heart Link wears off, you will need to spend a large portion of your time near Ranma.   Spend too much time apart, and both you and he will begin to feel rapidly escalating feelings of unease and anxiety."  Exhausted as she was, the Elder still managed a grin.  "Even more so than usual.  When apart, you will be able to sense each other's general location and current emotions.  You'll know the Heart Link has run its course when you can no longer do that.  And everything I've said is the case for you and Ranma, is also true for him and my great-granddaughter.

                "And now, if you'll excuse me..." the Matriarch smiled grimly.  "I have an Oni to deal with."

**************************************************************************************

                Author's notes

                Some might wonder, if Cologne can seek out Shampoo through astral searching, why in the original series did she sometimes ask Ranma for his help in locating her great-granddaughter.  The reason is simple--this time around, she learned the trick through use of the Eye of Bastet, which previously was never recovered from Happosai.

                How the heck did Ryoga-Oni learn the Hiryu Shoten Ha?  When he slunk as a spirit through the Amazon village looking for lore that would help him find a body again, of course.  By the way, remember in a previous chapter the Matriarch stated that normal Oni have weaknesses that can be easily exploited.  Her trick with the rowan blade reflected that, not any spellcasting on her part.  Nabiki could do the same thing, if she knew the pattern of the rune and had a sharp piece of rowan wood handy (and providing the Oni stood still, of course).  It's not my intention to portray Cologne as some type of secret archmage.  And most of the stuff in that chest isn't magical, just valuable.

                For the record, the instance in Ranma's memory of being taken by some sort of organized crime syndicate to be trained as a Pit fighter was NOT the result of Genma selling his son.  Genma has enough sense not to cross people like that if he can help it.  'Sensei' just saw the two practising, recognized Ranma's talent, figured a vagrant like Genma wouldn't be able to get his kid back, and spirited Ranma off when the opportunity presented itself.  Another comment on the memory revelations:  Hitome does NOT use a razor hoop.  Those were an invention of the Black Rose, patterned after a dim memory of her mother's secret technique for hoop power strikes.  Finally, memories gained from a previous Heart Link are not accessible to the 'partner' in subsequent Heart Links.  Shampoo doesn't get hit with two lifetimes' worth of memories (that honor is reserved for Ranma--remember, he's always the one who has to win the hardest part of the fight).

                If you're curious, a more complete account of Shampoo's father's death can be found in my first fanfic, A Cold Wind Blows (and yes, I'm aware that in the manga he's very much alive.  See disclaimer).  Next time:  Okonomiyaki is a dish best served cold.  Oh, wait, that's revenge.  Okonomiyaki should be served piping hot.  And you need to take care to cook it just long enough that the middle is done but the edges are crispy without being burnt.  And it's not just a crime but a SIN to use any sauce other than my family's secret recipe, sugar.


	7. Letting Go

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  There's a passing reference to the anime series Key the Metal Idol as well.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 6:  Letting Go

***************

                Dear Diary (wrote Kodachi),

                It's been two weeks now since we rescued Akane Tendo from the Oni, and things are finally beginning to settle down.  Mother and Father both seem happy to have so many guests in our home.  Of course, my brother remains less than thrilled at Shampoo's presence, but I think that's because he worries Nabiki might think Shampoo is still trying for him.  Tachi himself knows otherwise.  One thing my brother definitely is NOT is stupid, and he can see quite clearly whom Shampoo regards with hopeless affection these days.

                It's the oddest sensation, to know I SHOULD be feeling jealous, that I SHOULD resent her spending so much time with Ranma-sama, when all I can feel is sympathy and pity.  As well ask the sun not to shine as ask a normal girl who'd spent much time around Ranma-sama not to feel something for him.  So how can I blame my friend for falling in love with him, when he was the first man to treat her with both kindness and respect?

                (Kodachi read back through that paragraph, frowned a little, and decided she needed to cut back a bit on the -sama's.  It looked like the work of a lovesick schoolgirl.  Which of course she was, and proud of it, but that was no reason to let the literary quality of her writing suffer.)

                However, I suspect things would be radically different without the Heart Link.  I still think back to the Kaori Daikoku incident with shame.  All my life I have tried to fight the discrimination of others, those who look down upon me because of the accident of my birth, and I had thought I was the victor.  But I believed almost immediately that Ranma would leave me for someone more desirable... more normal.  I hurt him too, with that belief, which shames me even more than realizing I had let others tell me I wasn't good enough.

                But suppose Shampoo had been unhurt in the fight with the Oni.  Suppose there had been no need for the Heart Link.  Or suppose her great-grandmother had simply Linked me directly to her.  I'm still curious to find out why that wasn't an option, but I suppose that will have to wait until the Matriarch returns from China.  Anyway, had I not lived Ranma's life, thought his thoughts, remembered his memories, I probably would be fearing now that he might turn away from me and choose Shampoo instead.  But I know that won't happen.  It wouldn't have happened even before the Heart Link, but without that experience I wouldn't have known it.  Hoped, yes, hoped with all my heart, but now I KNOW.  And so I cannot begrudge Shampoo the closeness to Ranma that the Heart Link requires.

                It amazes me how well she is adjusting to school.  Of course, it helps that the academy in question is Furinkan, shrine of the abnormal.  A Chinese Amazon is nowhere near odd enough to call for comment, apparently.  The students have even accepted me without too much trouble.  I received a few odd glances, but the only real hostility I've encountered so far is from girls who resent me for taking Ranma-sama off the market.  And to think that I had always thought Ranma and Tachi were exaggerating when they told those stories about the craziness at their school!  It's still hard to grasp the concept, but Ranma-sama's life is consistently stranger than even my own, a thing I would not have thought possible before meeting him.  He seems to draw the bizarre as a lodestone does iron filings.  What does that say about me, I wonder, since he fell in love with me?

                (Kodachi glanced at the ink level in her pen, and decided there probably wasn't enough for her to write another essay on how that made her feel.)

                I had expected Shampoo to have a miserable time at Furinkan, since after all Nabiki had painted a picture of her as a vicious killer back when she would regularly drop by the school to visit Tatewaki.  The students seem to have forgotten that, though... the boys are too busy hitting on her and the girls are too busy being jealous of that attention.  I think Shampoo is a little flattered by it, though she denies this.  And to be honest, I haven't exactly seen an abundance of men there with enough spirit and skill to make good partners for her.  Ranma and Tachi, of course, are unavailable.  But there is one for whom I have hopes...

                Ryoga is a curious mixture of stoicism and melancholia these days.  I think that somewhere, in the back of his mind, there had lurked the hope that one day Akane would forgive him for his deceptive role as her pet pig.  He has my sympathies, for it has become clear that the one truly responsible for those reprehensible actions was the Oni we battled, and not the honorable boy who is staying in my home now.  I still find myself at a loss to understand his attraction to Akane Tendo, though Nabiki has informed me that both Ranma-sama and myself are judging her unfairly.  According to her, Akane is normally sweet and kind, but easily provoked.  To which I responded with a raised eyebrow, and a query as to what I did to provoke my flight through her window.  It made my blood boil to hear that those liars from her team said *I* ambushed *them*, rather than the other way around.

                But I digress.  Ryoga risked his life to rescue Akane from his demonic doppelganger.  Had it been any other threat from which he'd saved her, perhaps there would have been hope.  Perhaps she would have forgiven him.  But Akane apparently cannot now look upon Ryoga without seeing the face of the monster that abducted her.  That would have destroyed her and remade her into something terrible.  Ryoga takes great care to avoid her at school.  This hurts him, I know, but seeing Akane flinch upon encountering him must hurt much worse.  I am saddened to see him in such pain, and I hope that after it has had time to fade, and after the Heart Link finally wears off, he and Shampoo might be able to find comfort in one another.

                Ranma feels for him as well, and is doing a commendable job of helping Ryoga cope with his grief.  Although, to be honest, the method he chose would never have occurred to me.  He is helping Ryoga to train, and his regimen is, to put it bluntly, brutal.  He drives Ryoga to push well beyond what his pupil conceives of as his limits.  He does so with virtually no hint of softness or mercy.  It bothers me to watch... not because Ranma-sama is too hard on his student, for Ryoga seems to find some grim satisfaction in the process, but because it reminds me of what I saw in my love's mind.  The training method is the same as he experienced at the hands of his father, except toned down.

                Yes, toned down.  I watch Ranma goad Ryoga on, telling him that he had better do better because he hasn't hit his limits yet, and I remember Genma, showing disgust to an eight-year-old boy, telling him he was acting like a weak little girl, threatening to put him in a dress.  I remember the Cat Fist.  One day, there will be a reckoning for that.  It will come as soon as I am satisfied that neither Shampoo nor I will lose control of ourselves and inflict permanent damage upon the fool.  That may yet be quite some time in the future.

                I still find myself at a loss to understand how a miserable failure such as Genma could have raised such a son.  Somehow, Ranma-sama has sifted through the mud and dross that is his father's example, and for the most part he has retained only the few things of actual worth.  His training of Ryoga is one instance of this.  Ranma uses the same methods as Genma, designed to bring out all his pupil's will to succeed, but he stops well short of actual abuse.  And Ryoga is increasing rapidly in skill.

                In fact, we're all breaking new personal ground.  After that debacle with the Oni, both Ranma and my brother have insisted that we learn to fight together as a group.  Long ago, Shampoo had heard of the Hiryu Shoten Ha, and after the battle she eventually brought the details of the attack back to mind.  Had we been able to stop the Oni before he hit the center of the spiral, her life wouldn't have nearly been snuffed out.  But we got in each other's way too much for that to happen.  We now spend several evenings a week practising paired and group combat.  It requires a very different mindset from what any of us are accustomed to.

                But it's a nice change, to have someone at my back I can trust, to work together with a friend to defeat enemies I couldn't alone.  Especially when the friend at my back is Ranma-sama....

                (At this point, Kodachi decided the heck with it.  She went on to write until her pen ran dry.)

***************

                After winning the third game in a row, Genma decided to try something a little different.

                He didn't cheat at all on the next one.

                And he still won easily.  Enough was enough, he decided.  "Tendo, what's wrong with you?"

                Soun looked up from the shogi board, and forced a smile.  "Sorry, old friend.  My heart's just not in it right now."

                "And why not?"  Genma made a sweeping gesture, indicating the outdoors (and, through force of habit, using the distraction to palm several game pieces).  "It's a glorious, peaceful day.  The sun is warm, the breeze is gentle... times like these come too rarely, Tendo.  You need to learn to treasure them."

                "So that when the next disaster occurs I'll be able to take it in stride?" Soun asked sarcastically.

                "Yes, exactly!"  His friend's tone had gone right over Genma's head.  "I don't see why you're so gloomy, old friend."

                "Saotome... do you remember, about three weeks ago you showed Akane the Whirling Dervish kata?  Has she mastered it yet?"

                Both Soun and Genma had been involved in Akane's training since Ranma left with Kodachi.  Genma still wasn't sure whether it had been a desire on Akane's part to show up his son, or win him back, or maybe something completely different.  Regardless, she had begun training much more diligently after that time, with both Soun and himself helping her.  Genma's role was more specialized than her father's... where Soun worked with Akane on the basics, the Saotome patriarch would show her special techniques.  He didn't have to do much in the time that elapsed between showing her a new move and her mastering it and moving on to the next one, so Genma was glad she didn't learn nearly as quickly as Ranma did.

                "Well, not that I know of.  The last time I saw her attempt it was about two weeks ago, and she was still having trouble with the first inverted midair reverse spin kick."  Genma frowned as something occurred to him.  "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her practise the Art at all these past two weeks."

                "Exactly."  Soun's eyes teared up.  "She hasn't even set foot in the dojo!  My little girl has lost all her fighting spirit!  Now the schools will never be joined!"  Then he blinked.  "Um... not that they were going to be anyway."  Genma wasn't the only one to do things through unconscious force of habit.  Regaining his momentum, he continued.  "Ever since that Oni kidnapped her, she hasn't been the same.  I don't think I've even once heard her laugh or seen her smile!"  He was working himself ever deeper into depression.  "Is it any wonder I'm upset?!  I don't think there's anything that could bring a smile to my face right now!"

                "The Master is no longer part of our lives," Genma said, playing his trump card.  Soun's tears disappeared as if by magic, and a beatific grin split his face.

                "Ahh, thanks, Saotome, I needed that."  A gleam that had been absent so far that day reappeared in his eye.  "Care for a real game now?"

***************

                And yet, Genma reflected later that afternoon, it had only been a temporary respite.  His friend's good humor had lasted for less than an hour before fading back into the melancholy of the morning.  He sighed.  Clearly he was going to have to go to greater lengths to bring Tendo's spirits back up.  And anyway, it was well past time for Akane to stop this moping around and get back to the Art.  After all, with Ranma gone for good the only real justification Genma had for staying with the Tendos was his role in her training.  He wasn't about to jeopardize that.

                Akane was watching TV in the living room.  She blinked in surprise as the remote controller went sailing past her to strike the power button.  "Um... I don't think that's how you're supposed to use it, Mr Saotome."

                "A true martial artist scorns the easy path, and seeks training in all circumstances.  And speaking of which, I'd like to see how much you've progressed on the Whirling Dervish."

                Akane looked down at her hands, fingers twisted together in her lap.  "..."

                "Well, come on girl, I'm not getting any younger."

                "Or less bald," remarked Nabiki as she walked past in the hallway.  Genma studiously ignored the comment.

                Akane swallowed.  "I'm... I'm sorry.  I'm not ready to..." her voice trailed off helplessly.

                Genma took a good look, and mentally snorted in disgust.  He knew girls were weak, unfit for true martial arts mastery, but this was going too far.  Two weeks was ten days too long to still be letting something as minor as abduction by a demon weigh you down.  Why, Ranma had bounced right back into his training after the Cat Fist, which had to have been a worse experience.  It just went to show the superiority of men over women in the Art.  Still, he wasn't about to let this slide.  How to motivate her to renewed efforts?

                "Not ready?  Not ready to do the kata perfectly is one thing, but not ready even to try?  Bah!"  Let's see, what had always worked on Ranma?  Ah, yes, that should do the trick.  He'd just have to tailor his gibes a bit for his different audience...  "You sound like a weak little boy.  I guess I might as well go out and buy a tuxedo for you!"  Akane just stared at him as if what he'd said made no sense whatsoever.  Genma thought back over his last statement and concluded that was probably an accurate summation.  Time to switch to sage platitudes.

                "Come, girl, the Art waits for no man, er, woman.  A true martial artist must be ready to give her all, whenever, wherever."  Genma paused.  Platitudes didn't seem to be having the desired effect either, but he tried one more anyway.  "You must be prepared to sacrifice even your life for the sake of the Art!"

                At this, Akane's mouth twitched into a crooked grin... it was a bitter smile, but it was the first she'd had in over two weeks.  " 'My life, yes.  My humanity is another story.' "

                "Girl..." Genma growled, sounding so ursine Akane had to wonder whether it had somehow been fate that he should fall in the spring of drowned panda bear.  "That incident with the Oni is in the past.  A true martial artist learns from the past and moves on."

                Akane looked him in the eye, then sighed and walked off toward her room.  Over her shoulder she said, "I'm still learning, Mr Saotome.  And I don't know where I'm going yet."

***************

                "Do you want to talk about it, little sister?"

                Akane looked up from the textbook.  She'd been staring at the same page for several minutes, not really seeing the words on it.  She hadn't even heard the door open, but here standing next to her were Nabiki and Kasumi.  Her oldest sister was wearing an expression of concerned sympathy.  Nabiki looked uncomfortable, which didn't surprise Akane.  The middle Tendo wasn't at her best in heart-to-heart talks, and Akane could see quite clearly that that was what Kasumi was pushing for.

                'But I'm not ready...'  Aloud, she said, "Talk about what, Kasumi?"

                Kasumi politely deflected the inquiry, turning toward Nabiki with an expectant look on her face.  Nabiki groaned mentally.  All right, maybe she HAD been the one to overhear first Soun's discussion with Genma, then Akane's dispirited reaction to the old panda's challenge.  Maybe she HAD been the one to convince Kasumi that they needed to do this.  But she'd expected her older sister to be the one handling the actual conversation; Nabiki felt she'd done her part by bringing things to this point.  Why shouldn't Kasumi take over?  She was the one who was good at this stuff, not Nabiki!  Then a flash of inspiration struck the middle Tendo.

                In a tone as crisp and businesslike as she could manage, Nabiki said, "The way you keep moping around the house is pretty pathetic, Akane.  And I never thought you'd let a little thing like an Oni make you give up on martial arts.  I wonder what Ranma would say if he saw you now."

                All the blood drained from Akane's face.  Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, looking for all the world like a fish gasping for air.  Only Nabiki could manage to cram so many different insults into that short a speech, she thought dimly with one corner of her mind.  The rest of her mind was struggling to decide which of those slanders to address first.

                "Nabiki!"  Kasumi was horrified.  Turning to her youngest sister, the Tendo matriarch said gently, "Akane, we really miss your smiling face, and your energy.  It's been like living with a stranger these past two weeks.  You've just drifted along.  Father said he hasn't even seen you smile, and I don't think I have either.  It's not good to keep hurt bottled up in you like this."

                "And for crying out loud, it's not like anything permanent happened to you.  So you got kidnapped by an Oni.  Big, fat, hairy deal."  By now, Kasumi was seriously beginning to regret including Nabiki in this conversation.  The oldest Tendo had never heard of the 'good cop, bad cop' approach.  "Ranma rescued you before the spell could have any effect, right?  I think it might be kinda fun, actually, if some monster grabbed me and took me off somewhere, but didn't do anything else, and then Tachi came along and saved me."  Nabiki felt a moment's qualm about bringing Ranma into this so heavily, but she decided this was as good an opportunity as Akane was going to get to let go of that particular part of the past.

                "Fun?!"  This was where the old, familiar anger should have risen up... but all she felt was cold and miserable inside.  "You think it would be fun, Nabiki?"  She stared into her sister's eyes as intently as she could.  "Fun, for a demon to show up and say he loved you?  Loved you because you were just like him?  What if an Oni dragged you off and told you how much he got turned on by the way you put money above people?  What if he said he was going to make you even more mercernary than you are now?"

                "That is NOT true!" said Nabiki, with the forceful denial of one for whom it had almost been true.  "I don't--"  Akane cut her off.

                "What if he told you that as an Oni, you'd have powers that could make you the richest woman in Nerima?"  Akane began to tremble, and tears started leaking out of her eyes.  "W- what if when he said that, you wanted it?  Just a little, but what if y- you wanted to t- take him up on his offer?"

                Kasumi enfolded her little sister in a hug, and Akane broke down completely.  She cried for quite some time.  Nabiki wished she had the guts to slip out while the opportunity presented itself.  But after Akane finally finished crying and regained her composure, the middle Tendo was glad she'd stayed.

                "I don't mean that, Nabiki.  I know that's not really how you are."  Akane couldn't meet her sisters' gazes.  "But that's just what happened to me.  He said I was special, because... because I got so angry all the time.  And when he said... if I was an Oni, I could beat Kodachi..." she couldn't finish, instead just looking down at the floor.

                "Is beating her so important to you, Akane?" Kasumi asked gently.

                "It was then."  Akane shuddered a little.  "She never loses, oh, no, what Miss Kuno wants Miss Kuno gets handed to her on a silver platter.  At least that's what it feels like.  Do you know how much trouble grandfather Happosai caused at the school, big sister?  Do you know how hard I tried to stop it?  And all I got was humiliated.  But as soon as Kodachi gets back, she takes him out without even trying."

                "Akane, let's at least be honest.  The reason you don't like her has nothing to do with Happosai."  And that, Nabiki decided, was that.  If this wasn't enough to get Akane to face the core issue, she wouldn't push anymore.

                "It IS part of it, Nabiki.  It's just the same thing, all over again--her getting whatever she wants."  Then Akane heaved a deep sigh.  "But fine, if you want me to say it outright, I will.  It hurt, when she took Ranma away like that.

                "Do you know what it felt like, back then?  I could see he liked her.  He was already sneaking around behind my back to be with her.  You remember how she said I had no chance to beat her in the gymnastics match?  She treated me like my skills as a martial artist were a joke, like she didn't have any respect for me at all.  Just like Ranma.  And then he goes and throws the fight to her, which is just like saying I'm not good enough for him to stick with the engagement, except he doesn't come right out and say it, he just takes a coward's way out."

                "Akane, that is NOT what happened!"  Nabiki would have continued, but her sister gestured for her to wait.

                Akane sighed again.  "I know.  But that's what it looked like then.  Remember what Kodachi said, during the fight? 'If you were fighting at your full strength, you could have beaten me by now.' What was I supposed to think when I heard that?"

                "Akane, did you even want to keep Ranma as your fiancé?  You fought so often, after all.  And it certainly wasn't nice of him not to tell you about Ryoga."

                "Kasumi, I just don't know!  I was glad when he was gone, and hurt that he'd throw me away like that, and determined to show both of them that I was a martial artist too, and I don't know what else I felt!  And it sure didn't get any better after that, with every girl at school being so nice and sympathetic to me, for 'losing such a dreamy hunk as Ranma', when half of them were saying behind my back that I was too much of a tomboy to ever get a real man like that!"

                Akane paused, then continued in a leaden tone.  "And it's not like they were wrong.  Nabiki, when was the last time you hit Kuno?  Or called him some ugly name?"

                "Umm... well, there was one time I slapped him... back when I thought he'd taken advantage of my amnesia to spend the day with Shampoo..."  Nabiki was more than a little uncomfortable remembering just how stupid that assumption had been.  She consoled herself with the thought that the Xi Fang Gao had probably suppressed her good sense as far as Tachi was concerned as well as her memories.

                "Oh, gee, one time, in about six months.  You're going to have to try harder, Nabiki, if you want to match my record.  I put my fiancé through the wringer on a daily basis," the youngest Tendo said bitterly.  "I didn't even give him a chance, just decided right away he was like all the boys that were challenging me at school.

                "And speaking of that..." Akane pinned Nabiki with a gimlet stare.  "When you started dating Kuno, you told me he hadn't been trying to beat me to date me.  You said he just wanted a decent challenge, and I was the only one who could give it to him.  Well, I can admit now that that's a load of bull.  I've seen him spar with Ranma, and I'm sick of denying the truth.  Would you please tell me what the real reason was?"

                Nabiki frantically called up every scrap of her cunning.  "He did want a challenge... the challenge was to build up your speed without you realizing it was training."  That was the best spin she could put on it, but she realized even as she spoke that her version wasn't much less demeaning than the unvarnished truth.

                "Pretty big ego your boyfriend's got," Akane remarked sarcastically.  "Of course, he's good enough to back it up.  Just like Ranma."

                Kasumi decided this was a good time to move the conversation along.  "And what about your training?  Father was so glad to be spending more time with you.  And you used to be so excited whenever Mr Saotome would show you a new move.  We miss that excitement, Akane.  Don't you?"

                "Kasumi... don't you guys get it?!  I don't want to be that person anymore!"  Akane looked desperately from one sister to the other.  "I don't want the anger, or the ugliness.  I don't want to be a person an Oni would love!  I don't want to think I'm better than everyone else!  And that's just what I always did think, back when I would break a stack of bricks, or smash my way through all those boys in the morning at school!  I can't deal with that anymore.  I won't."

                "So what you want is self-control and peace.  Is that right?"

                "Yes!"

                Kasumi smiled, both apologetically and triumphantly (a nice trick, if you can manage it).  "Then you need to put on a gi and head straight back to the dojo, little sister."

                Looking at Akane's helpless expression, she continued, "It's been many years since I practised martial arts, Akane, but I still remember the very first lesson Father taught me.  He said that the Art wasn't about force, or defeating an opponent no matter the cost.  It's about control--learning to control yourself, to better yourself, to learn to do new things that you couldn't do otherwise.  He told me that peace and harmony were very important to a martial artist, much more important than strength and speed.  That was how he encouraged me to start learning.  And even if I stopped, when... when there wasn't enough time to spare anymore, I'm still glad I learned that focus and peace."  She gave an encouraging smile.  "Do you remember now, Akane?  Do you remember the first lesson Father taught?"

                Akane got a very sheepish look on her face.  "Um, actually, the way he got me started was by setting up a stack of bricks and smashing them, then telling me I could learn to do the same thing."

                "Oh, my."

                "But you're right, Kasumi."  A look of determination lit up Akane's eyes.  "Dad might not ever have come out and said it like that to me, but he did teach me that martial arts is about honor and self-control.  I think it IS time I remembered that."

***************

                A few mornings later, at the Kuno mansion...

                Shampoo tapped her foot impatiently.  "Hurry, bandana boy.  We no want to be late again!"  

                "Lunchbox... check.  Textbooks... check.  Homework... check.  Raincoat... check.  Thermos of hot water... check.  Two changes of clothing... check.  First-aid kit... check.  Crash helmet... check.  Gas mask... check.  Taser gun... check.  Bullet-proof vest... check.  Organ donor card... check."  Ryoga somehow managed to fit all the aforementioned items into a backpack.  "Okay, I'm ready."

                Kodachi shook her head in mild amazement as the four of them set off for school.  "Do you really think all that is necessary, Ryoga?"

                Ryoga shuddered.  "Yes, I do," he said vehemently.  "Why couldn't they have put me in class with you guys?  Instead I got stuck with a bunch of lunatics."

                "I'm sorry.  I tried, but it was all I could do to get both myself and Shampoo assigned to Ranma's classroom.  Apparently it's already over the normal limit of students."

                Ranma spoke up.  "Maybe we could get Nabiki to transfer you to some other room.  Just what kinda stuff goes on in that class of yours, anyway?"

                Ryoga sighed.  "It didn't get bad until the last couple of days, but it started a week ago.  Koga is the leader of the chemistry club, Shinji is the captain of the croquet team, they're both in my class, and they're both trying to date the same girl.  I don't know exactly what happened, but apparently they each pulled a dirty trick to make the other look bad to Akemi, and now their clubs are at war."

                "Who Akemi?  Is girl they both want to date?" Shampoo asked.

                "Yeah, that's right."

                A smile crossed Shampoo's face.  Noting the others' quizzical expressions, she said, "Is good to know at least two boys not going to pester me for dates."

                "Well, anyway, since there's four other members of the chem club in my class, and three croquet players, things never stay quiet for long.  At least they try to keep it covert, during regular classes... the most you generally have to watch out for then is knockout gas, or a stray ball shooting along the floor and clipping your ankles..."  Ryoga's expression changed to dismay.  "Oh, no.  I forgot my shin pads and ankle guards!"  He sighed.  Too late to do anything about it now--they hadn't exactly left early.  "If I'm limping this afternoon, you'll know why."

                "That doesn't sound so bad, Ryoga.  At least, it doesn't explain the bullet-proof vest. And what of the taser?"

                Ryoga grimaced.  "Two words, Kodachi... gym class."

                The group passed through the school gates, and Ryoga reluctantly separated from the others.  "Once more into the breach," he muttered grimly as he made his way to his homeroom.

                Shampoo was thinking much the same thing.  Ignoring the sour looks being directed her way wasn't that hard.  She was used to worse than that in her village, and anyway it was mostly the unattached girls who resented her.  The ones with faithful boyfriends were cautious, but she felt like there was potential at least for more friendships eventually.  No, the situation with the girls was nothing she had any trouble handling.

                "Shampoo, what'd you think of that math assignment?  Pretty rough, huh?  It took me a whole hour to finish it.  Say, if you like, I could look over your work, check out your answers."

                "Butt out, Yoshi.  A girl like her wouldn't be interested in a geek like you.  Hey, Shampoo, I just happened to get tickets to Key's latest concert.  A bunch of us are going and you'd be more than welcome to come along."

                "Who'd want to listen to that scrawny little girl?  Besides, if she went to a concert like that, she'd put Key out of business.  Nobody'd bother to listen when they could pay attention to a real woman like Shampoo instead."

                "You really are a sleaze, you know that, Hiro?  Shampoo, I miss going to the Nekohanten.  That was my favorite place to eat.  When are you gonna open it up again?"

                Kodachi and Ranma watched, in no good humor, as the tide of teenage boys swirled around their friend.  "This was amusing at first, Ranma-kun, and I confess I actually welcomed it then.  I thought it would do Shampoo good to know she is appreciated.  But now I believe they are doing more harm than good."

                "No joke.  I don't want Shampoo thinkin' this is what Japanese guys are like."

                Kodachi gave Ranma an incredulous stare, then reminded herself of how he'd spent the last ten years.  "Um, Ranma, I hate to break it to you, but that IS what most guys our age are like."  She smiled and took his arm.  "Why do you think I fell so hard so fast for you?"

                "I just thought you had excellent taste," he said with a grin.  Then both their gazes were drawn back to Shampoo, who was beginning to show signs of real distress.  Ranma growled and prepared to step in, when suddenly it became unnecessary.

                Shampoo dropped her bookbag, whipped out her bonborri, and screamed, "BACK OFF OR SHAMPOO START BUSTING HEADS!!"  As if by magic, the area around her was suddenly cleared of overendowed (hormonally, that is) teenage boys.  "Maybe Mousse part Japanese?" she muttered, then picked up her bag.  "Would explain how he know language so good."

                "Heh.  That'd be funny," Ranma smirked.  Shampoo and Kodachi looked at him questioningly.  "Just a thought... what if we could get him here, and set him up against all those jerks?  I'd love to see him try to fight that many guys all at once and get plowed under."

                Shampoo sniffed.  "I like to see too, but on videotape, not in person.  Better than bring Mousse here, would be to send all stupid boys to China."  Still, the reminder of how bad things weren't was enough to dramatically brighten her mood.  She was so GLAD that when Great-Grandmother had first learned of her conflict of honor with multiple Airens, the Matriarch had flatly forbidden Mousse to come to Japan!  Shampoo knew that he would have only made things worse otherwise.  Probably much worse.

                Kodachi shook her head.  "It still seems a little odd when you do that, Ranma-kun, talk about Mousse as if you had met him.  After all, you only know him from Shampoo's memories."

                A wide grin split Shampoo's face as she suddenly looked over Kodachi's shoulder and waved.  "Hey, Ucchan, over here!"

                Kodachi spun around, a welcoming smile appearing on her face.  "Ucchan?  Where?  I don't see... him..."  She turned back to her friend, who wasn't even trying to stifle her giggles.  Ranma had a pretty silly grin on his face too.  Kodachi tried to look stern, but found it only slightly less difficult than picking up Mt Fuji would have been.  "Very funny.  Come on, you comedienne, we need to get to class."

***************

                The lunch bell rang, unfortunately just as Shampoo was sneezing.  As a result, she missed the single most diverting sight of the day--the classroom emptied itself of everyone but herself, Ranma, and the White Rose before she could open her eyes again.  With a mental sigh, the Amazon excused herself, threaded her way through the overturned desks, and left Ranma and Kodachi to the one bit of private time they'd be able to get during the school day.  No sense in eating alone, though... that was just asking for the boys to come swarming over her.  She retrieved her lunch box and went to find Ryoga, trying not to dwell on the scene she was leaving behind her.

                Ranma and Kodachi stepped out of a side door of the school, out of the way of everyone's attention.  Each watched the other out of the corner of his or her eye.  Tension mounted.  Muscles tensed...

                And then the tableau broke as Ranma jumped backward, using a nearby willow tree as a springboard to launch himself toward the rooftop.  Nearly simultaneously, Kodachi snared an outcropping gargoyle on the third floor with her ribbon and used it to swing herself into the air.  The two scrambled madly, each determined to reach their goal first.

                With a series of leaps, Ranma secured the lead.  He was almost at rooftop level when he felt a sudden downdraft grab him and begin pulling him back toward the earth.  Looking down, he realized Kodachi had abandoned the Indiana Jones method and was lifting herself with her Rotary Ribbon technique.  He was caught in the slipstream, being pulled back toward her.  "Showoff," Ranma muttered with a wry grin, even as she caught up with him and slipped an arm around his waist.

                Kodachi grinned herself as the two of them rose to the point where their chests were level with the rooftop... then let go of Ranma, pushing him laterally forward so that he ended up clinging with one hand to the crenellations of the border running just below the level of the roof.  "I win," she said sweetly as she sailed past him.

                "That's what you think, Dachi-chan!"  Ranma's free hand shot out.  For a split second his palm was flat against the sole of her foot... and then, with a massive push that made her heart beat like a jackhammer, he sent her flying skyward.  By the time she halted her heavenward rush and managed to head back toward terra more-or-less firma, Ranma had already spread out the tablecloth they kept up there and seated himself at it.  Kodachi descended gracefully to meet him, thinking it would serve him right if she had been wearing a skirt rather than a pantsuit.

***************

                Back on the ground, Sakura shaded her eyes and squinted into the sky.  "Isn't that Kodachi floating in the air?" she asked wonderingly.

                Sakura gave her friend a strange glance, then looked herself, but by that time the White Rose had landed and was out of sight.  "Come on, that's crazy, even for a place like Furinkan," she said.

                "Yeah," Sakura said to the other two, "it was probably some new design from the Kite Club.  You're just seeing Kodachi because you're so jealous of her for getting Ranma for herself."

                "Hmmph.  If I was going to see things because of that, don't you think I'd rather hallucinate Ranma instead?"

***************

                "I am impressed, Ranma-kun."  Kodachi gave him a seductive smile.  "You certainly know how to take me to new heights."

                "Hey, Pop would turn over in his grave if I lost an aerial competition," Ranma returned.  He was a little proud of himself for not freezing at the innuendo as he would have not so long before.

                "In his grave?"  A look of puzzlement crossed his girlfriend's features.  "What do you mean by that?"

***************

                On his way to the market, Genma experienced a sudden feeling of danger.  He glanced around, saw nothing out of place, and dismissed it.  It was probably just a natural reaction to the fact that Kasumi seemed to finally have gotten over her reluctance to send him off on errands.  Why couldn't he have had a second son, Genma wondered idly.  Then he would still have a boy to inherit the Dojo, who would be the one the Tendo matriarch sent off to pick up things from the market, without losing the benefit of a fantastically wealthy future daughter-in-law who... his eyes teared up and he reverently removed the handkerchief from his head, holding it over his heart... who was more than a match for the Master.

                He stood there for almost five minutes before reluctantly shaking himself back to reality.  He replaced the handkerchief over his head and set off again... only to stop short as a menacing figure stepped out of an alley.

                "Genma Saotome.  Well, what do you know.  I didn't expect to meet up with you quite so soon."

                The survival instinct that was so necessary for life in Nerima kicked in, and the street was empty of all save Genma and his adversary before the latter had finished the statement.

                "Who are you?" Genma blustered, while preparing for what looked like an inevitable confrontation.  The way the other was cradling that large polearm certainly made it seem unlikely that Kasumi would be getting her green onions anytime soon.

                "I'm the child you left behind.  Ukyo!"

***************

                "Oh, Pop's fine," Ranma answered.  "But I overheard you talking with Shampoo about what you plan to do to pay him back for the C- Ca... the way he trained me."  He sighed.  "He ain't much, but he's the only father I got for now.  Don't be too hard on the old idiot, okay?"

                Kodachi heaved an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.  "You're too good for your own good, Ranma-kun."  She didn't expect him to recognize this as a dodge rather than an agreement, and wasn't surprised when he didn't.  Then she thought back over two seemingly innocuous words of her boyfriend's.  Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What did you mean, 'for now'?"

                Ranma felt his heart nearly seize up.  "D- did I say that?"

                "You did," his girlfriend said... or perhaps purred would be a better description.  She leaned forward.  "Are you planning to add another member to your family soon... Ranma-sama?"

                "Ahhh..."  For just a moment, Ranma was vaguely conscious of a tremendous struggle going on just below the surface of his conscious mind.  Ten long years on the road with Genma had done nothing to lessen the absolute unfamiliarity of the territory he was in.  This unfamiliarity had been warring with some very powerful instinctive desires for a while now, and actually holding them at bay.  However, since the Heart Link, the tide had slowly but inexorably turned.  And so it was that now Ranma found his anxiety suddenly seemed to dwindle.  It was still there, but somehow it didn't matter that much anymore.  He slowly began to lean forward as well...

                ...when a burst of pain and loneliness knifed through his heart, making him gasp and breaking the mood utterly.

                "Ranma!  Are you all right?"  Kodachi made the switch from coquettish to concerned in the blink of an eye.

                "Yeah.  I'm fine," he said, but he didn't sound fine to her.  He was looking quite depressed.  She waited expectantly for him to continue.

                Ranma sighed, took her hand, and led her to the edge of the roof, pointing to a tree far off to one side of the school grounds.  Kodachi could barely make out the figures of Ryoga and Shampoo there.

                "You know how the Heart Link lets you know where I am and how I'm feeling, Dachi?  You know how, when we're apart, sometimes you'll get a random glimpse of what's in my heart, even without tryin'?"  She nodded, already seeing where this was going.  "Just now I had one of those, from Shampoo."

                She waited for him to go on.  It was minute or two before he did.  "I hate what I've done to her, Dachi-chan.  She deserves a lot better than this.  I didn't mean to make her fall in love with me!  I never wanted to ruin her life!"

                Kodachi resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  "Ranma-kun, that's ridiculous.  You haven't ruined Shampoo's life."

                "Oh, yeah?  Remember who knows exactly what she's feeling?  She'd be better off never to have met me than to be hurtin' like this!"  The pain Ranma was feeling now was all his own, not borrowed through the Heart Link.

                "Not true," Kodachi said firmly.  "She's told me what her life was like before she left her village chasing after you.  You have her memories, Ranma.  Tell me truly, do you think she would want to have never had that situation change?"

                Ranma gave this due consideration, and was forced to say, "No.  You're right, when I beat her and she came after me, I did her a favor.  But that just makes the rest of it worse!  She was happy, for a while there.  She had real friends.  She was happy when she didn't want nothin' more from me.  And then I had to go and mess that up!"  Ranma's voice cracked.  "I don't want to hurt her, Dachi!  Just like you, I guess, now.  I can't stand the thought of hurting somebody that badly.  Especially not a friend."

                Kodachi hugged him tightly.  "Ranma-kun... there are many different kinds of pain.  And sometimes you have to let people you care about get hurt.  Remember when I was twelve, and I asked Father why he sometimes bruised Tachi when they practised Kendo?  He told me that for most people, learning to fight through pain is necessary to be a true warrior.  And it's an incentive to learn more quickly."

                "Yeah, I do remember that."  She'd been horrified to see her brother in pain, he recalled, even though the bruises were light enough to fade in less than a day.  But Tatewaki had told her that he didn't mind, that he knew Father would never really hurt him.  And he hadn't, and her brother had become the best Kendoist any of them knew.

                "It is the same thing now.  I'm sorry for Shampoo, and I too wish she didn't hurt now.  But it is not your fault, Ranma.  She needed a friend, and you were there for her as a friend.  Tell me truly, did you ever lead her on or encourage her to think you might want more from her?"  She was confident of the answer.

                "Well... not unless you count the instant love pill."  At this, Kodachi did roll her eyes.  "No, you're right, that doesn't count.  She was already in love with me then."  Ranma still didn't look like he was feeling much better.  "But even if you're absolutely right, and none of it's my fault, she's still hurtin' now, and that still makes me feel terrible."

                "Ranma-kun, there is something you've lost by the wayside, that you need to recover."  The White Rose paused for dramatic emphasis, then took a deep breath.  Unfortunately, in doing so she inhaled some dust or something, and went into a coughing fit.  Recovering after a minute, she muttered sourly, "So much for drama."  In a louder voice she continued, "Hope, Ranma.  You need to find hope again.  Shampoo will not hurt forever.  And we will be there, as her friends, to help her through this.  Some of life's lessons hurt, but you're still a better person once you've learned them.  So I don't want to hear any more nonsense about you having ruined Shampoo's life.  Someday, she'll find the right man for her."

                "Guess you're right," said Ranma.  Everything she'd said made sense, after all.  Sooner or later, the Heart Link would wear off, and Shampoo would be free to build a life for herself.

                So why didn't that thought comfort him any?

***************

                Ukyo regarded the twisted, battered, and partially hydrogenated martial artist flattened on the pavement before her.  He looked like the world's biggest and ugliest okonomiyaki.  "Well, I feel better," she remarked out loud.  "We'll have to do this again sometime, Genma."  A whimper was her only answer.

                Whistling a cheerful tune, the cross-dressing chef took her leave.  She hadn't intended to challenge him quite so soon, but when she'd seen him in the street she'd found herself unable to wait any longer. Ukyo had decided a long time ago that Genma would be her first target, since she'd want the element of surprise when she went against the more experienced fighter.  Depending on how well she did, she'd know whether to challenge Ranma right away or train some more first.

                And the way she'd demolished the elder Saotome decided things.  Her mind made up, Ukyo made her way to Furinkan High School.  It was too late to start attending classes today, but at least she could register... and do her best to get them to put her in the same classroom as a certain Wild Horse.

***************

                Back at the scene of the crime, the flattened figure of Genma was attracting some curious stares and commentary.  He tried to ignore this, concentrating instead on recovering.

                Off to one side, a latecomer regarded the bruised figure with sympathy.  "What happened?" Kyunnosuke asked a nearby merchant.  "Was he mugged?"

                Unfortunately, the shopkeeper had only seen what transpired at a distance, and had gotten the wrong impression.  "Nah, it was just a piece of performance art.  This kid treated the guy like he was a pancake or something, whipping him around and flattening him on the pavement with a giant spatula."

                An odd gleam appeared in Kyunnosuke's eyes.  "Performance art.  Did you say performance art?!"  The nervous merchant nodded, and Kyunnosuke strode over to Genma, who had recovered enough to sit upright now.

                As the shadow fell over him, the elder Saotome looked up, fearing the return of Ukyo.  His relief at seeing someone else was short-lived as Kyunnosuke spoke.  "My pet pig, Tomeang, was killed in a piece of performance art that got out of hand.  Ever since then, I've made it my mission to punish you demons."  His level tone changed to one of strident rage.  "SO YOU WANT TO BE FLAT?!  WELL, I CAN MAKE YOUR WISH COME TRUE!!"  With that, Kyunnosuke lifted a mailbox and made good his promise.  Eventually the red haze left his vision and he staggered off.

                Two-dimensional once again, Genma could only look up into the sky and mentally ask, 'Do the Kami really hate me so much?'  The only answer the heavens gave was a thirty-second rain shower.

                Zipping around the corner on her rollerblades, Azusa Shiratori came to a sudden stop.  "What a cute panda-skin rug!"

***************

                The intercom buzzed, and Principal Fujima looked at it with a familiar sense of dread.  Possibly it would be something as pleasant as another donation from the Kuno family, but good news like that came all too seldom.  As the head of Furinkan high school, he knew better than to expect the best.

                With a sigh, he answered the call, then listened to the news with a sense of guarded relief.  It wasn't another infestation of water-spirits in the plumbing, nor had another teacher been revealed as a criminal mastermind trying to recruit kids for a power base.  It was just the arrival of a new student, needing to register before starting class on the morrow.  Fujima told himself it was too early to feel relieved--after all, this could easily turn out to be yet another 'exceptional' student.  But surely not.  It had been only two weeks since Furinkan had added to its ranks a gymnast with superhuman enhancements, a Chinese Amazon, and a former half-Oni martial artist who transformed into a little black pig when splashed with cold water.  By the law of averages, it should be at least two more months before the school gained anyone else that potentially disruptive.

                Fujima consoled himself with these thoughts.  A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door of his office.  "Come in," he said.  At the sight of the oversized cooking implement the boy wore strapped across his back, not to mention the bandoleer of throwing spatulas across his chest, the principal mentally sighed.  Even as the two exchanged greetings, Fujima was reflecting that the law of averages owed him big-time for this.

                "Tell me something about yourself, Kuonji."  Time to find out just how bad this was.  The principal locked his features into a neutral expression and engaged his Esper abilities, reading first the surface thoughts and then the deeper mental currents of the young...

                ...woman?!  Fujima repressed a wince.  'I'm too old to be dealing with kids these days,' he thought.

                Unaware of the futility of the effort, Ukyo spoke in her best impression of a male voice.   "What would you like to know?"

                "Why are you transferring in the middle of the semester?"

                Ukyo gestured at the traditional okonomiyaki seller's outfit she was wearing.  "Okonomiyaki is my family's trade.  And we're the best there is.  I decided it was time to open my own restaurant, and I came to Nerima from Kyoto so I wouldn't have to compete with any of my family."

                Fujima scanned her memories.  That was leaving out a BIG piece of her motivation, but he saw she'd told the truth.  She was devoted to the art of the okonomiyaki.  His mood brightened considerably as he realized he had the perfect way to persuade her to go cause trouble at some other school.  "I'm sorry, Kuonji, but we have strict rules that students at Furinkan not be employed during the school year.  It's for your own benefit.  I'm afraid I cannot compromise on this point."

                Ukyo frowned.  That sounded like a challenge to her.  "Don't you think that's a little selfish, Sir?  I mean, when you say I can't run my restaurant, you're not just affecting me.  You're keeping my Art from my customers as well.  How can you doom so many people to dark, hopeless lives of emptiness?  Don't you care about your karma at all?"

                Another mental probe, and the incredulous principal realized she actually believed what she was saying.  This girl scared him, he decided.  But mixed in with the fear was more than a hint of curiosity.  Just how good was her cooking, anyway?

                As if sensing a weakness, Ukyo struck.  She produced a grill from nowhere and whipped up a deluxe okonomiyaki in seconds.  "Here, on the house, just to help you realize what you're missing."

                Cautiously, Fujima took a bite... and then the delicacy disappeared with a speed that would have done credit to a Saotome.  Ukyo grinned and prepared two more, which the principal consumed at a more modest pace.  'I'm going to regret this,' Fujima thought to himself, but his stomach told him in no uncertain terms that he'd regret it more if he did manage to drive her off.  Aloud, he said, "You make a persuasive argument, Kuonji.  I suppose it wouldn't hurt that much to make one exception to the rule.  As long as you keep your grades up, or at least provide a discount to faculty members, you can run your restaurant outside of school hours."

                "Thanks, Sir."  Seeing how mellow he had become, Ukyo's hopes for her special request rose.  "By the way, when I was deciding which school to come to, I picked Furinkan because I knew someone here already.  Ranma Saotome.  He and I are old friends, and I was wondering, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, if you could put me in the same class as him?"

                Fujima felt his throat go dry at the thought.  Putting this girl, with her intense desire for vengeance against Ranma, in the same classroom as Kodachi and Shampoo... he wouldn't have a school, he'd have a smoking crater.  For appearances' sake he consulted his records.  "I'm afraid that's not possible, Kuonji," he eventually said, managing to sound regretful.  "Saotome's classroom is already over the normal limit of students."

                Ukyo sighed.  But it didn't really matter, she told herself.  It wasn't like she'd been planning to start a fight during class, after all.  "I understand."

                Meanwhile, Fujima was trying to decide where best to put her.  An idea occurred to him, and he probed her thoughts once again.  He smiled a little as he found no interest in chemistry or croquet.  It was settled, he decided, she'd go in room 4-C.  If he read her personality rightly, it wouldn't be long before she got fed up with the warfare between the clubs and fought back.  And that should be enough to spark Hibiki to action as well.  With any luck, his problems with that classroom would soon be over...

                An ominous rumble of thunder resounded throughout Nerima.  But since the principal's office was soundproofed, he remained unaware of this.    

***************

                Even the loneliest river winds its way at last to the sea.  By the same token, even the longest school day eventually ends.  Not that this particular day had seemed longer than usual--only about two subjective weeks had passed since the lunch bell.  As Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo made their way out through the halls of Furinkan, more than ready for the freedom of the afternoon, the White Rose was wondering idly whether temporality could really be all that absolute.  After all, time she spent with Ranma flashed past blindingly fast, yet at Furinkan the reverse effect held true.  Perhaps someday someone would learn how to bend time to their own will.  She was woken from these metaphysical musings when she noticed Shampoo was shaking her head a little.  "Is something wrong, Shampoo?"

                "Not wrong... Shampoo just wondering about how Japanese students have such strange ways of thinking."

                "Whaddaya mean?" Ranma asked.

                By now they had left the school building, and paused to wait for Ryoga.  Shampoo gestured to the students walking away.  Some were in little groups, others were alone.  Quite a few of the boys were giving the Amazon longing looks, but since Ranma and Kodachi had taken up flanking positions around her, she wasn't approached.  "Look around.  They all walking away from school now.  But at lunch they run like madmans.  It not make any sense to Shampoo that they more eager for food than they is for freedom."

                Kodachi frowned a frown of puzzlement.  "I never actually thought about it, but you're right.  Why IS there such a rush at lunch?"

                Ranma snorted.  "On the day you girls forget your lunches, and hafta fight your way to the lunch lady before all the good stuff gets bought by other people, you'll understand."

                "And we not have to fight like that, because we bring own lunches."  Shampoo obviously wasn't enlightened yet.  "So why they not do same thing?"

                Ranma opened his mouth, then found he had no idea.  "Ummm... it's a mystery, all right."

                The Amazon sniffed.  "Is not only way students is stupid.  I getting real tired of weak boys who not take no for an answer."

                Ranma shrugged.  "Hey, it could be worse.  Remember, back when I first started coming here, the boys were as fixated on Akane Tendo as they are on you now.  And there was this whacked-out morning ritual when thirty or forty of them would gang up on Akane and try to beat her up.  They thought whoever beat her would get to date her.  So look on the bright side, Shampoo--at least these idiots don't know about the Amazon custom of challenging someone to a fight for their love."

                Kodachi glanced around nervously, then breathed a sigh of relief.  There was nobody else within earshot.  She could just picture what would happen if someone had overheard that.

                Behind a bush that should have been much too small to conceal anyone, Gosunkugi pricked up his ears.  He'd been waiting for Akane to come out, ready to snap a few clandestine photos of her, and hadn't expected to hear anything this interesting.  So Shampoo was another one of those girls who only liked strong men?  It figured.  Maybe once he'd passed this tidbit of information along, the other boys would give him a little respect.

***************

                The next morning found Akane doing something she hadn't done in quite a while.  As she walked along the canal on her way to Furinkan, the youngest Tendo occasionally glanced at the fence running beside her.  She'd avoided this way to school for a long time now.  She had gotten used to taking a longer route, which required her to leave much earlier than she otherwise would have wanted to.  Akane had told herself she was doing it for the exercise, but in reality she hadn't wanted to face the memories this route evoked.  She'd been all set to take the longer path again this morning.  But then, as if of their own volition, her feet had steered her back down the old road.

                Akane slowed down and then stopped, wondering just why today was so different.  It didn't take her long to come to a conclusion--she was still feeling a sense of personal triumph from last night, when she'd performed the Whirling Dervish kata perfectly.  She stood in the road, with her eyes closed, savoring again the feeling of success, and remembered whose encouragement had been so crucial for her.  "Thank you, Kasumi," she said.

                And then she opened her eyes and looked at the fence, deliberately imagining a brash, larger-than-life pigtailed martial artist striding easily along the top of it.  "And thank you... Ranma," Akane whispered.

                It still hurt, a little.  But she had taken a lot of time lately to look at herself, not just where she'd been but where she was heading, and she found she liked the latter a lot better than the former.  And try as she might, Akane couldn't imagine being where she was now without Ranma's influence on her life.  Even as short as his stay had been, he had left her changed.

                Akane thought about that a little more, and then about how Ranma just seemed to breeze his way through any challenge that arose.  She'd only seen a bit of that while he was a guest in her home, but had heard lots more through the rumor mill at Furinkan.  She could only think of one person who'd ever beaten Ranma... and he sure hadn't lost out by the defeat.  'Maybe you do deserve him, Kodachi,' she thought.  'You can keep up with him a whole lot better than anyone else, after all.'

                With that, Akane felt something release in her.  The freedom to admit she wasn't the best felt good.  She didn't have to prove herself to anyone but herself, and she didn't have to measure up to any standard other than the one she set herself.

                Akane's face broke into a smile of confidence then, and she jumped to the top of the fence and walked carefully along it.

                Reaching the end, she jumped down and continued to school with a spring in her step.  For the first time in a long time, the youngest Tendo was wholeheartedly looking forward to a new day.

                Which made it all the worse of a shock when she entered the school grounds and found a scene she'd never expected to see again.

                There were at least forty boys waiting in the courtyard, many of them armed and/or wearing protective gear.  The tension of incipient combat was high.  The smell of testosterone was almost overwhelming.  Akane stopped, stunned, and waited with dismay for them to rush her.

                Except they didn't seem too eager to do so, for some reason.  One or two of the boys waved at her, but that was all.  Akane took a deep breath, and walked forward.  At least this time she'd try to reason with them first.

                And yet it didn't prove necessary.  Akane made her way through the crowd with nothing more than casual attention being directed her way.  She entered the school, grateful that apparently her personal morning misery hadn't been resurrected after all, but more than a little weirded out by the experience.

                Five minutes later, Ryoga, Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo approached the school.  As they neared the gates, Ranma shook his head.  "I think I caught something from you, Ryoga," he said half-jokingly.  "I'm getting the feeling that today's gonna be bad.  The way you've been dreading each school day must be contagious or something."

                "Really?" the former lost boy asked.  "I was actually feeling a little optimistic."  The previous day had gone a lot more smoothly for him than he'd expected, as several members of the chemistry club had been out sick.  Class had actually been peaceful for a change.

                "Is certain then.  You give whatever you had to us.  Shampoo was just thinking day would be bad too."

                Kodachi, who had also been feeling a sense of foreboding, was about to speak up when they turned the corner and passed through the school gates.  On seeing the huge crowd of boys waiting there, three of the four were struck with a bizarre sense of recognition.  Ranma frowned.  He'd thought they had learned their lessons about not ganging up on Akane.  Why they'd want that violent macho chick in the first place was a mystery.  Oh well, it wasn't any of his business if these idiots wanted to challenge...

                "Shampoo!  This is for you!"  With that, the boys charged forward.

                "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"  Ranma reacted before anyone else, stepping forward and snarling while letting his battle aura flare to its maximum.  While not nearly as impressive as Cologne's would have been, it was still frightening enough to stop the students in their tracks.

                In the front of the pack, Kojiro swallowed nervously and stepped forward, wondering why it always fell to him to be the spokesman for the mob.  "Umm... we heard about the Amazon custom of challenging someone to a fight for their love, so we thought we'd... challenge Shampoo.   You know, to get her to go out with us."

                Ranma mentally counted to ten, telling himself it was too early in the day for bloodshed.  "Look, guys, I don't think you quite got the whole story.  Yeah, there is an Amazon custom like that... if a guy from outside her tribe defeats Shampoo, she has to marry him.  Not put up with him, not date him, MARRY him.  So next time why don't you wait and get all the facts before..." his voice trailed off as the looks of unbridled lust on the faces of the boys registered.

                "You mean... then her and me..."  Kojiro absently wiped the drool off his chin.  As typical sixteen year old boys, marriage meant one thing to him and the rest of the challengers.   Not commitment.  Not for better or for worse.  The honeymoon night.  The hentai horde gave a collective half-sigh-half-moan, then prepared to charge again.

                "Oh, for pity's sake," snapped Kodachi, and stepped in front of Ranma, her ribbon beginning to spin.  "Spirit Ribbon Storm revised:  HORIZONTAL SHEAR!"  The roar of wind nearly drowned out the last syllable as the White Rose focused her chi into the weapon.  The boys learned the dangers of Amazon-style courtship the hard way as they were blown against the wall of the school with an extremely painful *crunch*.  Kodachi sniffed and deliberately turned her back on the carnage.  "Come, we don't want to be late for class."  She led Ryoga and Shampoo into the building, but Ranma hung back for a moment.

                Kojiro groaned.  He was just glad he'd been in the front of the mob; the guys behind him had cushioned his impact.  At least he was still conscious... then he looked up and suddenly reconsidered whether that was such a good thing.

                Ranma stared down at Kojiro, his expression flat.  "You remember what Tatewaki said, back when he told you guys to stop bothering Akane?"  He waited for the other to gulp and nod, then got down on one knee and leaned close.  "If you jerks try any more of this junk with Shampoo, after I get through with you you'll WISH it had been Kuno you ticked off.  Got it?"  He looked closely, but couldn't tell whether Kojiro was nodding or just trembling really, really badly.  Either way worked, he decided, and went into the school.

***************

                Ryoga's hopes for another peaceful day fell as he saw that Koga and his chem club cronies were back today.  And for some reason they seemed to be more hostile than ever.

                'That was really low, Shinji,' Koga thought bitterly, casting a sidelong glance at the other.  'Dropping a tear gas bomb on us as we were walking to school.  Are you a man, or are you a member of the St Hebereke Gymnastics Team?'  The leader of the chemistry club resolved that his arch-nemesis was going to pay, and soon.

                Ryoga was becoming more and more nervous.  The tension level was rising, and the sensei hadn't shown up yet.  If Mr Takamura didn't get there soon, the open warfare wasn't going to wait for gym class.  As if summoned by the former lost boy's thought, the teacher came in, followed by a guy in what was definitely not standard Furinkan attire.  'First Ranma, then Kodachi and Shampoo, and now this guy.  How do they get away with it?  I hate this uniform,' Ryoga grumbled to himself, though he was too relieved to be really annoyed.  Then, with a start, he noticed something.  'This guy's gotta be related to Kentaro.  What'd he say his family name was?  Oh, yeah, Kuonji.'

                "Class, I'd like to introduce a new student.  Ukyo Kuonji."

                'Am I good or am I good?' Ryoga thought jokingly.  It hadn't been too hard to make the connection.  Even with all his earlier wanderings, this was only the second person he'd seen who carried a spatula that big.

                Ukyo flashed the students a confident smile, and spoke in the most masculine tone she could muster.  She'd learned that if she made the right first impression, later on she wouldn't have to work nearly as hard at maintaining the disguised voice.  People would just hear what they expected to hear.  "Ukyo's the name, okonomiyaki's the game.  Charmed I'm sure."  She opened up the grill she'd brought with her and proceeded to demonstrate her art at an incredible pace, producing pizza after pizza and flinging them to land on the students' desks with nary a miss.  The students, always ready for free food, dug in enthusiastically.

                "Wow, it's great!"

                "It's crispy on the edges, yet cooked to perfection in the center!"

                "And this sauce!  It's too good to come out of a jar, it's gotta be custom-blended!"

                One of the students jumped to his feet.  "This is the best okonomiyaki I've had in my whole life!"

                "And why wouldn't it be?" Ukyo asked rhetorically.  "What you're eating is the best okonomiyaki in Japan.  Perhaps... perhaps even the world!!"

                Ryoga, who had covered much of the world in his travels, reflected that as okonomiyaki was a Japanese delicacy, the best in Japan was probably the best in the world by default.  Not that he was arguing with Ukyo's assessment of the quality.

                Koga watched absently as the teacher directed the new guy to a seat next to Ryoga.  He was feeling a lot more mellow after that okonomiyaki.  Glancing over at Shinji, he realized his foe looked to be in much the same condition.  Koga frowned as the sight of the other killed his good mood before it could really take hold.  He wasn't about to let the latest outrage slide.  It only made it worse that he and his friends had been attacked with a chemistry-based weapon, adding insult to injury.  Koga rapidly passed the point of angry and progressed through furious to I-don't-care-about-the-consequences.  With a quick signal he alerted his cronies, then readied a flask of ether...

                Mr Takamura made the critical error of turning his back on the class as he began to write on the chalkboard.  Koga's toss shattered the vial right beside his head.  The tinkle of breaking glass was the last thing he heard before falling unconscious.  Much later, the teacher would be very thankful that his collapse had left him behind the shelter of his desk.

                Ukyo's mouth dropped open.  What the heck?!  She glanced around, half expecting to see the Candid Camera crew pop out from under a chair.

                Meanwhile, the more experienced students had vacated their seats and gone for the relative safety of the back of the classroom.  The chemistry club members and the croquet players immediately gathered behind their respective leaders, who stared at each other with undisguised animosity.  A long moment of silence was broken by Koga.

                "Dropping a tear gas bomb on us from ambush..." he sneered.  "Not exactly cricket, old boy."

                Shinji's face flushed.  His team had lost two players to the cricket club the previous semester, and it still rankled.  "So you can dish it out but you can't take it?" he snarled back.

                As the two traded insults, the tension rising ever higher, Ukyo's jaw continued to hang agape, and, like an idiot, she remained in her seat.  She hadn't been in Nerima long enough to hone her survival instincts to the necessary levels.  'What kind of nuthouse is this place?' she wondered incredulously.  Surely they weren't going to start a fight right in the middle of class?

                No sooner had she finished the thought than one of Koga's lieutenants threw down a smoke bomb.  Visibility in the room dropped to near zero, except at the back of the room where a stiff breeze from the open windows kept the worst of the fog away.  The front half of the room became a bona fide war zone, with test tubes and croquet balls flying with abandon.

                Right about then, Ukyo realized that she should have been long gone from her desk.  She got up, but stumbled on a ball.  As she landed, a flask of ether shattered near her and she accidentally inhaled some of the fumes.  She tried to shrug off the dizziness and struggle back to her feet, but had only made it to her knees when she felt someone grab her, sling her over his shoulder, and haul her back to the clear air at the back of the room.

                Ryoga set Ukyo down, keeping one eye on him as he coughed her way back to coherence.  The rest of his attention was focused on scanning the smoke cloud for any stray missiles.  "Sorry about that," he said when the chef had recovered enough to pay attention.  "Welcome to life at Furinkan high school."  This in as bitter a tone as he ever used.

                "Is it usually like this?" Ukyo asked faintly, then realized she'd let the masculine voice drop.  With all the background clamor, though, Ryoga didn't notice.

                "No, usually they wait for gym class before going all out like this."  Ryoga gave a lopsided grin.  "Looks like I get to help out another Kuonji.  Must be something in my karma these days."

                "What do you..."  Ukyo realized why his name had sounded familiar.  "You're the guy who helped my cousin Kentaro fight off that street gang!"

                "That's me."  Ryoga hefted a nearby chair just in time, intercepting a croquet ball whizzing toward his head at about Mach 2.

                "Thanks a lot.  For saving him, and for helping me now."  Ukyo grinned as she threw a mini-spatula to intercept a flying vial of hallucinogens.  "Kentaro told us the story, but I get the feeling he may have exaggerated things just a little.  Were there really eight guys?"

                "Five, actually," Ryoga admitted.  "They weren't really a gang, just a bunch of bullies.  And I wouldn't say I saved him as much as helped him fight them."  He absently grabbed a flying mallet out of the air.

                'Hmm, a kick-butt martial artist who's cute and modest too.'  Ukyo decided that this classroom had its pros as well as cons.  "I'm gonna be opening an okonomiyaki restaurant in town real soon, Hibiki.  Stop by whenever you want, and I'll give you a discount."

                "Thanks," Ryoga said, although he felt a twinge of anxiety as, just for a second, there seemed to be a touch more admiration in the other's gaze than he felt comfortable receiving from another guy.

***************

                First period was nearly over, and Ranma had processed less than a third of the lecture.  He was still steamed over the incident in the schoolyard, and also his nameless premonition of doom had been growing steadily stronger.  Eventually, he focused on that.  Why was he still feeling like that king Dachi had read about... what was the name... oh, yeah, Damocles... the guy whose throne had a sword hanging over it by one hair.  Ranma snorted, suddenly glad his father had never read Greek legends.  He could just imagine the kind of training exercises Genma could come up with given that kind of inspiration.

                Bringing his mind back to the issue at hand, Ranma asked himself again why he was feeling this foreboding.  Hadn't the day's problem already been solved?  He should've been satisfied--those guys wouldn't mess with Shampoo again.  He bet she'd be grateful not to have to deal with that mess anymore...

                Ranma gulped loudly, drawing a frown from the teacher, as he considered that thought from a new angle.  He had interfered in what should have been Shampoo's fight, without even giving her a chance to stand up for herself.  And he expected gratitude?!  Ranma held his head in his hands, and considered just how big an insult that could have been to an Amazon.  The outward quietness she'd been projecting since the conclusion of the incident suddenly took on a new and sinister aspect.  With a feeling of dread, he concentrated on the Heart Link.  Might as well find out now just how upset Shampoo was.  His awareness of his surroundings fell away as he reached out and sensed her emotions.

                He blinked, and concentrated again, thinking he must have gotten Kodachi by mistake.  No, it was definitely Shampoo.  And she was feeling something odd.  Not insult, not outrage, not resentment.  In fact, he wasn't quite sure what he was getting through the Heart Link.  Much of it was a little too abstract to qualify as true emotion.  But Ranma thought he could sense deep contemplation, as well as echoes of puzzlement and confusion.

                At this point the Amazon wasn't the only one confused.  'Why isn't she angry?' wondered Ranma.  He knew how she felt about the idea of a man not giving her the credit she was due.  Why didn't interfering in her fight qualify?  Ranma let go of the connection and gave himself up to pondering, thinking back to what he'd learned about Amazon honor.  Eventually a lightbulb went off in his head.  There had been over forty guys challenging Shampoo at the same time.  Even if they were a bunch of pathetic no-talent excuses for fighters, that still wasn't an honorable challenge by any stretch of the imagination.  So when he'd helped her it wasn't any slur on her honor.  Ranma breathed a sigh of relief, then another of irritation as the feeling of impending doom, which had been pushed to the back of his mind during his recent cogitations, came surging back.

                Shampoo continued her pondering.  Ranma's impression of her mental state had been pretty much accurate.  She was puzzled and thoughtful, rather than resentful and insulted.  His theory to explain this, however, had been wrong.  The Amazon wasn't angry.  She herself did not know why.  Hence the confusion as Shampoo tried to work out just what she was feeling.  

                Ranma had also missed one other element of her mentations entirely, not surprising considering that it was so small the Amazon herself wasn't aware of it.  But in the deepest recesses of her heart was a tiny flicker that hadn't been there in a long time.

                Hope.

***************

                With an air of triumph, and a dramatic flourish, Tatewaki set two boxes on the table in front of Nabiki.  "Behold, fair lady, thy humble servant has succeeded in completing his quest.  Before thee rests the prize."

                Normally her boyfriend was able to make her laugh with this tactic, speaking as if he fancied himself some samurai noble in an epic saga, but this time she didn't really notice.  She was too busy staring at him.  He looked more disheveled than she'd ever seen him.  His school uniform was wrinkled and his hair was in disarray.  "Tachi?  What happened?" she asked faintly.

                Kuno grimaced.  "Well, I was not really exaggerating when I called it a quest.  I had to fight my way through nearly the entire freshman class to get these in a timely manner."  He shifted back into melodrama mode, determined to see her smile.  "Yea, verily it was a task most arduous.  A sea of humanity did surge against me.  Not even the noble blood which flows in my veins allowed me to withstand the tide, which swirled and ebbed with force enough to grind even the hardest stone to sand.  No, only the fire of my affection for thee, fair lady, allowed me to endure the nameless horrors.  And endure I did, pressing forward against all odds, until at last I broke through and stood within reach of my goal."  Seeing that Nabiki was smiling now, Tatewaki dropped back to normal.  "One deluxe okonomiyaki for you, and one with extra squid for me."

                Nabiki laughed, then inhaled deeply.  "It smells great, Tachi."  The rumors of the new guy's skill at the grill had spread through the school very quickly.  Time to find out just how justified they were.  There was relative silence for a few minutes as Tatewaki and Nabiki ate, then absolute silence for a few more minutes as they contemplated what they'd just experienced.  The middle Tendo quickly came to an inescapable conclusion.

                'I have got to get this Kuonji guy as part of my network,' Nabiki thought to herself.  What would be a good angle to get him working with her?

                "'Biki-chan, I think you would do well to include Kuonji in your network," Kuno said.  "Perhaps you could aid him in getting around the rules against students being employed during the school year.  Helping him with that could serve as a basis for a continuing partnership."

                "I thought you're supposed to wait until we've been married for years before you start reading my mind," Nabiki said teasingly.  "It's a good idea, but Kuonji already has permission to operate a restaurant outside school hours."  Nabiki had restructured many of her money-making schemes since she and Kuno became an item (the blackmail had been the first to go), but she maintained her grip on the rumor mill.  Information was the ultimate commodity, after all.  Which was why it was somewhat annoying to have to admit, "I'm not sure how he did it."

                Tatewaki smiled wryly.  "Probably offered a sample okonomiyaki to the principal, then agreed to give a faculty discount at the restaurant.  With Principal Fujima being a bachelor, it's unlikely he gets cooking this good very often.  For that matter, there were several teachers in the crowd of customers as well."

                Nabiki nodded.  "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me too much.  I bet Mr Arasaki was one of them."

                Her boyfriend nodded.  "How did you guess, 'Biki-chan?"

                "His wife is a gaijin, and she's never managed to get the hang of Japanese cooking.  And on a teacher's salary they can't afford the ingredients for the kind of food she does know how to make.  My sources say that about half of Arasaki's meals are instant ramen, and the rest make instant ramen seem like a gourmet dish.  Something this good... well, I bet he'll be one of Kuonji's regulars."

***************

                "Saotome!"

                With a sinking feeling, Ranma focused his attention on the classroom again.  'Shoulda been paying attention,' he thought ruefully.  There was no way he was going to be able to answer whatever question the sensei was about to ask.  That was what he got for letting himself get distracted by a feeling of impending doom.  'Great, I'm gonna get humiliated in front of everyone.  Talk about self-fulfilling prophecies.'  But why was his teacher looking like so regretful?

                Mr Arasaki called Ranma up to his desk, maintaining his resolve through sheer force of will.  He'd heard a rumor the previous day that there was a new student who was quite a good cook.  At lunch he'd encountered proof of this.  If this Kuonji person continued to sell okonomiyaki at lunch, he was really going to put a dent in the cafeteria sales.  And Mr Arasaki frankly couldn't care less.  That pizza had been a little round slice of heaven.

                One doesn't normally associate heaven with temptation, but in this case the connection was there.  Somehow Kuonji had known he was Saotome's sensei, and had given him an okonomiyaki to give to the other.  The teacher had taken it, fully intending to deliver it to Ranma as soon as class began, but before that could happen the treacherous idea of eating it himself had taken root.  Only after a long and arduous internal struggle had the sensei's virtue gained a tentative victory over his base inner self.  And even now he could feel the temptation surging back.

                Ranma walked up to the front of the room, wondering why the sensei was turning pale and beginning to sweat.

                Meanwhile, with her boyfriend out of the way, Kodachi took the chance to sneak a long glance at Shampoo.  Since Ranma sat between them, she hadn't been able to observe her friend closely since class began.  And the White Rose was frankly beginning to be a little concerned.  The Amazon had been pensive all day, ever since that ridiculous incident before school.  Kodachi had thought to bring back her vitality by inviting her to share lunch with Ranma and herself (not to mention that the united front should also show she was serious about the boys keeping their unwanted attentions away from her friend).  Shampoo had seemed grateful at the invitation, but she had been subdued even during their meal.  Still, the Amazon didn't look depressed.  Only thoughtful.

                A burst of happiness shot through the Heart Link then, causing Kodachi and Shampoo to give identical starts.  Ranma walked back to his seat carrying a fragrant package, with a big grin on his face.

                "What is it, Ranma?" Kodachi whispered as he sat back down.  Shampoo turned her attention his way as well.

                "Just got some good news from the teacher," he whispered back, then opened the package to reveal an okonomiyaki.  "You must be psychic or something, Shampoo.  Seems Ucchan just started going to school here.  This is from him."

                Shampoo looked at the kanji written on the pizza, 'Meet me behind the gym after school.  ~Ukyo' and reflected that the last sentence had been pretty unnecessary.  She smiled.  "Will be good to see him again.  Right, Kodachi?"

                The White Rose realized that the 'again' was another subtle joke at her expense, but she smiled anyway.  "Yes," she returned, then reached out and broke a piece off the okonomiyaki.  Chewing and swallowing with relish, she commented, "Just as good as the last one his dad fixed."

                Shampoo copied her friend's action.  "Shampoo think so too."

                The okonomiyaki disappeared quickly, Ranma managing to secure only about half of it for himself.

***************

                During their free period, Ryoga watched as Ukyo set up the ring.  To a casual glance, the former lost boy wouldn't have seemed to be feeling anything in particular.  Only a very careful scrutiny would have revealed the fact that he was fighting a case of the heebie-jeebies.

                Ryoga thought back over his day.  In his other classes, Ukyo had asked his help in getting up to speed with the rest of the students.  At lunch, when Ukyo had whipped out a portable grill and sold okonomiyaki to the students, the chef hadn't charged Ryoga for his.  And then this afternoon he'd told Ryoga that he was going to settle a debt of honor after school, and invited him to come watch justice be served.  All in all, it was starting to seem just a little too friendly for the former lost boy's liking. 

***************

                Instead of the usual two weeks, the remainder of the school day seemed to Ranma and company to take years.  By the time the final bell rang, Kodachi was all but certain that something had altered the flow of time.  It was all she could do to refrain from checking her hands for age spots.  But eventually the bell did ring, and the three of them set out, more than ready to see a friend again.  Even if it was technically only a reunion for one of them.

                As they cleared the school building, Shampoo was surprised to note that instead of going home, the students were apparently more interested in something behind the gym.  Pretty much everyone was heading that direction.  The Amazon frowned.  Stupid extracurricular activities committee.  Some event must have been scheduled for that afternoon.  Shampoo didn't want a bunch of people hanging around when they got to meet up with Ucchan again.  Oh, well, she supposed it wouldn't be too much trouble to get him and go somewhere quieter for the reunion.

                The first hint that Shampoo was dead wrong about that was supplied by Nabiki, who appeared out of the crowd as if by magic.  "Hey, Saotome.  You ready for this?"

                Ranma blinked a couple of times.  "Ummm... ready for what?"

                "The fight, of course."  Nabiki gave a Cheshire-cat grin.  "Listen, Ranma, so far everyone's been betting on you to take him down hard and fast.  I was just thinking, if you felt particularly generous, you might stretch things out a little.  A long, drawn-out fight would give everybody a better show anyway, don't you think?"

                What the Saotome heir thought was that he'd gotten lost somewhere back there.  "Nabiki, I don't know anything about this.  Who am I supposed to be fightin'?"

                Nabiki gave him a strange look.  "Ukyo Kuonji, of course."

                "No, you got it all backwards.  Ucchan's an old friend."  Neither Ranma nor Shampoo ever bothered to listen to gossip.  Kodachi sometimes did, still a little paranoid someone might start another rumor that she was secretly a vampire, but on this particular day she'd been too busy worrying about Shampoo and fighting a feeling of nameless trepidation.  As a result, the three were the only students who hadn't heard the news that the new guy would be challenging Saotome after school.  Ukyo was still wondering why everyone was giving her pitying glances.  Ryoga was still feeling guilty over the fact that he'd decided not to warn Ukyo about just how good Ranma was.  By now he was highly uncomfortable with the idea of giving the chef an excuse to feel even more grateful to him.

                Nabiki gave Ranma a long look, then thought about how often rumor got things wrong.  She brightened considerably as she realized NO bets had been placed on 'there won't be a fight at all'.  And even if Ranma turned out to be mistaken, it sounded like he wasn't going to be too eager for a battle.  Which meant if one did occur, Ranma would most likely dodge and try to talk his way out of it for long enough that she'd still clean up from the betting pool.  For a moment the pupils of Nabiki's eyes were replaced with yen signs, and she chuckled.  It sounded remarkably like a large wad of bills being ruffled.  Coming back to reality (or what passed for it in Nerima), Nabiki slipped back into the crowd to take more bets.

                "It's a good thing Tatewaki doesn't insist on traditional Japanese behavior in a woman," Ranma commented as the three of them walked on.  Kodachi nodded absently in agreement, but most of her attention was elsewhere.  Why had Nabiki thought that there was going to be a fight between Ranma and Ukyo?  An unpleasant thought crossed her mind... namely, that if Ucchan did turn out to be hostile it would neatly explain the feeling of doom she, Shampoo, and Ranma had been experiencing all day.  But why would Ukyo be angry at Ranma?  They'd been very good friends.  Ukyo had even run after Ranma, crying, when he left...

                Kodachi frowned and examined that memory more closely than she had before.  A moment later, her eyes widened in shock as she remembered one tiny additional detail.  Ucchan had been running after them, crying... Ranma had been waving goodbye, not yet really feeling the impact of leaving his friend for good, and he had been sitting on top of the Kuonji yattai!  Genma had been pulling the cart at his best speed as he outran little Ukyo!

                The White Rose felt as if she'd been kicked in the gut by someone wearing steel-toed boots.  Except this pain didn't vanish right away.  Genma had stolen Ucchan's family business!  Now that she thought about it, she remembered he'd fed his six-year-old son a preposterous story to explain how they'd gotten the yattai.  Ranma hadn't questioned it at the time, and because his attitude had been unthinking acceptance, Kodachi's synchronization with his memories had prevented her from wondering either during the Heart Link.  But she could see it now.  A white hot rage began to burn in her mind.  Was there no end to Genma's betrayals?!  Kodachi decided that it was time and past his debts fell due.

***************

                In his cage in Azusa Shiratori's room, Genma sneezed.  Azusa looked over at him and shook a reproving finger.  "Chantelle, you're not coming out until you learn to behave like a proper rug."

***************

                Her thoughts on how best to make the elder Saotome pay broke off as Shampoo tapped her on the arm.  "Earth to Kodachi.  Is you there now?"  Kodachi blinked away a fantasy of purchasing a giant alligator and teaching it to enjoy the taste of panda, and looked around.  She and the Amazon were now standing at the side of the strangest ring she had ever seen.  It was square, and seemed to be made of black metal, with most of the center covered with a square white mat.  Posts connected by ropes stood in each corner.  A number of large vats lurked in one corner of the ring.  The floor didn't look particularly soft or forgiving of falls.  And the black metal rim seemed to be radiating quite a bit of heat, presumably from having sat in the sun too long.

                Ranma was crouched on a corner post, with a big smile on his face.  And standing on the opposite corner of the mat, facing him with no trace of welcome, was Ukyo.

                Shampoo looked at the friend she'd never seen before, and felt dismay.  It shouldn't be like this.  Ucchan and Ranma should be arm in arm, laughing about the old days.  The chef shouldn't be standing there with a scowl on his face, brandishing a giant spatula as if it were a swatter and Ranma a fly.  Shampoo didn't know what was wrong, but she was sure that somehow, some way, it was Genma's fault.

                "How's it goin', Ucchan?  Long time no see!"  Ranma put on the most cheerful, welcoming pose he could manage.  He wasn't blind, and could see the other was radiating hostility.  Ranma had no idea why, but he hoped if he was friendly enough it might defuse the situation.

                No such luck.  Ukyo's expression became even grimmer.  "You've got a lotta nerve, taking that tone with me, Saotome, after what you did to me.  Now get down here and prepare to get what's coming to you."

                Ranma's mouth opened and closed feebly.  "What I did?!  Ucchan, I-"

                "Don't call me that!" snapped the chef.  "You lost any right to call me that when you betrayed me!"  She turned and slipped the business end of her giant spatula into one of the vats.  When she removed it it was coated with batter.  Ukyo then dipped it into another vat and lifted out a mass of noodles.  "Fine, if you're too big a coward to come off that post, I guess I'll just have to reel you in!"  She whipped the spatula in an arc.  The superglue in the batter effectively anchored the noodles to her weapon, while the free ends snaked out toward Ranma.

                The target, who had plenty of practise dodging ribbons and the like, flipped sideways, cartwheeling along the rope connecting his corner post to another one.  He landed on the new post and took up a loose stance designed for evasion.  "Ucchan, I don't know what you're talking about."  He jumped straight up as the noodles snaked out at him again.  "And I ain't no coward, just because I don't wanna fight a friend."

                This did make Ukyo pause in her attacks.  Unfortunately this was because she was momentarily too angry to focus.  "Friend?!  FRIEND?!  How dare you say that?!"  Abandoning the lash attack, she grabbed a giant oiled brush and sent it skidding across the rink into Ranma's post.  Ranma leaped into the air just before the impact could shake him loose.  Ukyo saw he was heading back to his original post, and whipped the noodles out again.  This time there was no room for dodging--he was snared just as he landed.  The chef yanked hard and Ranma flew forward onto the mat.

                As her opponent landed, Ukyo spun her spatula vigorously.  This caused the noodles and batter-glue to detach from it, as well as sending Ranma spinning in place like a top.  She expected to see him get completely tangled up and fall to the ground out of vertigo.  The chef gaped as, instead, Ranma spun even faster, causing the noodles to shred and fly away.  He slowed to a stop and regarded her calmly, not dizzy at all.

                Ukyo realized her jaw was hanging open.  She forced it shut.  How had he managed to do that?!

                'Never thought I'd be grateful to those Golden Pair idiots,' thought Ranma.  During their match, when he and Shampoo had been introduced to the wonders of angular velocity, it hadn't escaped Ranma's notice that Shampoo recovered before he did.  His pride hadn't found that too easy to swallow, and Ranma had experimented for quite a while before finding a way to counter dizziness caused by spinning.  The trick was to lean into the revolution and deliberately increase it, so that you remained in control.  Like most secret techniques (other than the Crouch of the Wild Tiger), this was easier said than done.

                "Ucchan, is this any way for friends to act?  Whatever happened to the good old days?"

                Ukyo's glare returned in full force.  "Good old days?!  For who?!"  She ran forward, swinging her spatula.  Ranma weaved around her attacks.

                "Why don't you--" Ranma ducked as the spatula whipped over his head, "just tell me--" he swayed to one side as Ukyo tried a downward smashing blow, "why you're so mad?"  His hands became a blur as he caught the barrage of throwing spatulas she threw at him.  "This really--" he jumped as Ukyo swung at his legs, "ain't the way--" he blocked a feather-light blow with the spatula, twisting out of reach of the kick that was the real attack, "I wanted this reunion to go!"  He swayed left, then right, then left again as Ukyo made a near-berserk series of swings that left her gasping for breath.

                Ukyo staggered back, bracing herself on her spatula.  "No, I bet it *wheeze* isn't!" she growled hoarsely.  "I bet *pant* you never thought *gasp* you'd see me again!"  She glared at him, and gulped for air for another minute before snarling, "Just tell me why, Ranma!  Tell me why you abandoned me!  Tell me why you and your worthless father left me by the side of the road!!"

                Ranma stared, a look of blank non-understanding on his face.  "Ucchan?  I really don't--"

                Ukyo's face contorted in rage, and she dropped the exhausted act.  "DIE!" she snarled, whipping her spatula forward.  Her sudden 'recovery' caught Ranma flatfooted, and her attack connected solidly, smashing him with the flat of her weapon and sending him flying back into a corner post.

                Ranma slammed into the post, but managed to keep his feet under him as he landed on the grill.  Unfortunately, the post in question was the one with a trail of oil spreading out from it.  Ranma didn't even have time to register the heat through his shoes before his feet flew out from under him.  He landed on his rear, bracing himself with his hands.  The sizzle hissed throughout the crowd.  Ranma yelled and made a truly impressive leap, crossing the entire length of the ring and landing on the opposite corner post.  He alternated blowing on either hand, grateful that his pants had shielded a certain other area from the worst of the heat.

                Ukyo paused a minute to gloat over finally getting in an effective attack, then sent the oiled brush shooting toward Ranma's new perch.  Absently, Ranma lashed out with a kick, catching the handle and sending it back her way before it could hit his post.  Ukyo whipped her spatula in an arc, smashing the brush right back at Ranma.  In the crowd, Shinji took note of the new guy's power and control, and resolved to offer him a place on the croquet team.  The brush shot back toward Ranma, who kicked it back at her a good bit harder this time.  Ukyo lashed out again, intending to try ricocheting the brush off the ropes and into Ranma's perch...

                ...but a ribbon snaked out of nowhere and snagged the brush, stopping it before it reached the crossdressing chef.  Overbalanced from her swing, she very nearly fell over.  Ukyo glared at the crowd, but couldn't tell where the interference had come from.  She turned back and sneered at Ranma.  "So now you gotta get help from outside the ring to win your fights, huh, Saotome?"

                Ranma jumped into the center of the ring, a hang-dog expression on his face.  It hadn't escaped his notice that Kodachi had stopped the brush while it was coming in an attack from HIM toward Ucchan, rather than the other way around.  Ranma took a deep breath and reined in his temper, which had nearly gotten away from him after the scorching.  "Listen, Ucchan, I don't wanna be here.  I don't wanna fight my oldest friend.  And I swear to you I don't know why you're so mad at me!"

                Ukyo stared at him long and hard, then considered how Genma had immediately remembered who she was and what grievance she had.  And just before the fight began, Ranma had seemed eager to see her again.  Maybe... just maybe, he really meant what he was saying.  "Oh, really, Ranma?" she asked sarcastically, yet secretly wanting to be convinced.  "You really don't have a clue why I'm upset with you?"

                They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  And certainly Kodachi's intentions at this point were good.  She saw that Ukyo was beginning to calm down, and hoped she could help Ranma resolve this peacefully.  And so she jumped into the ring, landing near Ranma.  "I don't think he does," she said gently.  "Ranma has told me a lot about you, Ukyo.  About his best childhood friend.  He told me his fondest memories of his early years are of the times he spent playing with you and eating your father's okonomiyaki.  And when he got your message in class after lunch, he was quite glad.  Ranma was excited and happy about seeing you again."  She took a deep breath.  "I don't know why you're so angry with Ranma," a little white lie that the White Rose didn't realize was actually true, "and I truly believe he doesn't know either."

                Ukyo glared at the other.  On the one hand, she was glad to get a little more evidence that maybe she could believe in Ranma after all.  On the other, she wasn't too keen on outside interference in a matter of honor.  Plus, the way this girl was defending Ranma made Ukyo suspect she knew who was responsible for the ribbon.  "And why would you know anything about it?" she challenged.  "Just who are you, sugar?"

                "Ucchan, meet Kodachi Kuno.  My girlfriend."  Ranma still felt a little uneasy about announcing something like that out in public, but since the Heart Link he knew just how much it meant to Kodachi.  He opened his mouth to ask what his old friend had meant before, about being abandoned.  The words died in his throat as he registered the battle aura that was burning around Ukyo.

                "Girlfriend?"  Ukyo stared at Kodachi through a red haze of rage.  Her knuckles whitened around the handle of her spatula.  "Well, let me just congratulate you.  And now... GET THE HELL OUT OF MY RING!!"  Ukyo grabbed a set of ingredients that hadn't been used yet, and tossed them at the White Rose.  The tempura flakes settled in a cloud around her... and then the gunpowder exploded in a series of snapping bursts.  Kodachi leaped backwards out of the cloud.  Her pantsuit was singed, though the gunpowder hadn't been nearly concentrated enough to do real damage, and there was a look of dismay on her face.

                There was a long moment, in which silence seemed to hang in the air with crystalline clarity.  It was broken by Ryoga's muttered, "Oh, no."

                "That was a mistake, Ukyo," Ranma promised.

                One second he was standing at the edge of the center mat.  The next he was inside Ukyo's guard.  Two quick jabs to her shoulders sent her reeling back in pain, her spatula dropping from nerveless hands.  Ranma grabbed it out of the air, and used the flat of it to knock her into the bowl of noodles.  With a snarl, he bent her spatula, then tossed it to the side.  He strode forward, grabbed a double fistful of noodles, whipped them around the stunned Ukyo, hauled her into the air, spun her around and around like a stone in a sling, and sent her flying. 

                Ukyo screamed as she flew through the air.  She landed a good twenty feet from the ring, bouncing twice before skidding to a stop.  Ranma picked up the spatula and threw it to land next to her.  She shrugged her way out of the noodles, and looked up at him.  Had Ranma known she was really a girl, the pain on her face and the tears in her eyes would have reduced him to helplessness.  As it was, he just stared back at her coldly, and said, "We were friends once, Ukyo.  I wish I coulda kept the memories of those good times.  But I don't think I want them now."  His expression became, if possible, even harder.  "Get out of here."

                Ukyo's expression crumpled.  Desperately fighting off the tears she was too proud to let others see, she turned and ran for cover. 

***************

                Ryoga paused at the door of the shed.  'This is my last chance not to go in there and maybe regret it,' he thought to himself.  His conscience snarled back at him, reminding him of what Kodachi had said to Shampoo and himself while they watched the fight.  So Kuonji did have a genuine grievance.  It was just Genma's fault rather than Ranma's.  Maybe if he'd warned the chef about Ranma's skill level, the other would have been cautious enough that a fight could have been avoided.  Ryoga sighed, and remembered how Ukyo wasn't the first guy from Ranma's past to blame him for something unfairly.  'For better or for worse, I owe it to him to help him out now.'  Ryoga steeled himself and opened the door he'd seen Ukyo run through.

                His ears immediately picked up the sound of choked sobs.  He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dimness.  Then he made out the figure of Ukyo, huddled against some shelves, crying his eyes out.  Ryoga just stood there for what seemed an hour but was really only a couple of minutes, feeling hopelessly out of his depth, and even more uneasy.  What kind of guy let himself break down and cry like a baby?

                Ukyo forced her sobs under control.  "H- hey, Ryoga," she said bitterly.  "Some triumph, huh.  S-some great job I d- did, salvaging my family honor."  As she looked at him, the chef felt a fresh wave of pain churn through her gut.  The sight of Ranma after so long had driven all thoughts of Ryoga from her mind.  It didn't make Ukyo feel any better to realize how quickly she'd forgotten the guy who'd now saved two members of her family.

                Ryoga paused.  There was something odd about what the other had just said... not so much the words as the tone of voice...  Ryoga looked closely at Ukyo's tear-stained face, then closed his eyes, deliberately discarded all his preconceptions, opened his eyes and looked again.  A wild surmise sheeted through his mind like lightning in a summer storm.  He took a deep breath.  "Is it because of the Saotomes that... that you started disguising yourself as a guy?"

                Ukyo's eyes widened and she paled.  "H- how could you tell?!"  Even as she spoke she realized she'd dropped the male voice impression sometime during the fight and hadn't ever resumed it.

                Ryoga lifted his eyes to the heavens.  'Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.'  Dropping his gaze back to her, Ryoga spoke gently.  "I listened and I looked more closely."  He sat down so she wouldn't have to keep looking up at him.  "What happened?"

                For a long moment it seemed as if Ukyo wasn't going to say anything... then she shuddered and the whole story spilled out.  Her version of it, anyway.  A version in which she'd been betrayed by her fiancé and best friend, left by the side of the road like unwanted rubbish.  She told Ryoga about her vow to renounce her feminity, to become the best okonomiyaki chef in Japan, and to some day seek out the Saotomes and avenge herself on them.

                'I don't believe it... it's Kaori Daikokuji all over again.  Except worse.'  Ryoga wondered for a moment how many other fiancées his former rival would turn out to have had.  The thought of just how bad Ranma was going to feel when he learned the truth skated through his mind as well.  Then he dragged his focus back to the present and tried to figure out what to say.  Ukyo wasn't looking like she'd gotten any particular relief from telling her story.  If anything she looked like she was on the verge of tears again.  "Ukyo... do you really think Ranma is to blame?  I mean, it was his father who accepted the engagement, right?  You don't think it was a six-year-old kid who made the decision, do you?"

                Ukyo drew her knees up to her chin, wrapped her arms around them, and huddled down in misery.  "M- maybe not," she choked out.  "But that doesn't make me feel any better.  They ruined me for marriage.  Because of them I'm doomed to spend the rest of my life alone."

                "What?!  That's crazy!" Ryoga said.  "A cute girl like you... you'll make somebody a great wife!"

                Ukyo looked up at him, her eyes wide and still filled with tears.  "C- cut it out.  I'm not cute."

                "Yes, you are!" Ryoga declared.  It helped that her posture was hiding her masculinely disguised torso.  All he had to do was look at her face.  "Real cute.  And you're a great cook too!  I bet you could get any guy you want!"  Innate honesty made him continue, "Once you drop the disguise, at least."

                The chef sniffled.  "You... you really think so?"

                "Yeah," he answered.  Then he said firmly, "And you DEFINITELY shouldn't hide who you really are.  Take it from me, it's not a good thing."

                Now, when Ryoga said this he was thinking of how things had gone between him and Akane.  But what Ukyo heard was a guy expressing emphatic interest in seeing the real her... the person she'd only dared to dream might someday come back after she'd defeated Ranma.  Well, that last goal was looking pretty unlikely now.  

                But maybe the first one could still become a reality.

*********************************************************

                Author's notes

                If anyone's curious, I envision the Whirling Dervish kata to be something along the lines of the 'Twin Raging Dragon Waterspouts' (or whatever the name is of that move Ranma and Akane used to defeat the Dojo Destroyer in the original series), only designed for one person.

                I haven't really gone into much detail about customary character clothing, have I?  Kodachi usually wears pantsuits whenever she's in a situation that might call for combat.  She's too fond of her aerial techniques for a skirt to be practical (and I hope none of you thought she ran around in a leotard all the time), though she does wear nice dresses otherwise.  Shampoo's style of clothing was unchanged until she moved in with the Kunos, at which point she found herself with dresses that were a good bit more modest.  She still has the most risqué wardrobe in the story, though, as she draws the line at dresses that might impair her mobility in combat.  Ranma's mode of dress is unchanged, as is Ryoga's (except the latter wears a school uniform, if with no good grace).  As for Tatewaki, don't expect to see him in kendo robes outside of practise.  He wears the school uniform and dresses in high-quality but otherwise normal clothing when not at Furinkan.  

The idea of Kodachi, as an albino, being mistaken for a vampire came from the fanfic Featherbrite's Tale, by Gregg "Metroanime" Sharpe.  Next time:  the return of the Matriarch.


	8. The Battle of Okonomiyaki and Ramen

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  There's also a snippet from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail, and a reference to the anime series Slayers.

                Words in [brackets] indicate spoken English.

                Words in ~tildes~ indicate song lyrics.

                ---------------------------- denotes the beginning or end of a flashback.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 7:  The Battle of Okonomiyaki and Ramen

***************

                Put one foot in front of the other.  Shift body weight to that leg.  Repeat.

                Much less painful than thinking about how the afternoon has gone.

                Unfortunately for Ranma, the first task wasn't distracting him at all from the second.  The anger was pretty much gone now.  He never had been one to let it simmer for a long time anyway.  The only real experience he had with holding a serious grudge had come from the time Ryoga broke Kodachi's arm... and it wasn't like this afternoon's events had included a genuine attack on her.

                A thought which only made him feel worse.  He glanced over at Kodachi, walking along beside him.  Her pantsuit was almost completely undamaged.  It was clear that Ukyo's gunpowder attack hadn't been an actual attempt to hurt her.  Ranma sighed, and made a vow to loosen up a little.  It was time and past to stop overreacting to threats against his girlfriend.  After all, the Matriarch had said he basically would have KILLED Ryoga that one time, if the lost boy hadn't been part Oni (of course, if the lost boy hadn't been part Oni the incident wouldn't have happened in the first place.  Ranma ignored the rationalization).  Let's see, he'd also run off and left a bunch of helpless girls to fight Happosai in his place rather than let Kodachi face the ancient lecher... and boy, had he ever been needlessly worried there!  And this morning, he'd jumped right in front of Shampoo to scare off those boys, rather than fight beside her.  He was just lucky she hadn't taken it badly.  Oh, then for an encore he'd beaten up his oldest friend just for being a little hostile to Kodachi.  'Man, I really gotta stop this.  I don't wanna be like Pop, with all that 'girls are weak' garbage.  If I respect her, I outta show it by backing her up, not acting like she's made outta glass or something,' Ranma thought glumly.  If nothing else, the Heart Link was wonderful sensitivity training.

                Kodachi's thoughts were no less gloomy.  'Why?  Why didn't I say anything?  Why didn't I call out to Ranma as soon as I remembered?  So what if he was already in the ring.  He still would have left for me, and then this wouldn't have happened.'  The White Rose felt severely tempted to distract herself from the guilt by focusing again on her anger toward Genma, but scorned that as the action of a coward.  And she was NOT a coward.  And in another minute she'd prove it, by going ahead and telling Ranma what she'd remembered and reasoned out concerning Ukyo's hostility.  Just another minute or two, after she'd come up with a good way to break it to him.  Kodachi had been telling herself this for about ten minutes now.

                Shampoo was feeling a sort of bitter vindication.  'I knew this was all Genma's fault.'  When Kodachi had hurriedly spoken to Ryoga and herself during the fight, the Amazon had been shocked but not surprised.  One more debt to lay at Genma's feet.  By now the Amazon had almost decided the weight of those had cancelled out the good he'd done in bringing Ranma into the world.  She glanced to her side at Ranma, then past him to Kodachi.  Both of them looked like they hurt even worse than she did.

                Ranma was halfway looking for an opportunity to test his new resolve.  Kodachi was wishing for something to put off the moment when she would have to tell Ranma just why Ucchan had been so angry.  Shampoo was wanting something, ANYthing, to happen to bring their spirits up.  Interestingly enough, they each got their desire.

                Out of the corner of his eye, Ranma saw a pair of bounding blurs on the rooftops, one to his right, the other to his left.  Shampoo and Kodachi noted his reaction and caught sight of the incoming arrivals as well.  With a mental snap, Ranma shut off his pain and concentrated.  They were on an attack course toward Shampoo?!  Almost, he jumped to the offensive.  Almost... but then Ranma focused on the attackers.  They were short, with identical facial features currently wearing big grins; cherry-red hair on one, lime-green on the other; clad in twin matching jumpsuits with big hearts on the chest; one with a staff and the other with a trident... Ranma's hand shot out to prevent Kodachi from snaring Ling-Ling with a ribbon.  The twins landed on either side of Shampoo, striking forward with their weapons.  Shampoo grabbed them and guided them forward in front of her, tangling the rod in the tines of the trident in one smooth motion.

                Shampoo gave a small, slightly reproving smile.  "This Japan, not China, so no can say hello this way."

                The twins grabbed the older Amazon in a group hug, their weapons vanishing to wherever it is Amazons hide such things.  "Big sister Shampoo, Ling-Ling miss you!"  "Lung-Lung so happy to see you!"

                Shampoo held them for a moment, then gave one last squeeze and let go.  "I happy to see you too."  She started to ask what they were doing in Japan.

                Lung-Lung beat her to the verbal punch.  "You introduce us, big sister Shampoo?"

                Shampoo smiled.  "These Shampoo's very best friends.  Kodachi," she gestured at the White Rose, "and Ranma.  Ranma, Kodachi, these Shampoo's Amazon sisters, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung."

                "Why didn't you ever tell me you had two younger sisters?" Kodachi asked.

                "They ain't really."  Ranma answered before Shampoo could.  "They're actually her cousins.  But all Amazons are considered tribal sisters."

                Ling-Ling gave a big smile.  "We think of Shampoo as real blood sister anyway.  She brave, and strong, and bring much honor to family."

                Meanwhile, Lung-Lung was giving Ranma a speculative glance.  "You know that by magic, Ranma?  Or big sister Shampoo just tell you and forget tell Kodachi?"

                Ranma gaped.  "Magic?  What're ya talking about?"

                The twins gave him a conspiratorial wink.  Ling-Ling lowered her voice.  "Great-grandmother tell us about you, Ranma, that you is sorceror.  She say you even know magic that let you change shape into girl.  You show Ling-Ling?"

                "Yeah, Lung-Lung want see too.  Great-grandmother also say you great warrior, can move faster than anybody in village except elders."  The two crowded up to Ranma, who was looking a little ill-at-ease.

                Meanwhile, Kodachi was regarding Shampoo with a deceptively mild expression.  "I seem to recall, Shampoo, a certain conversation we had some months ago.  If I remember correctly, your half of that dialogue went along the lines of 'woe-is-me-nobody-cares-for-me-here-or-in-my-village'."

                Shampoo had the grace to look sheepish.  "Okay, Shampoo admit she exaggerate just a little bit.  But I hurt really bad just then.  Was not too hard to imagine Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung turn against me too when they get old enough to challenge and lose."  She looked away and said more softly, "Is what happen with cousin Xiao Yu."  Seeking to change the subject, she lowered her voice and continued.  "Since Great-Grandmother no tell them real story about Jusenkyo, I ask you not give details either."

                "All right," Kodachi replied, "but I wonder what Ranma is going to think about being called a sorceror."

                "At least they not calling him foul sorceror," Shampoo said.  Kodachi gave her a strange look, wondering where that had come from.  Probably some obscure facet of Amazon culture.

                Meanwhile, Ranma had, with some difficulty, persuaded the twins to settle for a rain check on demonstrations of his mystic prowess.  "What're you guys doing here anyway?"

                "Come with Great-Grandmother to work in Nekohanten," Ling-Ling answered.  "She say Shampoo too too busy, go to school and spend time with friends, learn new things.  No have time to work in restaurant.  So we come to take place."

                "We very happy get chance to come," Lung-Lung added.  "Japan much strange, not like home village at all.  Is interesting to see."

                Shampoo regarded her cousins thoughtfully.  "You two speak better Japanese than I would have expect.  Is no way you learn that much in few weeks since Great-Grandmother go back home."

                Ling-Ling gave a mischievous smile.  "We start practising way before that, big sister.  When we hear there two mans in same village able to beat you, we decide come to Japan when we can, find some stronger mans than have at home."

                Lung-Lung grinned at Ranma, distracting him from his amusement at hearing Tokyo referred to as a village.  "You know any strong warriors, Ranma?  You maybe show us good strong fighter?"

                "Excuse me."  Kodachi's tone could have flash-frozen boiling water.  "Just so you don't get any unfortunate ideas, Ranma-kun is NOT available."

                Lung-Lung pretended to pout while her sister answered.  "We know already.  Great-Grandmother tell many stories about you and Ranma.  She say Kodachi save big sister's life, so Kodachi's Airen off-limits.  And Tatewaki," she stumbled a little over the unfamiliar name, "too.  Is no fair.  Warrior strong enough to beat Matriarch should be in tribe, make bloodlines stronger."

                Shamoo blinked.  Had the Matriarch not given the whole story about how her former Airen had won the fight?  Great-Grandmother didn't like to give more information than she had to, but Shampoo thought she was taking the usual practise much too far.  If SHE had been defeated by someone with a magic sword, she'd make VERY sure anyone who knew of the loss also knew it hadn't been a fair fight.

                "Oh, is the Matriarch back at the Nekohanten now?"  Kodachi thought it was as good a time as any to go and ask Cologne for more details about the Heart Link.  Not that she was grabbing for an excuse to put off telling Ranma about Ukyo until even later.  Certainly not.

                "Lung-Lung not think so.  Great-Grandmother probably still at airport.  Was some trouble with something she bring into Japan."

***************

                Soichiro took a deep breath, then shouted for quiet.  This didn't help any more than it had the last time he'd tried.

                Cologne sat and massaged her temples.  During the weeks she'd spent back home, recovering from expending so much energy, she'd let herself forget how chaotic Nerima usually was.  Where else would a customs inspector leap to the conclusion that a large jug of water might be a transport medium for some biological warfare organism?  Where else would this cause the parties from three separate flights to get tangled up in Customs at the same time?  Where else would a giant pig come rampaging through an airport for no apparent reason, smashing into the suspect jug, sending Nannichuan flying everywhere?  At least the twins had left before that happened.  "I hope Ranma and Ryoga appreciate this," she muttered to herself.  Not that her efforts to end their curses were likely to prove better than cold comfort.  Their cure was as far away as ever--all the Jusenkyo water had been spilled.  Some of it had even landed without splashing anyone.

                "[How could you do this to my precious little Rupert?!]"  Mrs Martha Ainsborough was not a happy camper.  The flight had been turbulent, the food had been tasteless, and her nine-year-old son was now standing 6'2" tall.  No question about it, this vacation had earned the title Trip from Hell.

                "[Told you those stories about crazy stuff happening in Tokyo couldn't all be rumors,]" her daughter Millicent said sullenly.  When you're a twelve-year-old girl with a nine-year-old brother, keeping him in line is pretty important to you.  Millicent could see how her brother's sudden transformation into a fully grown man was probably going to hinder her ability to do this.

                Rupert was just grinning and flexing his newly acquired muscles.  "[Let's see that jerk Bobby Jenkins make fun of my name now!]"

                Akari Unryu had finally managed to get Katsunishiki calmed down and wearing a pair of pants.  When she managed that last part, there had been a few sighs of regret from various women in the room (those who hadn't seen what Katsunishiki had been before his bath).  She was now just sitting still and letting the delayed shock reaction wash over her.  The fact that Katsunishiki was leaning against her for reassurance had yet to register.  Since he made as large a man as he did a pig, it was a pretty safe bet that if he shifted any more of his weight onto her, she'd become aware very quickly, a split second before she became one with the floor.

                Mademoiselle Franceska studied the tarot hand she'd... HE'd dealt himself.  He regarded it very carefully indeed, a relieved smile breaking out on his face.  So it wasn't a permanent or even an uncontrollable transformation.  The cards didn't always speak so clearly, but they must be feeling generous today, revealing without doubt that hot water would return him to her true form, and cold water would reverse the process.  The fortuneteller smiled, able to see lots of value in working a bit of obvious true magic into her act.  If nothing else, she'd be able to silence that skeptic Ambalang.  She was looking forward to finally debunking his beloved scientific method.  Not to mention now having an excuse to wear tight clothing in her act, so as to make the change obvious.  The loose flowing robes she normally wore might be traditional fortuneteller garb, as ringmaster Armand insisted, but they were nothing a twenty-six year old girl proud of her figure liked being stuck with.

                The Matriarch took another look around the room, and decided she'd had enough of the chaos for one day.  Anyway, it might not be a good idea to let Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung run around unsupervised for too long.  As Mrs Ainsborough drew breath to continue her harangue, Cologne reached out with her staff and tapped the woman's throat, hitting her Cat Got Your Tongue shiatsu point and silencing her for the next several hours.  The Matriarch then pogoed over to Soichiro, who was now just holding his head in his hands and groaning faintly.  "Those that have been transformed will return to their true selves when splashed with hot water.  Being doused with cold water will shift them back into adult male human form.  I'll send you a letter with more details tomorrow.  And now I must be on my way," Cologne said briskly.

                At this, Soichiro suddenly found the ability to temporarily ignore the chaos.  "I'm afraid I can't let you go just yet.  Nobody who was involved in this fiasco is going anywhere until we get everything straightened out."

                'Can't LET me go?  That's amusing.'  Amusing enough that Cologne didn't want to spoil the joke by forcing her way out.  Not when she had a better option.

                The Matriarch whipped out her diplomatic visa, claimed immunity, and took her leave.

***************

                "It look like Great-Grandmother going to arguing with stupid airline person for long time, so we use secret Amazon technique Dance of Hidden Chameleon to sneak out of airport," Lung-Lung continued.

                "Even I not know that one," Shampoo commented, impressed.

                Ling-Ling grinned.  "Is not only one we know--also learn Dance of Great Fire Dragon.  We train really hard, big sister.  Need to be ready when come to Japan.  Since Great-Grandmother not here, you show us around?"

                "I happy to do that.  Is many strange places in Nerima you be interested to see."  Shampoo turned to Ranma and Kodachi.  "You want come too?"

                It was tempting, so tempting.  Kodachi saw the perfect excuse to hold off even longer on telling Ranma about Ukyo.  She opened her mouth to say she'd love to come... and her conscience blindsided her, temporarily taking over her vocal chords and forcing her to say, "No, Shampoo, we need to get back home and wait for Ryoga to return, so he can tell us why Ucchan was so angry."

                Shampoo inclined her head, understanding the real meaning.  "Then Shampoo be sure to make it back in three hours," she replied.  Any longer separation than that wasn't an option while they were awake, thanks to the Heart Link.  Finding these things out by trial and error had been a real pain.  Shampoo wished that her Great-Grandmother hadn't left without telling them more about the condition.

***************

                Ranma wasn't quite sure when he became aware of it, but he gradually realized that the quality of Kodachi's silence was different from his own.  They'd walked the rest of the way back home without saying much.  Ranma had been trying to distance himself from the stressful day he'd had and find his center of calmness again.  Talking would have been a distraction, and he'd expected his girlfriend was probably trying to do the same thing he was anyway.  But now, sitting near Kodachi on a couch in one of the living rooms at home, Ranma had finally managed to gain a measure of peace.  And it had dawned on him that Kodachi wasn't feeling anything like that.  She seemed to be wanting to talk, or get up and do something, but was unable to bring herself to the point of action.

                "Dachi?  You okay?"  Ranma wasn't willing to bet on it, considering how she jumped an inch in the air from a seated position when he spoke.

                Kodachi swallowed.  "No, not really," she managed at last.  She took a deep breath, and continued.  "Ranma-kun... I realized why Ucchan was so angry at you."

                Ranma gaped.  "How?" he asked blankly.  "How could you?  I don't remember nothin' that woulda made him so angry."

                "Yes, you do.  You just don't remember that you remember.  Think back to the last time you saw him before today.  What do you recall?"

                "It was when Pop and me left.  Ucchan didn't want to see us go--he ran behind us, crying.  But that doesn't explain nothin'!"

                "Ranma-kun... try and remember a little harder.  Were you looking back over your shoulder, to see him running after you crying?"

                "Ummm... no... I was... looking down?!  I was..."  Ranma's voice trailed off as the memory finally returned.  He gulped a few times, then continued in a tiny voice, "I was sittin' on top of the Kuonji yattai as Pop ran along pulling it."

                The White Rose inclined her head.  The shimmer of tears was in her eyes.  "Exactly, Ranma.  I think we can both guess how he got it."

                Ranma was quiet for a while.  When he spoke, his voice was steel grating on stone.  "Pop is a dead man."  He started to say more, but noticed that Kodachi's tears had begun to fall.  The panic this induced cut through his rage.  He hugged her, trying to ignore the feelings of helplessness as she quietly sobbed against his chest.  A flash of insight from the Heart Link informed him that she wasn't just hurting because of what had happened to Ucchan; for some reason, his girlfriend was feeling guilty. "Dachi-chan, don't cry.  I'm the one that shoulda remembered.  It ain't your fault."

                "It is!" she choked out.  After a minute or two she got her tears under control, and said tremulously, "I remembered when you were in the ring with him, Ranma-sama.  I should have stopped it then.  I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry."

                Ranma sighed, and held her a little closer.  "Dachi, you gotta stop this.  It makes me feel like a heel when you apologize for something that's not your fault.  This WASN'T!  What happened when you did try to stop the fight, huh?"

                She considered.  "W- well, you have a point."  Kodachi took a deep breath, then relaxed, letting Ranma support her.  "And I did tell Shampoo, and Ryoga.  That was why he went to try and cheer Ukyo up."

                They sat quietly for a few minutes, Kodachi still drawing comfort from the embrace.  Ranma eventually spoke up.  "I still don't understand why Ucchan was so angry at you.  I mean, I don't like it when somebody gets in the middle of one of my fights, but I'd never blow my top at a girl like that.  I just wish I knew why he was so hostile to ya."

                "No, you don't."

                Ranma and Kodachi were out of each other's arms and at separate ends of the couch before they realized that the voice hadn't belonged to her father.  "Haven't you ever heard of knockin' before you come into a room, Ryoga?" Ranma growled.

                Ryoga thought about making a sarcastic rejoinder, but let it go.  "Listen, Ranma, I found out why Ukyo was so angry at you."  The former lost boy swallowed hard.  "You aren't gonna like it."

                "It's all right, Ryoga.  I already told him," Kodachi said, then wondered why her response seemed to make him feel worse.

                "No, you got it wrong, Kodachi.  At least, you didn't know one pretty important detail."  Ryoga met Ranma's gaze squarely.  "Genma actually had a legitimate reason to leave with the yattai, Ranma.  But when he did, he was supposed to take Ukyo along too."

                Ranma and Kodachi wore identical looks of blank noncomprehension at this.  "What?  Why would he want to come with us?  Why would his DAD want that?"

                Breaking things gently was something with which Ryoga had neither experience nor skill.  He looked away again, not wanting to see Ranma's reaction to the next bit.  "Ranma... Ukyo isn't a he.  He's a she.  A girl.  Your dad and her dad agreed to engage you two--the yattai was her dowry.  And then Genma broke his promise, took off, and left her by the side of the road."

                "No.  Oh, no," Kodachi breathed.

                "Th- that can't be right!!  Ucchan's a guy!  I mean, we all saw him this afternoon, in the fight..." Ranma's voice trailed off.  After a minute, he spoke again, the tone of desperation replaced with one of bleak understanding.  "Let me guess.  He... she wanted revenge, and she followed after me and wound up at Jusenkyo."

                "Um, no.  Where'd you get a crazy idea like that from?" asked Ryoga, missing the incredulous stare Kodachi shot his way.  It wasn't really his fault; he'd used up a full month's supply of perception earlier that afternoon.  "After you left, she made a vow to renounce her femininity and train to defeat you.  She was just in disguise when you fought her."

                "Are you sure?" Ranma asked, desperately hoping Ryoga wasn't.

                "Yeah, I'm positive.  Think about what her voice sounded like when she was shouting at you in the middle of the fight.  Anyway, I got a good look at her in the shed when I went to try and comfort her afterwards."  Ryoga sighed, unaware of how Kodachi and Ranma had tensed up after that last sentence.  "No Adam's Apple at all."  He missed it when they relaxed again, too.

                Ranma just sat there for the next minute, feeling stunned.  Ucchan... a girl?  ANOTHER fiancée?!  But it all made a horrible sort of sense.  And it explained the question he'd had earlier... why Ukyo had reacted as he... SHE did to Kodachi's status as his girlfriend.  So now he knew just what had gone down this afternoon.

                Now he knew just who he'd beaten up and hurt so thoroughly.

                "Ranma-kun?"  He didn't answer, just sat there looking straight ahead.  Kodachi concentrated on the Heart Link, and felt as if she'd jumped naked into a pool of liquid ice.  Ranma had been hit too hard with too much too fast--he seemed frozen, incapable of feeling anything.  She reached out and gripped his hand tightly in hers.

                As if triggered by the contact, the ice sheathing his soul began to crack.  Ranma took a deep breath as the frozen cold began to seep away.  "Kodachi, a little while back you were feelin' bad about something you'd done and I held you until you felt better."  The last of the numbness was fading, all too quickly.  "I think... I need ya to do the same thing... for me..."

***************

                "This is place Shampoo think of as Bridge of Noonday Sun."  Shampoo led her cousins onto the structure, smiling to herself at the looks of astonishment on their faces.  Their shadows had vanished even as they set foot on the bridge.

                "How it work, big sister?" Ling-Ling asked.  "Is magic?"

                Shampoo shrugged.  "I not know.  Great-Grandmother spend whole day here once, trying to figure out, but she gave up in disgust.  All she say for sure is it's not dangerous."

                No sooner had she finished saying that than a look of absolute devastation spread across Shampoo's face.  She slumped to the ground.

                "Big sister Shampoo!!"  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung each grabbed one of their cousin's arms and hustled her off the bridge in a cloud of dust.  Once off the suspect structure, Lung-Lung whipped out her trident and scanned the area for threats, while Ling-Ling asked anxiously, "Is you okay?"

                Through the tears, Shampoo answered, "Am fine, but Ranma no is.  He really hurting right now.  Must get back to him.  Shampoo see you at Nekohanten tomorrow, okay?"  Without waiting for an answer, the Amazon dashed away in a blaze of lavender.

                The twins wore identical looks of surprise.  Even their blinks were synchronized.  Finally Ling-Ling broke the silence.  "Ling-Ling think is maybe other reason Great-Grandmother tell us not try get Ranma as husband."

***************

                Time heals all wounds, or so they say.  A few hours weren't nearly enough to do that for Ranma, but the pain had faded somewhat.  And now he was walking through the darkened streets on his way to where Ryoga had told him Ukyo was staying.  He'd tried for the entirety of the walk to come up with a speech of apology and a plea for forgiveness, but the right words just wouldn't seem to form in his mind.  Ranma sighed as he neared his destination and prepared to wing it.

                He paused outside the restaurant, studying what would, on the morrow, be the finest okonomiyaki joint in Nerima.  Ranma felt a strange pang of sadness and loss when he looked at the sign:  Ukyo's Okonomiyaki.  Shaking off the mysterious feeling of remorse, he looked through the window.  There was Ucchan, still setting things up for the grand opening the next day.  Ranma took a deep breath and knocked on the front door.

                Inside the shop, Ukyo looked up from polishing the grill.  Who would that be at this hour?  She was conscious of a feeling of nervous vulnerability, and it angered her.  Just because she'd taken off the stupid chest bindings and vowed not to put them back on was no reason to imagine some pervert was going to show up and cause trouble.  Nonetheless, the chef was cradling her combat spatula in one arm as she went to answer the door.

                The door opened, and Ranma and Ukyo just stood there for several long minutes, each staring at the other in shock.  Ukyo certainly hadn't expected to see him here.  And Ranma... well, it was one thing to hear Ryoga say his friend was really a girl.  It was another thing entirely to see her with her hair hanging unbound, and notice the new curves that had mysteriously appeared on the front of her okonomiyaki outfit.

                Ukyo recovered first.  "Whaddaya want, Saotome?"  She unconsciously reverted to the familiar masculine voice to growl at him.

                Ranma blinked, and shook himself out of his daze.  "Ucchan."  Words failed him for a moment, so instead he bowed down, and employed the Crouch of the Wild Tiger.  "I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry."

                Ukyo blinked, then realized that the drama was taking place in full view of the public.  Not that there was much public to notice, it being after nine o'clock and all, but still she didn't need the neighbors to get any funny ideas.  And she couldn't just slam the door on him, as Ranma's torso was in the way.  She settled for growling wordlessly, grabbing him by the pigtail, whisking him inside, and shutting the door behind her.

                There was silence for another few minutes as Ukyo glared at Ranma.  Rather a wasted effort, as he was still crouched down and couldn't see her expression.  As Ranma seemed to be waiting for her to make the next move (which he was, being unable to think of anything more to say), Ukyo eventually spoke up.  "You're sorry, huh, Ranma.  You're sorry you dumped me on the road like a burned okonomiyaki.  You're sorry you took off with my dowry.  You're SORRY you made my life a living hell!"  She took a deep breath to calm herself.  It didn't help.  "Do you think SORRY makes anything better?!"

                Ranma looked up at her, and the misery in his eyes struck her even through her hurt.  "What would?" he asked quietly.  "What would make you feel better?"

                "For you not to have left me.  Or for you to have felt just as much pain as me.  Do you know how humiliated I was?!  How much the other girls teased me about being dumped by my fiancé?"

                Ranma sighed and looked down again.  "I didn't know, Uc- Ukyo.  The old man never told me nothing about the agreement.  He said the yattai was a going-away present from you and your dad.  I was only a six-year-old kid then.  I didn't know any better than to believe him."

                "That doesn't change what happened," Ukyo pointed out.  "What are you going to do about it?  And for cryin' out loud, get up off the floor."

                He complied, pulled out one of the chairs and sat in it.  Ukyo remained standing.  All right, it was a cheap trick to give her a psychological edge.  The chef didn't see a problem with that.

                "You said you'd feel better if you knew I'd been hurt just as much as you, Ukyo.  So I'm gonna tell you about what things were like, growing up on the road with Pop.  Just so you know what you missed out on when he ran off without you."

                An hour later, Ukyo wasn't feeling any better.  But her discomfort was coming from a different source now--horror at what she'd heard.  Ranma had started out comparatively mild, describing what it was like never having a place to stay for longer than a couple of weeks.  Always having to move along and leave behind everybody you were just starting to get to know.  He went on to describe Genma's instructing him in petty larceny disguised as training.  He talked about the cold, hungry nights when the money and supplies were running low.  Ranma then moved on to outline some of Genma's ideas for training methods.  To Ukyo, who'd fought with her spatula against the waves of the sea, the first few didn't sound too bad.  Then they began to get worse.  By the time Ranma told her of the Cat Fist, Ukyo was fighting a feeling of nausea.  She wasn't sure whether she wanted to believe Ranma or not.  But she did.  Nobody could fake the kind of feeling Ranma showed as he struggled to get the last part out.

                Ranma sat in silence for a few minutes after that, catching his breath and slowly getting his color back.  Eventually, he felt recovered enough to go on.  "I don't think Pop woulda done that to you, Ucchan.  Not the C- Ca-...  not that training.  But if you had come along, you woulda regretted it.  You'd've been with us when we went to Jusenkyo."

                "Jusenkyo?  What's that?"  And why had he said the word like it was a curse against everything he held dear?

                "It's a training ground deep in China.  The place don't look like much--there's all these springs of water around, with bamboo poles sticking up out of the ground.  You train on the poles, trying not to fall down.  If you do fall, you'll probably land in a spring, which'll cushion you at least."  Ranma gave a bitter laugh.  "Of course, over the last few thousand years, lots of different animals and people have drowned in the pools.  And now, whoever falls in a spring is cursed to change inta whatever last drowned there.

                "Pop dragged me there, even though he didn't speak a word of Chinese.  Didn't pay any attention to the guide who tried to warn us off, either.  Just led me out onto the poles for a sparring session."  Ranma was looking down, and missed the look Ukyo was giving him.  This was just as well, as it would have hurt his feelings needlessly to realize his oldest friend was panicking at the thought of being trapped in a room with an obviously insane martial artist.  "I knocked him into the Spring of Drowned Panda, and he came roaring out and hit me into the Spring of Drowned Girl."

                Still without looking at Ukyo, he got up, walked over to the sink, and filled a glass with cold water.  "The change ain't permanent, but you do shift whenever you get splashed with water.  Cold water to put you in your cursed form, and hot to bring you back to normal."  Ranma dumped the water over his head.  Ukyo gaped as he changed hair color and transferred several inches from height to chest size.  Ranma-chan looked around, and realized there was no ready source of hot water available.  "Um, Ucchan?  Could you put a kettle or something on for me?"

                Ukyo just stared.  There was such a mixture of emotions swirling through her at that point that she wasn't really able to react.  Ranma-chan repeated her request, and the chef snapped out of her daze.  At least enough to inform Ranma-chan that hot water could be had in the bathroom upstairs.  The redhead thanked her and left; a few minutes later, the male Ranma rejoined her at the table.

                "So it coulda been worse, you see.  If you had come with us, who knows what would have happened to you.  You might've fallen in the Spring of Drowned Fox or something."

                "Yeah, that would suck," Ukyo agreed faintly.  "Your old man sounds like he's got about as much intelligence as he does honor and hair."

                "No joke."  Ranma then told her about the Saotome-Tendo alliance, and also about Kaori Daikokuji's claim.  By the time he'd finished, the chef was glowing with a noticeable battle aura.

                "So it was all just a big lie," she ground out.  "Your worthless father never had any intention of honoring his promise.  Ranma... I... I'm sorry.  I guess I really shouldn't have blamed you."  She sighed and looked away.  "So what's the story on that girlfriend of yours, huh?  Did Genma sell you to her family too?"

                "Nah.  The only one of those deals Pop meant to keep was the one to marry me off to a Tendo.  I didn't meet Dachi until after we got here and the old man told me about that engagement.  None of Mr Tendo's daughters wanted me, and somehow I got stuck with the worst of them.  I met Dachi a little after that.  When she found out about the honor promise, she fixed things to get me out of it."

                "How'd she do that?" Ukyo asked curiously.

                "She's the best there is at Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics.  Akane, that's the girl I was engaged to, was scheduled to compete against Kodachi.  Kodachi offered Pop and Mr Tendo a deal.  If she won the fight, I got released from every promise my old man made for me, and could do what I wanted.  But if she lost, she'd pay the Tendos a million yen.  Dachi won, thank goodness."

                Ukyo hitched her jaw back up.  It had fallen as far as its hinges would allow at the mention of the sum.  "A m- million yen?!  That's some girlfriend you got, sugar!"

                "Yeah," Ranma said softly.  "Dachi was the first person not to think my curse made me some kinda freak.  She was the first good thing to happen to me in a really, really long time.  Who knows?  Maybe the reason I had so much crap in my earlier life was to make up for eventually meeting her."

                The chef sighed.  "Sounds like maybe you did have it worse than me, Ranma.  I can't say I'm happy about what happened, but I guess I'm willing to let bygones be bygones."

                Ranma took a deep breath, then released it.  "And what about this afternoon?" he asked hesitantly.

                Ukyo gave him a blank look.  "What about it?"

                Ranma facefaulted, then picked himself up and nearly shouted, "Whaddaya mean, what about it?!  I beat you up, and yelled at you, and made you run off in tears!"

                Ukyo dismissed the alleged offenses with a wave of her hand.  "Don't worry about it, Ranchan.  That was nothing compared to what I was planning to do to you.  If I can forget what happened ten years ago, then I can forget this afternoon too."  Of course, that was leaving out the fact that she didn't want to forget some of it.  Specifically, Ryoga comforting her afterward.  That was worth a lot more pain that Ranma had caused her in the fight.

                Her one-time fiancé held back a groan.  'You'd think that with the memories from two girls' lives, I'd be able to understand women.  But NOOOOO.'

                He noticed Ukyo suppress a yawn, and realized just how late it was getting.  "Thanks, Ucchan.  I guess I better get going."

                Ukyo glanced at the clock as well, and gave a start.  "Yeah, get outta here," she growled playfully.  "I've still got to finish getting ready for the grand opening tomorrow."  Today was Friday, so she didn't have to worry about class the next day.  One other good reason to have chosen Furinkan--most Japanese schools were in session six days a week.

                "Aw, geez, I didn't mean to keep you from that."  An idea struck Ranma.  "What time are you gonna open?"

                "I was planning on eleven o'clock."

                "Well, how about me and some friends come by a little earlier?  We could get here at nine, and help you set up stuff.  You wouldn't have to lose any sleep that way.  And I know Dachi and Shampoo would like to meet you."

                Ukyo gave him a blank stare.  "I must be more tired than I thought.  I could've sworn I just heard you say you know somebody called Shampoo."

                "Hey, she's from a tribe of Chinese Amazons.  They've got a lotta different ways of doing things there."  Ranma held back a yawn of his own, and took that as his cue to get up and head toward the door.  When he got there, he turned back to face her and said seriously,  "Thank you for forgivin' me, Ucchan.  I never wanted to hurt you."  He bowed deeply, then grinned unpleasantly and said, "You wanna be there when I let Pop know just what I think of how he treated you?"

                The chef gave him a quizzical look.  "Didn't you figure out I was the one who beat him up yesterday?"

                Ranma blinked.  "I didn't know anyone did.  I'm staying with the Kunos, and Pop ain't welcome there.  He's still at the Tendo place.  So you gave him a little payback already, huh?  Well, I guess we'll hafta wait for him to heal up, but Shampoo and Kodachi and I are gonna give him a session that'll make what you did seem like a gentle massage.  You're more than welcome to help out."

                Ukyo grinned a bloodthirsty grin of her own.  "Well, I DID swear to get vengeance on both you and your old man.  I guess if I let you off the hook, that means I have to beat him up twice, to compensate."

***************

                The next morning found Ranma, Ryoga, Shampoo, and Kodachi strolling through the streets on their way to Ukyo's.  As Ranma had anticipated, both the White Rose and the Amazon had been happy to help.  Ryoga had offered to come as well, mentioning that he'd promised he'd be Ukyo's first customer.

                As they neared the restaurant, Shampoo took a deep breath, then heaved a contented sight.  "Is very nice weather we have today.  Good omen for first day of Ucchan's new restaurant."

                "Yes indeed," agreed Kodachi.  "I hope he... SHE will have plenty of custom today."

                "Me, too.  I'm glad it ain't gonna rain on Ucchan's parade"  Ranma looked up, smiled at the sky, then turned his gaze to Ryoga.  "Especially since we got two people with Jusenkyo curses walking out in the open at the same time.  Normally that's like a signal to heaven to bring on the water."

                Without pausing for conscious thought, Kodachi whipped out her ribbon and spun it dizzyingly fast above the group, creating a shield and deflecting the water which suddenly poured out from an open window above.

                As the deluge ended, Ryoga groaned.  "Ranma, press your own luck if you want to, but leave me out of it!"

                Ranma grinned sheepishly.  "Sorry, guys.  I think I'll shut up now."

                They made it the rest of the way to Ukyo's without any further close calls.  Well, actually, a couple of blocks away, an out-of-control truck just missed demolishing one of the supports of a local water tower.  Had it hit, the streets would have been flooded.  But the four martial artists were blissfully unaware of this.  As Ukyo opened the door to let them in, Ranma was amused to note that Kodachi and Shampoo both reacted to her new look just like he had the night before.

                "Thanks for coming, Ranchan.  I really appreciate you guys helping me out like this."  It seemed to Ranma that Ukyo was feeling some anxiety.  The pig-tailed martial artist had no idea why that would be the case, though.

                "No problem, Ucchan."  It occurred to Ranma that there was one introduction that still needed to be made.  "This is Shampoo," he said, indicating the Amazon, who raised her hand in greeting and gave a cheerful "Nihao!".  "You already know Ryoga," Ranma missed completely the way her smile brightened by several degrees as she turned it on the former lost boy, "and Kodachi."

                As Ukyo turned her gaze on the White Rose, her smiled dimmed considerably and she gulped.  "Yeah, I remember her," the chef said.  "Listen, sugar, about yesterday... and the fight... I wasn't really in the best mood then... upset and all that about finally getting a chance at revenge, and Ranma just kept dodging... and then just when I start to cool down in you come, and there I am trying to punish him for abandoning his fiancée when his girlfriend jumps into the ring and starts talking about how much he's told you about what good friends he and I were..."  With an effort, Ukyo stopped babbling, and swallowed to clear the dryness out of her throat.  "Oh, hell," she continued.  "I'm really sorry about how I reacted, that's all."

                Kodachi smiled gently, relieved that her first impression, that Ukyo didn't want her in the restaurant, had been false.  "Don't worry about it, Ukyo.  I know who is REALLY to blame for the events of yesterday.  I assure you, Genma is going to receive much worse from me than a minor scorching."

                Ukyo let out a relieved sigh, then grinned at the White Rose.  "Music to my ears, sugar."  She turned back to Ryoga.  "So, you still planning to be my first customer, Ryoga-kun?"

                "Absolutely.  I can't wait for another one of those shrimp deluxes."  Ryoga chuckled.  "I should've figured out you were a girl with the first bite of the first okonomiyaki you fixed for me.  No way could a guy cook something that good."

                Ukyo snickered.  "Don't let my dad hear you say that.  He runs his own restaurant, and his spatula is even bigger than mine.  He'd take you to town for suggesting he needed to get lessons from his little girl."

                "Sooner we get everything set up, sooner Ryoga can keep his promise," Shampoo pointed out.  "What you want us to do?"

                With five people working together, the rest of the setting-up didn't take much time.  Tables were bussed, menus were distributed, chairs were arranged, ingredients were prepared, and all was in readiness.  Ukyo took a long look around the restaurant, and then at the foursome who'd helped her set it up.  The chef smiled.  Coming to Nerima had been the best decision she'd made in a long time.  With the secret she'd kept for so long, she hadn't been able to afford the luxury of close friends.  But now it looked like that might be changing, along with so much else.

                With still well over an hour to go before the 'official' opening, Ukyo fired up the grill for its maiden voyage.  As promised, the first okonomiyaki was a shrimp deluxe for Ryoga.

                "Here you go, sugar," she said once it was done, and placed the fragrant offering on a plate in front of Ryoga.  "That'll be ten yen."  Ryoga gave her an inquiring look before offering her the smallest coin he had on him.  Ukyo handed him his change, then said, "Hey, you wouldn't be my customer if I didn't charge you SOMEthing.  That's my restaurant's-first-customer-ever everything's-just-ten-yen permanent discount"  The chef smiled at the others.  "The rest of you guys get my helped-me-set-up half-price permanent discount.  So what'll you have?"

                While Ranma and Kodachi made their requests, Shampoo regarded Ryoga's okonomiyaki contemplatively.  She then ordered a shrimp deluxe for herself.  As Ukyo whipped out their orders, the Amazon's expectations were fulfilled.  The pizza that Ukyo had made for Ryoga was noticeably larger than hers, as well as containing a higher proportion of shrimp.  Shampoo smiled, and her suspicion crystallized to near-certainty.  It looked like Ucchan was interested in Ryoga.  It was still quite odd to be thinking of Ranma's childhood friend as a girl, but since that was the case Shampoo thought Ucchan could do a lot worse than pursue the former lost boy.  Silently she wished the chef all the best, along with a hope that this could help Ryoga finish getting over Akane.

                Kodachi mentally sighed as she put two and two together as well, arriving at the same conclusion as the lavender-haired one.  On the one hand, she was glad to think that Ukyo might get a decent man for herself, even if the White Rose was still adjusting to the fact that the chef wasn't herself a man.  On the other, there went her hopes for Shampoo to find solace with Ryoga.  Of course, those hopes had always been premature at best, since the Heart Link had yet to show any sign of fading.  Kodachi made another mental note to stop by the Nekohanten later and ask the Matriarch for more details.

                Neither Ranma nor Ryoga noticed anything besides how good their food was.

                Once everybody had finished eating, and this didn't take long, they began talking.  By popular demand, Ukyo was the first to tell her story.  Everyone was interested to hear the Kuonji family history, even though Ukyo only gave an abridged version, leaving out the more unbelievable parts.

                Kodachi followed the chef.  After hearing a full account of the infamous Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics match, Ukyo smiled to learn that it had actually been Ranma whom Kodachi had defeated in order to secure his own freedom.  On being assured that her former fiancé hadn't thrown the fight, and remembering how she'd fared in her battle against him, the chef's respect for Kodachi shot up by several more notches.  Shampoo told her story as well, then kept Ukyo fascinated with tales of life in the village of the Chinese Amazons.

                Shampoo finished her last anecdote, and Ukyo turned to Ryoga.  "Your turn, Ryoga-kun.  I'm guessing you've got just as interesting a past as the rest of us."

                Before Ryoga could do more than begin to look sad and uncomfortable, Kodachi cleared her throat.  "It might be best to save that for later.  Look out the window, everyone."

                Everybody did so.  Ukyo in particular gaped, then, unaware she was making use of another's copyright material, uttered a faint, "Oh my."

                The lane outside Ukyo's Okonomiyaki was packed to overflowing with people waiting impatiently for the restaurant to open.  In the very front of the crowd, squashed against the door, were three identical girls.  Sakura was feeling more than a little annoyed at a certain upperclassman just then.  Okay, it was a good plan of Nabiki's, to get Ukyo favorably inclined toward her by stirring up extra business for opening day.  And providing three cute waitresses to help with the crowd for free was icing on the cake.  But the middle Tendo had gone just a bit overboard as far as Sakura was concerned.  When she had to brace herself against the door and push back in order to get enough room to draw a decent breath, it was too crowded.

                Meanwhile, Sakura was regretting that they had decided not to get there early and offer to help set up.  A little extra work would have been a heck of a lot better than playing sardines with half the populace of Nerima.

                Sakura was just as cramped and breathless as the other two, but she was managing to ignore it better.  Unfortunately, this was because she was daydreaming about getting to know the cute guy she'd seen fighting Ranma the other day.  Sakura had the dubious distinction of being the only person in the crowd who was going to wind up disappointed in another minute, when Ukyo finally opened the door. 

***************

                The hours passed, quickly for some, more slowly for others.  After a night of unsettled dreams, Ryoga awoke the next morning with an odd mixture of anxiety and foreboding.  Not that he was in any way surprised by this.  After breakfast, the former lost boy decided to take a walk and hopefully clear his head.

                The fact that it was both cloudy and windy outside didn't register on Ryoga; he was too busy thinking of other things.  It didn't even cross his mind to turn back and get a raincoat.  That omission, combined with the fact that it hadn't rained in Nerima for the previous four days, should have been sufficient to bring on a downpour as soon as he was far enough from cover.

                Unless the fates had something worse in store, which depended on him remaining in his true form.

                Ryoga was in no particular hurry to get anywhere.  He rambled through the streets of Nerima for half an hour before winding up at a local park, not particularly noticing as the clouds broke up and were replaced with a bright sunny sky.  Seating himself on a bench, he thought back to the conversation he'd had the previous night.

----------------------------

                It had been a long and tiring day.  When Ryoga had volunteered to help Ukyo open her restaurant, he hadn't expected it to consume most of his Saturday.  The sheer number of people that had come to sample Ukyo's wares was quite a testament to the skills of Nabiki Tendo.  On one hand, Ryoga was glad the day had been such a huge success for Ukyo.  On the other, he wished he'd had some warning that he'd be spending hours carrying orders and money from the crowd outside in to the kitchen, then bringing the prepared okonomiyaki back outside to the customers.  Ryoga estimated he'd walked several miles that way.  Certainly he'd gotten a great deal of exercise.

                Which was why he was just sitting on a couch in one of the Kuno living rooms, rather than performing his evening katas.  This particular room was one in which Tatewaki often watched imported movies to polish his language skills.  The biggest television Ryoga had ever seen stood in one corner.  The former lost boy considered putting on a movie, but then decided he was just too tired to try to make sense of some ridiculously difficult foreign language.

                The door opened, and he looked up to see Shampoo enter the room.  "Am glad to find you alone, bandana boy.  Shampoo need talk with you."  The Amazon closed the door behind her.

                Ryoga blinked.  "Um, what about?"

                Shampoo seated herself at the opposite end of his couch with an audible sigh of relief.  She had gotten just as much exercise at Ukyo's that day as he had.  "About Ucchan."  That should be enough to clue him in on what she was driving at.

                "What about her?" Ryoga asked.

                Shampoo frowned.  "I too tired for this, Ryoga.  No pretend you don't know Ucchan interested in you."

                Ryoga put his hand behind his head and laughed nervously.  "Heh heh, well, I guess you'd know better than me, being a girl and all, but... are you sure?"

                The Amazon gave him an incredulous stare.  "Yes, Shampoo sure.  Unless she act different to you when nobody else around?"

                Ryoga's embarrassment deepened.  "Um, no, I guess I see what you're saying... I did kinda suspect it earlier... but I didn't want to jump to the wrong conclusion..."  Not to mention that when he'd first suspected it he'd had reason to hope very hard that it wasn't true.

                Shampoo rolled her eyes.  Apparently males were clueless about women no matter where they came from.  "Take it from Shampoo, this not wrong conclusion."  She fixed him with a challenging stare.  "So what you do about it?"

                "Er, well, I don't really know..."  By now Ryoga looked like he was on the verge of Death By Embarrassment.  In an attempt to recover his poise, he asked defensively, "What's it to you, anyway?!"

                "Remember Heart Link, bandana boy?  Was maybe not Shampoo or Kodachi who was childhood friend to Ucchan, but we still remember.  Still care for her just like Ranma."  Shampoo's gaze intensified.  "Ukyo have hard life up till now, thanks to stupid panda man.  Shampoo want to see things change for better for her.  I think you two make good couple.  Good for both of you."

                "So you're just gonna order me to ask her out?" Ryoga protested.

                Shampoo reflected again that she was too tired for this.  "No, Shampoo not try tell you what to do.  Now you answer question.  You think there anything wrong with Ucchan?"

                "No, I don't."

                "Then you not have problem asking her out."

                Ryoga groaned.  That had sounded like an order to him.  "It really is that simple to you, isn't it?" he asked half-rhetorically.  "And what happens when we get caught in the rain on our hypothetical first date, huh?  I get humiliated and dropped like a rock."

                Shampoo glared at him.  "Ukyo seem like good person to me.  And Ranma say he tell her about his curse and she no bothered too much.  Bandana boy need to learn to trust other people, or be alone for rest of life."

                "Maybe," Ryoga allowed.  "But I'd still rather see her reaction to the curse BEFORE I go asking her out, or anything like that."

                "That probably good idea.  Can tell her tomorrow or sometime soon.  Remember she ask this morning to hear about life, but have to open shop before you get to tell her."

                An extremely rare event occurred then.  Ryoga lost his temper.  "Will you stop pushing me, already?!" he growled.  "It's none of your business anyway!"

                Instead of being insulted, Shampoo just regarded him thoughtfully for a few moments.  "What is real reason you so reluctant?" she asked at last.

                Ryoga had regretted the angry words as soon as they left his mouth.  He had developed an almost pathological aversion to getting angry at other people ever since learning why such feelings had once come so naturally.  Perhaps if he hadn't been ashamed of snapping at her he might have continued to dodge the issue.  But as it was he sighed, looked down at the floor, and muttered, "Akane."

                Shampoo just sat quietly, and after a minute he continued, "Even the thought of asking someone else out feels like I'm betraying her, Shampoo.  I'm not ready for anybody else right now."

                "Ryoga... need to let go of her.  There nothing there to hold on to."  Shampoo said this in a more subdued and sympathetic voice than Ryoga could remember ever hearing from the Amazon.  "You think Akane feel betrayed if she find out you date with Ukyo?"

                "Rub it in, why don't you?" Ryoga muttered bitterly.  "I know damn well she doesn't see anything but an Oni when she looks at me and flinches back.  That doesn't change the fact that I care for her."

                "Ever think about why you care in first place?"

                "Um, I don't understand the question."

                Shampoo smiled sadly at him.  "You lot like Shampoo in one way, bandana boy.  We both fall hard for first person who give us chance to.  For me, Tatewaki.  He come along, defeat me, show he brave, strong, noble warrior like Shampoo always dream of having.  For you, Akane.  She first girl to show any caring to you, yes?   Shampoo remember from Ranma's memories.  She so kind to you in cursed form you let self forget she not know who she dealing with."  Shampoo placed a sympathetic hand on Ryoga's shoulder.  "But Tatewaki not for Shampoo, and Akane not for you.  I know is hard to let go.  But you need to do it.  Ukyo is good opportunity for you to make new start."

                "Just like you did after Tatewaki?" Ryoga said.  He was surprised when the Amazon paled and began to sweat like crazy.

                "Wh... what you mean by that?" Shampoo croaked.

                Ryoga was truly confused now.  "I just meant it seems like you did a good job of putting him behind you.  I wish I could forget Akane that easily."

                "That not true or you would try forget her," Shampoo countered.

                Ryoga's reserves of perception were still rather low, but he did manage to discern that Shampoo was trying to change the subject.  This aroused his curiosity.  "What did you think I meant?"

                Shampoo hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how much of the truth she could trust him with.  She felt like an idiot for reacting as she had.  Ryoga had gone so long without realizing how she felt about Ranma that she should have known he wasn't going to figure things out on his own.  But his question had caught her off guard.  Eventually she sighed and said, "Reason Shampoo think Ukyo help you forget Akane is because that how it work for me... with Ranma."

                Ryoga's eyes widened.  That had been the last little clue he needed to put the pieces together.  But the picture forming wasn't something he was prepared for.  "Wait a minute... are you saying you...?"

                She nodded.  "Is so hard to believe Shampoo love man who treat her with kindness?  Strong fighter like Ranma?"

                Ryoga swallowed, then in a voice half-choked with dread, he asked, "Does Kodachi know?  Does RANMA know?!"

                Shampoo gave him the most exasperated stare he'd ever received.  "You only one in house what not realize, Ryoga.  Sometimes Shampoo think you wear that bandana over eyes instead of forehead."  She sighed, and continued in a melancholy voice.  "When Shampoo dying, after save Ranma from fall, confess truth to him.  Not even have to tell Kodachi, since she learn from his memories in Heart Link."

                That opened up new avenues of disbelief for Ryoga.  "And she doesn't mind?!"

                This was where the conversation was going to get tricky.  Shampoo chose her words with care.  "Why should she?  She see Ranma's heart, know he love her and only think of Shampoo as friend.  There no chance in world Ranma abandon her for me.  She know it.  I know it.  And I no would change that for the world.  Even before Ranma, Kodachi was first one in Japan to show kindness to Shampoo.  I never betray her.  Rather die first.  Would no even have said anything to Ranma if not dying."  She finished and let out a relieved breath.

                "It must hurt, to have to stay so near them, with the Heart Link and all," Ryoga said sympathetically.

                "Is not so bad," she said, then quickly added, "At least have friendship.  No could bear to lose that."  They sat quietly for a few minutes, then Shampoo spoke up again.  "We get off subject, Ryoga.  You need forget Akane.  Trust Shampoo on this.  And since Ukyo want you, is good chance to do so."

                Ryoga sighed.  "Thanks for the advice, Shampoo."  He looked at the clock, and got to his feet with a weary groan.  "I'm going to get some sleep.  Maybe things will seem clearer in the morning."  He hesitated, then said awkwardly, "I hope things work out all right for you."

                Shampoo laughed.  Ryoga thought she sounded a little nervous, but he was too tired for it to really register.  "Shampoo hope so too.  And same for you."  'And Ucchan.'  The last just spoken mentally, rather than aloud, as she didn't want to put any more pressure on him tonight.

                Ryoga walked out of the room, leaving the Amazon sitting on the couch alone.  She remained there for quite a while, lost in thought.  Eventually, she shook her head and whispered to herself, "Not yet.  I not say nothing until know for sure."

                Had Ranma focused on the Heart Link just then, he would have wondered just why Shampoo was trying not to feel guilty.

----------------------------

                'Well, it's morning now, and things don't seem all that much clearer,' Ryoga thought moodily.  'What should I do?  Shampoo says falling for somebody else would get my mind off Akane, and I guess she's right.  On the other hand, do I even want to take advice from her?  She went straight from her first target to loving another guy she can't have.  I don't think I'd be able to handle that as well as she is, if it works out that way for me.'

                Ryoga smacked his fist into his palm.  'But I can't just do nothing, out of cowardice.  Well, I could, but I'm darn well not going to.'  But that decision didn't really make things any clearer.  It was all well and good to declare he would ask Ukyo out if he wanted to (and if he was reasonably sure she wanted him to), but that didn't really make any headway on answering the important question.  Did he want to at all?

                "Maybe I should try to talk to somebody else about this," he said to himself.  "But who?  I don't really think Shampoo would be able to help me any further.  Maybe Ranma?"  He snorted.  "Yeah, right.  Sure he's in a great relationship right now, but he basically just dropped into it by luck.  The way I hear it, it was Kodachi who did all the work there."  Ryoga was unaware that he'd just won the Understatement of the Year Award.  "He was hurting, needing somebody who would care for him, and along she comes and lays her heart at his feet.  It's not like he had to go out and fight some kinda major battle to get her interested in him..."  Ryoga's voice trailed off as a little voice in his head, souding remarkably like Shampoo, shouted, 'And just HOW is that different from you and Ucchan, bandana boy?'

                Ryoga sat, stunned, as the realization sank through his mind.  After a few minutes, he shook his head as if to clear it.  "Maybe," he sighed.  'But am I ready to risk getting hurt again?'  He seemed then to hear an echo of the Amazon's words from the night before, "Need to learn to trust other people, or be alone for rest of life."

                'Well, I don't want that.  But I'm only sixteen, for cryin' out loud!  It's not like the whole rest of my life is riding on this decision!'

                Curiously enough, that was the thought that seemed to suddenly put everything into perspective for Ryoga.  He was agonizing over whether or not to ask a girl out on one lousy little date.  What if he did ask Ukyo out, and she turned him down?  Sure it would be a bit painful, but it wasn't like he was in love with her or anything.  There'd be other opportunities.  And if he didn't at least try, he'd be throwing one away.  Increasing determination began to show on Ryoga's face.  The best way to deal with this situation was to treat it like a battle.  The best defense was a good offense.  So he was worried about whether any girl could accept his curse?  Then he should find out, by telling Ukyo about it ASAP.  So he wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of dating Ukyo?  Then he needed to ask her out at least once, so he could find out.  At least, assuming she didn't tell him to take a hike after she learned about his curse.  The former lost boy's jaw squared.  He leaped to his feet.  "All right!  I'll do it!!" he shouted.

                "Okay, get with other boys and get ready."

                Ryoga blinked, and remembered that he was in public.  "What the...?"

                The scene in front of him was... well, not bizarre by Nerima standards, but certainly unusual.  In the open area just in front of his bench, a group of nine boys in kendo robes were facing off against two young girls in matching jumpsuits.  The boys were carrying bokkens, and the girls were armed with a trident and a staff.  What seemed to be the leader of the kendoists was looking at him with annoyance.  Before Ryoga could recover his balance enough to say anything else, he snapped, "Stay out of this!  This is an honor challenge to our kendo club!  We don't need your help!"

                "My help?  What're you talking about?" Ryoga asked blankly.

                Ling-Ling sniffed.  "Just now Ling-Ling ask boys if they have everybody they need for fight.  Ask if anybody else want to help them out.  You jump to feet and volunteer, yes?"

                Ryoga felt like the biggest idiot in the world just then.  "Um, sorry, I was thinking of something else.  I'll get out of here and let you have your... fight?!  Hey, wait a minute!"  The former lost boy found something else to focus on instead of his embarrassment.  "Are all you guys gonna fight them?"

                "Yeah, that's right.  They challenged our honor as a kendo club!"

                "Your honor?" Ryoga growled.  "That's funny.  Seems to me that if nine guys are willing to gang up on a couple of girls, they haven't got much honor to be concerned with in the first place!"

                The leader seemed to swell in outrage.  "How dare you!  Get out of here while you can still walk without a crutch!"

                Ryoga sneered a sneer calculated to drive the other even farther into irrational anger.  "Big words from a little boy with a little stick.  You think you're something special, hot stuff?  Then I challenge you to face me first, one on one!  If you take me down, then you can all gang up on these two!"

                By now his opponent had completely forgotten about the previous challenge.  Stiffly he saluted Ryoga, then gave an ear-splitting war-cry and charged forward, striking with his bokken.

                It was just his bad luck that his target had plenty of experience sparring with someone who was a better kendoist than he could ever hope to be.  In one smooth motion, Ryoga sidestepped, whipped the bandana off his head (and for the first time ever recorded, there wasn't one underneath it.  Ryoga had lost the ability to duplicate them when the Oni soul left him.  But he could still put a chi charge into the one he had), and swiped with it at the wooden blade.  Ryoga was generous--he gave the kendoist a moment to stand there looking stupid with a bladeless hilt in his hands.  Then the former lost boy unleashed a devastating combo of punches which sent his opponent flying backward, unconscious, to crash into his teammates.

                Ryoga replaced the bandana, then glared at the boys in question as they picked themselves up.  "Which one of you honorless vermin is next?" he asked in a deadly calm voice.

                For a moment it looked like they might rush him... then, one by one, their expressions of hostility faded into looks of shame.  Without a word, they hoisted their captain onto their shoulders and departed.

                Behind Ryoga's back, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung exchanged excited grins.  Then, as Ryoga turned to face them, they replaced those with hostile glares.

                "You don't have to thank me.  I was happy to help..." Ryoga's voice trailed off as his eyes met theirs.

                "Thank you?!" Ling-Ling growled.  "Thank you for spit on our honor?!"

                Ryoga gaped.  "Huh?!"

                "We challenge them to fight!  You butt in when not wanted!"

                "Um... sorry..."  Now Ryoga was definitely off-balance.  Why on earth was he apologizing for saving them?!  But they really did seem offended.

                "What you think, we is weakling?!  What give you right say we no can fight them?!"  Lung-Lung glared daggers at Ryoga, doing her best to maintain eye contact rather than letting her gaze rove over his tightly-muscled physique.  "We show you we not weak!  You fight us now!"

                "W- wait a minute, I don't want to- " Ryoga's stammered protest was overridden by a dual cry of "No more talk!  We fight!"  The twins charged forward, coming simultaneously toward each of his flanks in a pincer attack.

                'How the heck did I get myself into this?!'  Ryoga didn't let the thought distract him from the necessary evasive action.  He dived forward, tucking and rolling as the twins' weapons clanged against each other in the empty air where he'd stood the previous second.  An unspoken communication seemed to pass between the girls, then Ling-Ling came straight at him, whirling her staff in a series of thrusts and swipes intended to push Ryoga's defenses to their limits.  Meanwhile, Lung-Lung held back, but maintained a position behind and to one side of him, forcing Ryoga to divide his attention in order to be ready for any sudden attacks from her.

                After a minute of this, Ling-Ling was beginning to feel a little disappointed.  Her opponent had done an okay job of dodging and blocking, but she'd managed to land several blows through his guard.  He was already starting to slow down.  As she saw another opening, the Amazon girl frowned at Ryoga, then took it, striking him solidly in the stomach.

                Her eyes widened in shock as Ryoga whipped his left hand down, grasping the end of the staff.  "Sorry about this," he said apologetically.  As Ling-Ling realized she had been tricked like a novice, he brought his other hand around in a power strike that shattered her weapon at its midpoint.

                "My turn!"  Lung-Lung jumped into the fray, eager again to fight now that she realized his lackluster performance against her sister had just been a ruse.  Ling-Ling jumped back, moving to take up much the same position as her sister had before.  Ryoga saw her whip another staff out of nowhere, and groaned mightily.  'Why me?' he complained mentally, dodging a strike from his opponent's trident.  'I wanted to help them, not make them angry at me.  And if I just run off now they'll probably think it's an even worse insult.  But I can't let them beat me, not when they're out for blood like this.  Gotta defeat 'em without hurting them.'  He just hoped they weren't carrying too many spare weapons.

                During Ryoga's silent soliloquoy, he'd dodged twelve strikes from his opponent and deflected seven.  Letting a few connect wasn't an option when the weapon in question was something that could spear him like a pig at a luau.  Lung-Lung was smiling at him now, which only confused the former lost boy further.  The green-haired girl took a pace back and called out something in Chinese.  Ryoga tensed, expecting to be double-teamed, but Ling-Ling just held her ground.  Lung-Lung began to spin her trident like a drill, her smile fading to a look of intense concentration as the tines spun faster and faster.  As it reached the maximum speed she could maintain without losing control, she stabbed it down into the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

                That was her sister's cue to rush forward, staff at the ready.  Lung-Lung reversed her hold on the trident and swung with the blunt end toward where Ryoga should be coughing and choking, trying to clear the dirt from his eyes and lungs.  Ling-Ling came in at an angle, striking high where her sister was aiming low.

                Ryoga, however, had instinctively rolled to one side as the dust cloud exploded.  Ling-Ling's attack missed entirely, and he managed by pure instinct to block Lung-Lung's.  Even in the heat of the moment, he realized they'd struck with much less force than would be needed to really affect him.  He didn't have time at the moment to wonder why, though.  With a huge leap, Ryoga shot back out of the dust cloud, which settled a minute later to reveal the twins regarding him with excited grins, of all things!

                The former lost boy stared at them in confusion.  Ling-Ling turned to her sister.  "Time to see if he's good enough to handle both of us!"

                Her sister snickered and nodded assent.  As one they cried out, "Two bodies double team attack!!"  Ling-Ling vaulted onto her twin's shoulders, and the two began to spin like a whirlwind.  They shot toward him, and Ryoga just managed to dive to one side, avoiding the trident and staff by a hair.

                At this point the former lost boy was experiencing quite a bit of anxiety.  Those weapons hadn't been moving with quite enough force to break bones, but he knew he would have felt the impact in the morning if he'd been just a little slower.  At least the girl with the trident was swinging it rather than stabbing with it.  It didn't LOOK like they were seriously trying to kill him.  But he was getting awfully tired of this.  As the whirling duo corrected course and came back toward him, Ryoga dashed to one side, stopping next to the bench he'd been sitting on previously.  With a silent prayer of thanks for Kodachi's advanced chi-manipulation scrolls, Ryoga focused his energies and temporarily boosted his strength.  For the next several minutes he'd be almost as strong as when he'd still been part Oni.

                Not that he needed that much time.  With one hand, Ryoga grabbed the bench and hefted it effortlessly, angling it so that the trident and staff were caught in the ornamental ironwork curlicues on his makeshift shield.  There was a sudden, brief conflict between the twins' angular velocity and the immobility of their weapons.  Ryoga's grip on the bench won out; Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung felt their weapons wrench out of their grasp, even as their balance was disrupted.  The girls shot backwards, landing about twenty feet away.  Lung-Lung felt a moment's gratitude to her twin for cushioning her landing.

                Ryoga set down the bench and picked up the polearms.  He waited for the girls to get back to their feet.  "Sorry about this," he repeated.  "Look, I don't want to insult you girls, and I don't want to hurt you either."  He flexed his arms and snapped the hafts of their weapons.  "I don't think you're weaklings.  Can't we let it go at that?"

                Ling-Ling scowled.  Her head was still spinning, and for a moment she forgot all details other than the fact that she was in the middle of a fight.  "We not out of attacks yet!  Get ready for Dance of Great Fire Drag- ouch!"  She turned a betrayed look on her sister, who'd just smacked her on the head.  "What that for?!"

                Lung-Lung rolled her eyes.  "I THOUGHT the idea was that we were going to lose to him if he proved he was good enough.  Where exactly does the Dance of the Great Fire Dragon fit into that picture?  If we use that, he'll lose unless he's incredibly stubborn and partly tone-deaf.  Are you saying you don't want him as a husband unless he's got no talent for instrumental music?!"

                "Okay, okay, sorry.  I forgot for a minute just what we were fighting for."  Ling-Ling grinned sheepishly, then turned back to Ryoga.  "You get lucky today, we not use Dance after all."  Instead she produced yet another staff.  Lung-Lung whipped out a replacement trident.  The twins tensed up, preparing to rush forward to glorious defeat.

                Ryoga groaned.  'Man, how do they keep pulling those things out of nowhere?  It's just like Shampoo and her bonbori...'

                His eyes widened and his face paled.  Just like Shampoo... who also had a crazy hair color... and spoke with a strong Chinese accent... and was quite intense in combat... and whose people had some very unusual laws...  Ryoga gulped, then asked, "Before we start trying to beat each other up again, could you at least tell me the real reason we're fighting?  You seem to like it that I'm winning."

                "Big ego, bandana boy.  We fight to test you strength."

                That had all but clinched it for Ryoga, yet a faint, stubborn flicker of hope bade him ask, "And does the name Joketsuzoku mean anything to you?"

                "Mm-hm.  We proud Amazon warriors of Joketsuzoku."  Ling-Ling grinned at him, a hungry grin that Ryoga was NOT comfortable receiving from a girl who looked no older than twelve.  "No more talk.  We fight!"

                "Ah... heh heh... Gottagobye!"  And with that, Ryoga dashed off in a cloud of dust even larger than the one Lung-Lung had generated earlier.

***************

                Kuno smirked as he watched the antics on the television screen.  Monty Python and the Holy Grail was one of his favorite movies.  And the cowardly Sir Robin reminded him quite a bit of an opponent he'd once faced.  Faced down, not fought.  Although not even that knave Aranoko had been bad enough to hire minstrels to sing his own praises.  Of course, if he had been he would also have been too cowardly to stop the troubadours from making fun of him, such as was happening now for the yellow-bellied knight.

~When danger reared its ugly head,~

                ~he bravely turned his tail and fled.~

                                ~Brave, brave, brave, brave Ryoga~

                Kuno blinked, then hit the pause button and rewound the tape.  He played that part back again, but this time he just heard the normal song lyrics.  "Bizarre," he muttered.  "I wonder why I imagined I heard Ryoga's name in place of Sir Robin's?"

***************

                As Ryoga raced through Nerima at his top speed, he found himself regretting for the first time ever the loss of his ability to get lost.  He was uncomfortably aware that he couldn't keep this pace up for much longer, the battle having drained quite a lot of his stamina.  Since the fight had been two against one and most of their strikes had been at less than full power, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung hadn't used up as much of their reserves as he had.  They'd almost caught him twice now.  Only the fact that Ryoga knew the streets of Nerima better than they did had enabled him to stay out of their grasp this long.

                Out of the corner of his eye, Ryoga saw Ling-Ling's staff come whirling toward him at a furious pace.  On instinct he whipped off his bandana, charged it with chi, and threw it.  Even as the cloth left his fingers he mentally kicked himself... he really couldn't afford to drain his energies much further.  It would have been much better just to dodge the attack.

                Ling-Ling pouted as she watched the bandana cut yet another of her staves in half.  That throw had been perfect--if Ryoga had dodged, the rebounding rod would have knocked both her and her sister out.  A clear victory for their soon-to-be-Airen.

                Ryoga groaned as he saw Lung-Lung catch the bandana, which was safe to do after it had expended its charge against the staff, and tie it around her own forehead.  Then he took off running again.

                Another ten minutes passed without any more close calls, as the twins made the mistake of attempting to head Ryoga off at the pass only to have him switch direction while he was out of their sight.  This maneuver bought him some time, but Ryoga was forced to face the fact that he was nearly out of endurance.  'I've gotta find a place to lie low,' he thought desperately.  Trouble was, the Kuno mansion was way too far away to reach in time.  'Oh man, what am I gonna do?'

                "Geez, Ryoga.  You look like you just got through running a marathon.  Is something wrong?"

                Ryoga blinked, then realized where he was.  Namely, standing right in front of Ukyo's restaurant.  It was forty-five minutes before opening time, so the door was still closed and the sign hadn't been hung out yet.  Ukyo was looking at him from the window, an expression of concern on her face.

                In one last burst of desperate speed, Ryoga shot through the door of the restaurant.  Ukyo frowned at him.  "Hey, you jackass, you could have waited for me to unlock it first, you know."  There went some of her first day's profits.

                Ryoga didn't have breath to spend on an apology just then.  He staggered over to the sink, filled a glass with water, turned to face Ukyo, gasped out "Hide my clothes and don't let them get me!", and dumped said water over his head.

                For the second time in three days, Ukyo stared in shock at the magic of Jusenkyo.  Not until Ryoga-piglet began to sqeal agitatedly did she remember what he'd said about hiding his clothes.  Mechanically she gathered them up, folded them, and placed them in a drawer.  Thoughts of sympathy filled her mind.  'That's one horrible curse,' Ukyo thought dazedly.  'I can only imagine how much stress he's been under.  Poor Ryoga-kun, starting to hallucinate that his clothes are out to get him.'

                "Where bandana boy?"

                The question drew Ukyo's attention away from her comrade's curse.  On seeing two new intruders, each of whom was carrying a weapon, the chef frowned and picked up her combat spatula.  "Hey, what do you girls think you're doing here?  The restaurant's not open for business yet!"  Meanwhile, Ryoga-piglet did his best to act nonchalant.

                Lung-Lung glanced strangely at the piglet rooting around the base of a table as if looking for truffles, then returned her attention to the taller girl.  "Door is open," she pointed out.  And it was going to stay open until a repairman could restore the hinges that had been torn out of the doorframe and rehang it.  The sight of the damage, obviously caused by someone very strong in a great hurry, had made the twins all but certain they knew which way their quarry had run.  "And not here for food anyway.  Tell now where is bandana boy!"

                'Oh, I guess he wasn't talking about his clothes after all.'  Ukyo surreptitiously pinched herself.  Ouch!  No, it wasn't a dream.  "Look, there's no boys here.  What the heck are you talking about?!"

                "Spatula girl say look, so we look."  With that, the twins turned away and searched all throughout the building, looking into every cranny that might be large enough to hide a person.  Ukyo was glad the drawer she'd chosen as a receptacle for Ryoga's clothes was too small for them to bother with.  Some time later the search concluded, and a dejected pair of Amazons walked out of the restaurant.

                Ryoga-piglet and Ukyo heaved simultaneous sighs of relief.  The chef sank down to a sitting position, regarding Ryoga with a still-stunned expression.  "You poor thing.  You've really had it rough."  Ryoga nodded.  "How long have you been stuck with this curse?"

                Ryoga squealed and grunted, giving the porcine equivalent of 'way too long'.

                "And why were those girls after you, anyway?"

                More barnyard sound effects.  Ukyo nodded attentively, then remarked, "You know, sugar, it might help if I got you some hot water first."  She got up, still fighting the feeling that she was stuck in some bizarre dream, and headed for the bathroom.

                Meanwhile, Ryoga-piglet finally felt safe enough to relax his guard.  He flopped down on his belly and let the tension drain out of him.  He was still lying there, less than half-aware of his surroundings, when a cascade of hot water poured over him.

                "YEOWWW!!"  Ryoga jumped and whirled around.  That had been a little TOO hot!

                "ACK!"  Ukyo stared just long enough to turn beet red, then whipped around and faced away from him.

                "AHHH!  SORRY!"  Ryoga wrenched open the drawer with his clothes and dressed with lightning speed.  There was an incredibly awkward silence for a few moments as each continued to face away from the other.  

Eventually Ukyo broke it.  "S- sorry about that, sugar.  I kinda forgot about the clothes angle.  I mean, Ranma already demonstrated his curse for me, and that wasn't a problem for him, and so I didn't even think about how it was different for you..."  The chef let her voice trail off as her blush came back.  With an effort, she forced the images to the back of her mind.  Still without looking around, she asked again, "So how long have you had your curse?"

                Ryoga sighed.  "Got it at the same time Ranma got his," he replied.

                "That can't possibly have been a coincidence."  Ukyo frowned.  Ranma hadn't mentioned anything about Ryoga the other night, when he'd told her about his curse.

                "No.  Ranma had just gotten cursed, and she was chasing after Genma to show him what she thought of his choice of training grounds.  I was on a cliff overlooking Jusenkyo, and they ran into me and knocked me down.  I landed in the Spring of Drowned Piglet, but I guess you already figured that part out."

                "That... that JACKASS!" growled Ukyo.  "How could he do that to you?!"

                "Easily enough," Ryoga snorted.  "Have you ever seen how big Genma is in his cursed form?  Ranma didn't even see me."  He looked down at the floor.  "And it sure wasn't Ranma's fault I was there in the first place," he muttered.

                By now Ukyo had recovered enough poise to turn back around and face Ryoga.  "What were those girls after you for, anyway?"

                Ryoga turned around as well.  "They're Amazons.  Remember what Shampoo told you yesterday, about the laws for women of her tribe who get defeated in combat?"

                Ukyo's eyes widened.  "Those kids looked like they were about eleven years old!  Don't TELL me you beat them and now they think you're their husband!"

                "Well, I kinda realized they were Amazons and broke off the fight before anything decisive happened."  Unfortunately for the former lost boy, Ryoga's definition of decisive wasn't exactly the same as the Amazon twins'.  The battle had been more than conclusive enough for Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to make a certain decision.  "But according to Shampoo, most Amazons REALLY like to have strong fighters for husbands.  Maybe these two are trying to get a head start on the rest of the girls in their generation."   

                "Just what were you doing fighting two little kids like that anyway?" Ukyo asked.

                "Hey, they started it!" he answered defensively.  "They were about to take on a group of nine guys when I stepped in and told the jerks off for bullying two little kids like that.  The girls got all mad and attacked me instead.  I made sure not to hurt them, too, just dodged and blocked and broke a few of their weapons."

                "So you didn't actually defeat them, or get the Kiss of Marriage.  Thank goodness," Ukyo said, heaving a sigh of relief.  A split second later, her blush came back with a vengeance as she realized exactly how obvious she'd just been.

                "Yeah, no joke.  I don't want to have to marry a couple of pre-teen girls."  Ryoga gave Ukyo a confused stare as she facefaulted.

                'That wasn't what I meant!'  This time Ukyo managed not to blurt out the indiscretion.  Seeking a safer subject, the chef asked,  "So did this fight happen when you were in China?  Why did you go to Jusenkyo anyway?"

                "Actually, I fought them this morning."  Ryoga paused for a bit, then said, "As for Jusenkyo, I was following Ranma."

                Now Ukyo was really curious.  Ryoga had sounded more depressed about that than when he talked about his curse earlier.  "What for?" she prompted him.

                Ryoga sat in silence for a while, trying to decide where to begin.  At last he said, "My family has a real problem with directions, Ukyo.  I used to be able to get lost in an empty room with one door.  I'd leave from home to go to school, and end up in a different city.  I also had a really bad temper back in those days."  He went on to describe his earlier history with Ranma, admitting with shame that he'd been enraged at Ranma's 'running away' after waiting 'only' three days for him to show up.

                "Let me see if I've got this straight.  You followed him to China to get revenge, and caught up with him at Jusenkyo?  The absolute worst possible place and time?!"  Ukyo gave a low whistle.  "Wow, sugar, have you got some kind of Oni curse on your luck?"  Then she wondered why he'd flinched so badly just then.

                Ryoga took a deep breath.  "Turning into a pig sucks, all right, but it's a small price to pay for another change in my life."

                Ukyo sat through the rest of his tale, too stunned even to take note of the growing crowd of impatient would-be customers forming in the lane outside her restaurant.  By the time Ryoga finished his account, he felt like he'd carried a mountain for several miles.  It was the first time he'd personally told anyone else his darkest secrets.  The former lost boy sat and tried to push away the feelings of shame that had resurfaced as he told the story.

                As Ukyo looked at him, and took in the depth of the pain he was feeling, her expression softened even further.  "Ryoga-kun..." she murmured, then came to a decision.  She placed a hand on his shoulder.

                Ryoga swallowed, and looked up.  "W- what?"

                "Come on, let's get outta here.  I think we could both use some fresh air."

                He gave her a searching look, then risked a weak smile.  "But what about your adoring public?"  He gestured to the people in the lane outside.  It wasn't nearly as bad as the previous day, as many of the people who'd been squashed then had resolved to wait until business was less pressing before coming back.  Still, there were quite a few people waiting for Ukyo to unfurl the banner signaling her restaurant was open for business.

                "Ah... well..." The businesswoman in Ukyo demanded she stay here and open up shop.  The romantic insisted she go off with Ryoga and help him feel wanted.  What to do?

                "And anyway, I'd rather not risk running into those two Amazons again," Ryoga continued.  "How about I stay here and help you with the restaurant?"

                Ukyo gave him a relieved smile.  "Thanks, Ryoga.  I really appreciate this."  'Maybe someday soon I'll show you just how much.'

                Ryoga gave Ukyo an odd glance as she continued to stare off into space with a goofy smile.  He shrugged and quickly set up the rest of the tables and chairs.

***************

                Two hours later, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were forced to conclude that they'd lost their quarry.  They'd looked high and low, poking into out-of-the-way corners and leaving no stone unturned.  Someone more familiar with large cities might have been a little wary of doing this, preferring not to risk a mugging or an encounter with a panhandler.  However, the Amazon twins came from a village that was nothing like a typical city.  They hadn't had a clue what kind of unsavory encounters they were letting themselves in for when they started poking into the dark corners of Nerima.

                Lung-Lung grimaced and shook her trident, managing to get most of the ichor off it.  She looked down at the tentacled, fanged monstrosity that had been lurking in the dumpster, and remarked disgustedly, "Is too too ugly even to take as trophy."

                Ling-Ling frowned as she regarded the deep grooves on her staff.  "Never lose four in one day before," she said.  Then she brightened.  "Is for sure Japan make for good training, yes?"

                "You right about that."  Lung-Lung sighed.  "But we still no find Airen.  And I getting hungry too."

                Her twin shrugged philosophically.  "Is good enough for one day we meet him in first place.  If we no catch today, then tomorrow or next day.  If worse come to worse, maybe we give bandana to Great-Grandmother and tell her we bet she no can find who it come from."  Her stomach growled, and she continued, "Ling-Ling think it time for lunch too."  An idea occurred to her, and she suggested, "You want eat at restaurant where we not find bandana boy?  Maybe we look around again, see if we miss something first time."

                Lung-Lung agreed, and the two set out.  Another thirty minutes of walking took them out of the twisting maze of Nerima back alleys.  Since it was daylight, and they weren't deliberately intruding into the shadowed hiding-holes, they didn't have to fight any more battles.  This was just as well, as Ling-Ling was down to her last two staves.

                When they arrived at Ukyo's Okonomiyaki, two things immediately became apparent.  One, it was too crowded for them to want to go in and eat there.  Two, their soon-to-be-Airen was waiting tables.  The twins drew back, and concealed themselves across the street.  Lung-Lung scowled at Ukyo, whom she could just make out behind the grill.  "Spatula girl learn it not nice to lie to womans of Amazon tribe."

                "That right," affirmed Ling-Ling.  "We wait here until restaurant close, then go in, get Airen, and show outsider girl what we think of her."

                The two settled in for a long wait.  However, five minutes later Ling-Ling's stomach growled again.  "We no need both here at same time to watch, Lung-Lung.  I go get some food, be back soon.  What kind you want?"

                Lung-Lung considered.  "Would really like some of Great-Grandmother's special ramen right now."  Then her expression changed from wistful hunger to sick horror.  "But you no need go fetch that.  We have right here."  She produced the ramen delivery order that Cologne had given them more than three hours previously.  Ling-Ling's face shifted to match her sister's look of trepidation.

                Before either girl could suggest a course of action, the sound of a throat clearing drew their gazes, slowly and reluctantly, to rest on the Matriarch.  She was standing five feet away, regarding them from on top of her staff, and did NOT look happy.

***************

                It was quite late when Ukyo's finally closed.  As he made his way back to the Kuno mansion, Ryoga considered the irony of looking forward to school the next day as actually being less likely to exhaust him.  Of course, only a small part of his mental energy was taken up in this task.  The vast majority of his attention was focused in sneaking back without being spotted by amorous Amazons.

                On reaching the mansion without incident, he sighed with relief.  One of the servants met him at the door and informed him that everyone else had gone out to dinner.  This didn't bother Ryoga unduly, since he'd consumed several okonomiyaki for his supper.  He considered waiting for everyone to get back, so he could ask Shampoo for details about the latest complication to enter his life, but quickly decided he was just too tired.

***************

                The next morning, as Ranma, Shampoo, and Kodachi entered the dining room, Ranma was surprised to find Ryoga already there, just finishing his breakfast.  "What's the hurry, Ryoga?"

                Ryoga gulped the last of his miso soup, and said, "I told Ukyo I'd walk with her to school today.  She felt a little nervous since it was gonna be the first day she went without being disguised as a guy, and told me she'd feel better if I was with her.  Since I already knew the truth and all."  He deliberately didn't look at the smug expression of triumph on Shampoo's face.

                Ranma looked on thoughtfully as Ryoga hurried out.  "I wonder... it almost seems like Ucchan might be interested in Ryoga or something.  What do you guys think?"  They stared at him incredulously, and he continued defensively, "Well, it's not THAT crazy, is it?!  I mean, she stops dressin' as a guy after he finds out she's a girl, and she gives him that huge discount at her restaurant, and now she's wantin' to walk to school with him... I just thought it could be..."  Ranma noted that the sheer disbelief in the girls' stares had only increased.  "Okay, okay, it was a dumb idea.  You don't have to rub it in my face," he grumbled.

                Kodachi gave him one last incredulous look, then turned to Shampoo.  "I would not have believed it if I hadn't heard it with my own ears," she said.

                The Amazon shrugged.  "Even if Ranma turn into girl, and have memories from two girl lifetimes, he still man at heart."

***************

                Ukyo sat at her desk and pondered.  She'd followed Ryoga's advice; on entering the classroom she hadn't made any explanations or acted in any way as if her appearance that morning was somehow different from her debut the previous week.  Ukyo didn't MIND that the students seemed to accept this without any difficulty, but it did strike her as being slightly bizarre.  And in fact she was a bit concerned that it didn't seem stranger to her.  For better or for worse, she was adapting to life in Nerima.

                'Heh, I was right.'  Ryoga congratulated himself.  He'd taken into account the sheer amount of weirdness that attendees at Furinkan were accustomed to, and decided that the students in his and Ukyo's class would probably just decide they hadn't been paying close enough attention to the new guy... er, girl.  The former lost boy glanced around the classroom, checking to see whether anyone was shooting questioning glances at Ukyo, and came to an unpleasant realization.  Shinji, captain of the croquet team, was glaring at his chemistry club nemesis, Koga, as if readly to get medieval on the other with a croquet mallet.  Koga was returning the scowl with an insufferably insolent smirk.

                Ryoga bit his lip, more than a little annoyed that Mr Takamura was late again.  You'd almost think the guy was unwilling to get to class on time or something.

                "You think you're really funny, don't you, Koga.  It would've been bad enough if you'd just sabotaged our equipment to keep us from competing in the match with Kolhoz on Sunday.  But you had to get creative, didn't you?!  You had to rig our stuff to make it look like we were trying to cheat!" Shinji snarled at the other.  "Thanks to you and your stupid frictionless coating on our balls, we got thrown out and barred from future competitions!"

                Suddenly the smirk vanished from Koga's face.  He inclined his head contritely.  "You're right.  It was wrong of us to do that.  I see it now."  Shinji's rage dissolved into blank confusion.  Then Koga looked up and added, "I was just trying to do you a favor, though.  I mean, now you won't have to keep losing all those matches."  The smirk reappeared, as did Shinji's redoubled fury.

                "I don't believe this," muttered Ryoga.  He leaned down to open his backpack, intending to put on the gas mask while he still had the chance.  Then out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr Takamura on the other side of the door, about to open it and start class.  With a sigh of relief, Ryoga straightened back up in his chair.

                Shinji looked up as he heard the sound of the doorknob turning.  Without pausing to consider the consequences, not that anyone ever did a lot of that at Furinkan, he threw a mallet toward the door.  It spun end over end before landing in such a position as to wedge the door shut.  He turned back to Koga and snarled, "Since you don't seem to think much of our skill, maybe we better refresh your memory!"

                As a general melee broke out once again, Ukyo declined to repeat her previous mistake.  She took cover in the back of the classroom along with the other students.  Then she stood and watched the fight with a peculiar smoldering expression.  Ryoga, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but notice.  "What's the matter, Ukyo?"

                "I still owe these jackasses for Friday," she responded.  "If you hadn't rescued me I coulda gotten seriously hurt."  The chef suddenly seemed to come to a conclusion.  She ripped two large swatches of cloth from the sleeves of her trademark outfit, made a few curious passes over them with her free hand, then folded them into masks.  "Here, Ryoga-kun, it should repel the chemicals and junk."  Ryoga put it on, reflecting that it was much more comfortable than the gas mask he hadn't had time to don, and started to ask what she was going to do.  The question was answered before he could even ask it as the chef unholstered her combat spatula and dived into the fray.  With a fatalistic shrug, Ryoga plunged in after her.

***************

                In the hallway outside the classroom, Mr Takamura was relaxing with a cigarette.  He listened with half an ear to the tumult inside the room, amusing himself by trying to catalogue the different attacks by sound alone.  A crunch--probably someone using a desk as a shield to stop an attack from a croquet mallet.  That clang HAD to be the new student expressing his displeasure by means of a giant spatula.  And the resounding, horrendous wrenching crash coupled with splintering glass sounded like someone had just taken out most of the back wall.

                As his cigarette burned down to an ember, the sensei lit another.  Get involved in that?  He might work at Furinkan, but he still had some sanity left.

***************

                The crash had indeed come from the back wall.  For a few seconds, all fighting stopped as every eye turned to look at the newcomers.  Eventually, one of the girls at the back broke the stunned silence.

                "Um, this is Furinkan HIGH School.  Junior high is two streets to the north."

                Ling-Ling gave her an odd glance, then returned her gaze to Ryoga.  "Is you ready to pick up where leave off yesterday, bandana boy?"

                Ryoga groaned.  "Look, I know you've probably never been to a public school before, but it's not the kind of place for a fight..."  He realized just how ridiculous he sounded, but forged on anyway.  "Why don't you look me up later."  'Like in about ten years.'

                Lung-Lung sniffed.  "Maybe we no want wait.  Maybe we want finish things now!"

                Koga picked himself up from the floor, where he'd been knocked by a spin kick from Ryoga.  "Why don't you go with them, Hibiki?" he growled.  "And take Kuonji with you.  We didn't ask you two to get involved in our--"

                "An opening!"  Shinji seized the opportunity afforded by Koga's distraction and sent a double fistful of wickets spinning toward his foe.  The metal hoops pinned Koga to the wall against which he was bracing himself.  With an incoherent roar of anger, the remainder of the chemistry team leapt back into the fray.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung blinked as the hostilities resumed, then exchanged grins and joined the melee as well.

                Ryoga and Ukyo wisely withdrew.  Ryoga watched intently, hoping against hope for someone else to defeat the twins.  No such luck; the boys were too intent on their own rivalry to pay enough attention to the Amazons, who swept through the students like a forest fire.  In only five minutes the fight was over.

                Ling-Ling looked over the sprawled bodies of the former combatants, and sniffed disdainfully.  "Mans of Japan even weaker than ones in China."  Then she turned to grin at Ryoga.  "Most is, anyway.  You still owe us finish to fight, bandana boy."

                "That right!"  Ryoga jumped as he realized Lung-Lung had somehow appeared right beside him.  "Is no nice to keep womans waiting."  Ling-Ling slipped over to Ryoga's other side as her sister continued, "We go someplace more private and finish what we start yesterday, yes?"

                Ryoga looked over their heads to meet Ukyo's gaze.  "HELP!" his trapped, panicked gaze begged.  Ukyo gestured for him to take a step back.  The former lost boy was only too happy to comply.

                The twins started to step forward to keep pace with him... but a certain okonomiyaki chef had other ideas.  She whipped her spatula in a sweeping arc, catching the Amazons off guard and sending them soaring back out through the hole they'd made in the wall, to disappear in the sky with a faint gleam of light.

***************

                Ukyo grumbled a little as she made her way back to her restaurant after school.  "Figures," she muttered.  "I spend the last half of the school day getting up my courage to ask Ryoga to walk back with me and hang out at my place, and it turns out he needs to go ask Shampoo for help with those two man-hungry little menaces.  Oh well, I guess it won't hurt me any to open for business early."

                However, this was not to be.  Ukyo's danger sense suddenly kicked in, and she whipped her spatula off her back.  A second later, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung dropped from a nearby rooftop to land in front of her.

                "Nihao," said Lung-Lung, regarding the chef with a stony gaze.

                "You two again!  What do you want?!" Ukyo snapped.

                "Want to give spatula girl piece of advice.  No get too close to bandana boy if you know what good for you."

                "And better not attack from behind again either," Ling-Ling growled.  "Is not good idea to mess with womans of Amazon tribe."

                "Womans?!" the chef sneered.  "I don't see any womans here.  Just a couple of little girls causing trouble.  Don't TELL me that they let ten-year-olds get married in your tribe!"

                Lung-Lung's grip on her trident tightened convulsively.  The handle snapped, and she discarded it and pulled out a new one.  "We fourteen years old, stupid spatula girl!  Not our fault we no look it!!"

                Ukyo gave a disbelieving laugh.  "You expect me to believe that?  I could almost accept twelve, but that's the limit of my credulous nature, sugar."

***************

                "So they're really fourteen years old?" Ryoga marveled as he walked home with Ranma, Shampoo, and Kodachi.

                "Mm-hm," Shampoo answered.  "They take after mother.  She short and... what is word... petite too.  Was very touchy subject with her when she teenager, or so Shampoo hear."

                "There isn't much of a family resemblence between you and them, that's for sure," remarked Kodachi.

                "Is probably because their mother was outsider, who win acceptance into tribe.  She very good with sword."

                "Hey, I remember her now.  Good ol' Li Na.  Has an appetite as big as Pop, but never seems to gain any weight.  Especially not where she'd like to."  Ranma gazed contemplatively off into the distance.  "Sure would be wild if those stories she told everybody about her past are all true."

                "Stories?" Kodachi asked.

                "Li Na found unconscious near village about twenty year ago.  She claim to be great sorceress, but she no can cast even smallest spell.  She say she come from other world, where magic work different, and that why she no can do any here.  It still sore point with her, and Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung inherit  mother's temper as well as build."

***************

                "Spatula girl have big mouth.  Maybe we teach you some respect!"

                "That right!  We challenge you!  Spatula girl learn better than to mess with womans of Amazon tribe!"

                "Listen," Ukyo ground out, "I am getting fed up to HERE with the term SPATULA GIRL!  Now I SUGGEST you go run home to mommy... little kids could get hurt playing with pointy sticks and things like that."

                It was a good thing the twins were standing several feet apart at that point, for had they been in their usual side-by-side pose their combined battle auras might have ignited their clothing.  "We meet in park in fifteen minute, SPATULA GIRL, unless you is too big coward!!"

                The Amazons stalked off, but the drama of their exit was ruined as Ukyo called out after them, "What park?  There's three of them within walking distance, you know."

***************

                Fifteen minutes soon passed, and Ukyo faced Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung again.  Ironically enough, they were in the very same clearing where, in a time lost to mortal memory, Shampoo had been the one to battle the younger Amazons.  After a long moment of silence, Ukyo spoke up.  "Well, here I am.  I'll try not to humiliate you too badly."

                The twins just gave her identical stares of cold disdain.  They'd used the quarter-hour interlude to calm down and prepare themselves for the combat, and had no intention of letting their opponent knock them off balance with insults.  "Ling-Ling not think spatula girl has to worry about that."   The Amazons gave twin salutes to their foe, then split up and began to circle her.

                Now, Ukyo was no fool, and she had also cooled down during the interval before the fight.  The chef didn't particularly want to deal with a possible Kiss of Death, and had realized that the situation was a bit too complicated for her to just sail in and give the little nuisances the spanking they deserved.  And so she decided to do as Ryoga had done, and beat them without actually defeating them.

                As the Amazons circled her like a pair of cute vultures, Ukyo pretended to focus more and more of her attention on Ling-Ling.  Then, as she sensed Lung-Lung preparing to launch an attack, the chef whirled.  With a screaming cry to startle her opponents and knock them just that little bit off-balance that makes all the difference, Ukyo launched a throwing spatula.  Her throw cleaved the head off Lung-Lung's trident.

                Lung-Lung growled and tossed the haft at Ukyo.  Ling-Ling took the opportunity to charge in for an attack of her own.  Ukyo grabbed the rod out of the air, sidestepping and swinging it low to knock Ling-Ling's feet out from under her.  Even as she fell, the cherry-haired Amazon swung her staff and managed to connect with a glancing blow to Ukyo's side.  However, her position made it impossible to put any real force behind the blow.  Ukyo laughed scornfully.  "I thought we were fighting, not playing patty-cake!"

                Ling-Ling rolled to her feet, a murderous scowl on her face.  She signaled to her sister, who leaped onto her shoulders, replacement trident at the ready.  "Two bodies double-team attack!!"

                Ukyo quickly realized the time for insults and taunts had passed.  The blurring duo attacked with blazing speed.  It was all their opponent could do to block the furious assault of trident and staff.  The chef nearly began to panic as she realized she couldn't even spare the time to retreat--the strikes were just coming too fast; she'd be sure to be hit if she let up her guard at all.  Then Ukyo realized something and relaxed, continuing to parry for another minute.

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung continued their whirlwind attack, furious that the spatula girl was managing to block their best efforts.  Ling-Ling gritted her teeth, drew on more of her reserves, and increased the speed of the spin even further.  Maybe they could knock the weapon out of their opponent's hands...

                This proved to be a tactical mistake.  The twins were used to practising their moves in the rocky terrain of the Bayankhala mountains.  The park soil where they were standing was a good deal softer.  Ukyo had already noticed a slight depression forming at Ling-Ling's feet... and with the increase in speed, the ground reached its breaking point.  The twins let out a startled "AIIYYEEEE!" as Ling-Ling suddenly drilled her way a full meter into the earth.

                Ukyo stepped back and gave a mock salute.  "Looks to me like you two kids defeated yourselves.  I don't want to hear any nonsense about the Kiss of Death, okay?"

                Lung-Lung helped her twin out of the hole.  Ling-Ling hissed in pain as her sprained ankle made its presence known.  The lime-haired girl gave her a sympathetic look, then turned to glare at Ukyo.  "You get lucky today, spatula girl."  Whatever else she was going to say was lost as Ling-Ling cut her off with a few emphatic sentences in Mandarin.  Lung-Lung gave her twin a look that plainly asked, 'Are you sure?'  Ling-Ling's own gaze returned an emphatic 'Yes!'  The uninjured Amazon turned back to face the chef, as her sister took up a position near her.

                As one they cried out, "Behold terrifying technique develop over three thousand years of Chinese Amazon history!  Dance of Great Fire Dragon!!"

                Ukyo felt both awe and dismay as she saw a red glow spring up around the twins and then rear high in the form of a dragon.  Then she blinked, and laughed, as the glow faded to reveal the 'dragon' was made of papier-mache.  "What kind of stupid attack is that supposed to be?"

                "Spatula girl no dance very good.  Need learn better--the hard way!!"

                At that point, Ukyo belatedly realized that she was, in fact, dancing along to the incredibly catchy music emanating from the dragon.  She growled and tried to bring her body back under control, but to no avail.  "GRRR.  When I get my hands on you two I'm gonna--AAHHHH!"  This last as a sudden stream of fire shot out from the flamethrower in the dragon's mouth, lightly toasting her.

                "Spatula girl think she such hot stuff, we help her make it true!  Fire Dragon Fire Ball!!"  Lung-Lung manipulated a different lever, and a huge ball of flame blasted forth, nearly hitting Ukyo.  Sheer luck saved her as the attack coincided with a music-induced spin to the side.  The fireball landed right next to Ukyo, and the concussive blast knocked her several meters backward, into a tree.

                Ukyo stumbled back to her feet, desparately fighting the ringing in her ears.  She was too dazed to note that she wasn't dancing any longer.  Her eyes focused on her opponents, and on instinct she launched herself forward, spatula at the ready to do some dragon-slaying.

                On seeing their foe get to her feet, apparently no longer affected by the music, Ling-Ling panicked and turned the volume way up on their boombox. 

***************

                In another part of the park entirely, Kaede was holding her breath as she watched the culmination of all her dreams of the past two years.  Her boyfriend had finally worked up the courage to propose to her!  As Shinjuki sank to his knees, it seemed to Kaede that the heavens themselves had put on a background musical score to accompany the most wonderful moment of her life.

                Hmm... catchy music, too...  

                Kaede realized Shinjuki was no longer kneeling and she was no longer seated on the park bench.  She blinked.  She'd pictured this moment well over a thousand times, and none of those rehearsals had included interruption by a dance scene.

***************

                Ukyo charged, dashing forward to finish the fight.

                She wasn't quite fast enough.

                The rush of adrenaline cleared her head enough for the music to register again.  Ukyo's attack faltered only three steps away from her opponents as she began to dance even more furiously than before.  Slowly, due to Ling-Ling's bad ankle, the twins backed away, getting the necessary distance between themselves and Ukyo.  Then they grinned identical grins of triumph and launched a fireball from the highest nonlethal setting.

***************

                Several minutes later, a charred, blackened figure pulled itself to its feet, using a giant spatula as a brace.  Ukyo groaned, and began to make her way back toward her restaurant with a gait that was half stalk, half stagger.  She hadn't gone very far when she found herself with company.

                'Oh, man, Shampoo was right.  They really did a number on her.'  Ryoga had hoped the Amazon was exaggerating the peril that Ukyo would likely face for crossing her cousins, but it seemed that she'd spoken only the truth.  He wished he'd gotten here sooner.  "You okay, Ukyo?"

                "Y- yeah.  I think so," the mistress of okonomiyaki managed to get out.  "But I could sure use a hand here, Ryoga-kun."

                Ryoga gave her a quick but searching glance.  Satisfied that she wasn't seriously injured, and probably wouldn't hurt herself further by staying on her feet, he swallowed, then stepped to her side and draped an arm across her shoulders.  Ukyo slipped her free arm into a similar position over his.

                As the two made their slow way back toward Ukyo's, a smug smile crossed the chef's face under the ash and soot.  'Take that, you little Amazon troublemakers.'

*********************************************************

                Author's notes

                Ranma's comment about what might have happened had Ukyo gone with them to Jusenkyo is a reference to the fic Emptiness and Renewal, by Mark Doherty.  It features an alternaverse where Ukyo goes along with Ranma and Genma, and... you guessed it... falls into the Spring of Drowned Fox.  And I must admit the idea of Lina Inverse as an Amazon came from a joke in D.B. Sommer's Shampoo ½.  

                To anyone who had trouble with the thought of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung defeating Ukyo... remember, the first time they showed up in the anime they were good enough fighters to give Shampoo a run for her money with standard attacks, and actually beat her with the Dance of the Great Fire Dragon.  My theory is that by the second time they showed up, they'd been spending too much time learning not-so-great "secret techniques" *coughcough*danceofpheonix*cough* and had let their basic fighting skills deteriorate.  That ain't gonna happen here (author dodges a volley of throwing spatulas, ignoring Ukyo's cries of "You jackass!!")

                Thanks to Jim Robert Bader for prereading.  Next time:  I stop beating around a certain bush.


	9. In the Name of Love

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.

                ---------------------------- denotes the beginning or end of a flashback.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 8:  In the Name of Love

***************

                A scuffling footfall on the roof behind her announced his presence.  Kodachi didn't look around.  She remained facing stiffly ahead, her posture a clear sign that she didn't wish to be disturbed.

                It took him some minutes of fidgeting, but he eventually worked up his courage.  He cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

                "Leave."

                The frozen hostility in the single word would have been enough to scare off someone less stubborn, but he held his ground.  He gulped, then said, "Look, I know you aren't happy with what's happened.  But we need to talk now!  We can't just leave things like this!"

                In a heartbeat, Kodachi whirled to face him, rising from a seated position to standing fully erect faster than the eye could follow.  She produced her ribbon and channeled every last erg of energy she could into it, not caring that it was now shooting out sparks which were scorching her clothes and the rooftop.  "I... said... LEAVE!!"

                Mousse stared in shock at the incandescent display before him, then turned and fled.

                The White Rose glared after him, then turned back and resumed her earlier position, looking up into the night sky.  Less than a minute later, she sensed the approach of another individual.  Once again, she waited for her visitor to speak before reacting.

                Tatewaki stood there for some minutes, regarding his sister with a stoic expression that did little to hide the pain he was feeling on her behalf.  Eventually he spoke.  "Sister... was that justified?"

                "Quite justified," she answered evenly, without turning around.

                Kuno gulped, but rallied his courage.  "I fail to see how," he replied.  "In what way is he responsible for... the situation?"

                Kodachi sighed, and some of the tension left her.  "I hope that I am fair enough not to judge someone for something that was beyond his control, Tachi.  I am not blaming Mousse or anyone for what has occurred."  Then she growled, "But the timing most definitely IS his fault!  He brought things to a head!  I was not ready for this... not yet..." 

                "Would it really have helped if it had taken longer?" Tatewaki asked softly.

                "Yes!" his sister answered emphatically.  Then, after a long moment of hesitation, she said quietly, "I don't know."  

                There was silence then, for a while.  Eventually Kuno spoke again.  "I still have yet to hear more than the barest details, sister.  Do you think it might help if you related the whole story to me?"

                "Perhaps," said Kodachi slowly.  She still felt a bit like a helpless chip of wood riding along in a raging river.  Perhaps telling the whole story would help her regain some measure of balance.  She frowned, trying to decide where to start.

----------------------------

                As beginnings go, it was comparatively mild.  But perhaps it wasn't accurate to call it a beginning at all.  Events had already been set in motion, and this new happening only served to create a new direction in which they might progress.  So in one sense it was a beginning, the point from which a particular future became possible, but from another perspective it was just another point on the journey.

                Such questions are better left for the philosophers.  Shampoo wasn't feeling very philosophical as she entered the Nekohanten, and she wasn't really thinking about beginnings.  It was the afternoon of the day after her cousins had defeated Ukyo.  The Amazon had been very relieved to see the chef had made it back to school the next day, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to let things continue as they had begun.  

                "Nihao, big sister Shampoo!"  Ling-Ling gave a cheerful wave, but didn't get up from the couch on which she was reclining.  She hadn't yet learned the proper type of chi control to significantly boost her healing, and still needed a few days for her ankle to get back to top form.

                On hearing her twin's greeting, Lung-Lung poked her head out of the kitchen.  "Big sister Shampoo, you just little too late.  Great-Grandmother help me fix too too delicious sweet and sour chicken, but we eat all before you get here.  Then she leave to go run errands."

                "Is okay," replied Shampoo.  She pulled a chair up next to Ling-Ling's couch.  "Shampoo not hungry.  Just came to talk with you."

                Lung-Lung decided the dishes could wait.  She came in and sat down as well.  "You hear good news, big sister?  About we find Airen and beat outsider girl what try keep him away from us?"

                Shampoo sighed, glancing at the black-and-yellow bandana her cousin was still wearing.  "Yes, I heard about it," she replied.  "But the way I heard, he wasn't your Airen yet."

                Ling-Ling waved her hand dismissively.  "It won't be much longer.  As soon as my ankle gets better, we'll fight him again, and lose, and give him the Kiss of Marriage.  We already beat our competition, so there's no real problem left."

                Shampoo frowned slightly.  "And what did you think of her?"  

                "The spatula girl was a surprisingly good fighter for an outsider.  But not good enough!"  Lung-Lung grinned triumphantly.

                "That isn't true," Shampoo replied as soberly as she could.  "She's already beaten you two, and you don't even realize it.  The worst part is she did it by letting you defeat yourselves."

                "W- what do you mean?"  At first Ling-Ling had thought her cousin was joking, but one glance at her eyes dispelled that impression.

                "I mean you've already made the same mistakes I did.  You heard from Great-Grandmother how my former Airen won free of his obligations, right?"  Shampoo pinned the twins with an intense stare.  "Do you think I wanted that?  For him to reject me and say I wasn't good enough?  I loved him very much, at least at first.  And I tried very hard to win his heart.  But everything I did just pushed him further away, because I never stopped to realize that he didn't understand me or my ways.  Just like I didn't understand his.  I tried to fight my way into his heart, but the girl who was already there beat me without using a single attack."

                Lung-Lung frowned.  "So why didn't you scare her off?  I never understood that part, when Great-Grandmother told us what happened.  She just said we should ask you."

                "I tried!  I was threatening enough for them to think I might seriously hurt or even kill her if she didn't get out of the way.  All they did was meet in secret, when I wasn't around.  So then I used the Xi Fang Gao, and that only made Tatewaki colder and angrier at me.  If I had gone further, I would have nothing now!  Probably not even my freedom... Tatewaki's family is powerful, and if I had angered them enough, they could have had me deported or worse."

                "Great-Grandmother could overcome that obstacle easily," Lung-Lung pointed out.

                "Maybe, but it wouldn't have made any difference.  Tatewaki's heart would be just as out of reach as it ever was."  Shampoo placed one hand on a shoulder of each younger girl.  "The Japanese way of thinking is very different from ours.  They don't respect strength in women nearly as much, for one thing.  At least, not a warrior's strength.  When you beat up Ukyo, all you did was make Ryoga feel sorry for her and want to protect her from you."

                "Ukyo?  Ryoga?  Big sister, do you know our Airen?"

                Shampoo sighed.  "I know both of them.  And he's not your Airen until he beats you in combat and receives the Kiss of Marriage.  Which I can tell you now is not going to happen.  He'll just run if you challenge him again."

                "Do you mean we should just give up?  I won't!"

                Shampoo regarded the stricken expressions on their faces.  "You don't even know Ryoga, or how good a husband he would make.  Why are you so set on him?"

                Ling-Ling shook her head.  "You're wrong.  We know enough.  He's brave, and kind, and honorable, and a great fighter.  He thought we were in trouble, and took a risk to defend us, just because it was the right thing to do.  Maybe we don't know his parents' names, or his favorite color, but we know a good man when we see one.  And I am NOT going to give him up to some insulting, lying outsider!"

                "Me neither!" Lung-Lung agreed.

                Shampoo looked at her 'sisters,' and realized there was no way she could change their minds.  The best she was going to be able to do was give them some advice.  It might keep them from suffering as harsh a rejection as she had.  "I know you don't want to hear this, but if you attack Ukyo again you'll just push Ryoga farther and farther away.  If you want to have any chance with him, you need to make him want to choose you.  And he doesn't care at all whether you're better fighters than she is."

                "Then what should we do?" Ling-Ling pleaded.  "If you know him so well, tell us what he does want!"

                "Ryoga has been hurt before; he loved a girl who didn't want him.  I think what he wants more than anything else is for just for someone to love him.  But he's also really shy--if you come on too strong, you'll only scare him off."  Shampoo regarded the twins intently.  "The best advice I can give you is to become friends with him.  Don't push him, don't try to trick him or trap him, and don't threaten Ukyo."

                The twins gave identical sour grimaces.  "So we should just take it when she starts insulting us?"

                "If you want Ryoga to think you're better than her... yes."  With any luck, they'd decide pursuing Ryoga was more trouble than it was worth and look for someone else, Shampoo thought.

                Ling-Ling sighed.  "I guess we shouldn't have expected things to be too easy.  'A thing worth having is a thing worth fighting for.'  I just wish we could fight her for real."

                Shampoo inclined her head.  "Love is never simple."  She bid her cousins goodbye, and left the restaurant.

***************

                The Amazon walked slowly back toward the Kuno mansion, showing no trace of her usual smile.  'Why do these things have to keep happening?' she thought to herself.  'Why do they have to endure the same pain I did?  And why did it have to be Ryoga?'

                "Yo, Shampoo!  What's the matter?"

                Shampoo looked up.  "Ranma?  Kodachi?  Why you not wait for Shampoo at home?"

                "I realized it was as good a time as any to ask your great-grandmother for more details about the Heart Link," Kodachi responded.  "Then, on our way here, Ranma sensed that you were feeling pain and guilt.  What's wrong?"

                Shampoo hesitated, then walked over to a nearby bench and seated herself.  Kodachi sat at the other end, and Ranma upended a trash can to serve as a makeshift stool.  "Shampoo talk to sisters about leave Ukyo alone.  Feel guilty for taking her side over theirs."

                Ranma frowned.  "No kiddin'?  You really told them to leave Ryoga to Ucchan?"

                "Not come out and say it, they no would have listened anyway.  But would have if it come to that.  Is hard thing to have to face, Ranma."  Shampoo studied the ground.  "I feel like traitor, for thinking Ukyo has better claim on Ryoga than own Amazon sisters."

                "A traitor?  Come now, that's much too harsh.  After all, he didn't actually defeat them in combat."

                "If he had, I would support them!  And that make me feel like traitor to Ucchan!  Is no way to win!"

                "So what did you tell them?" Ranma asked sympathetically.  Shampoo related a condensed version of the conversation, and the pig-tailed martial artist gave her a reassuring smile.  "You know what?  I think the best thing you could do is not take either side.  Don't worry about who has the better claim, Shampoo... I mean, it's all Ryoga's choice anyway as long as nobody's honor is on the line, right?  All you hafta do is just sit back and let them work it out."

                "Is good advice, but bit late, Ranma.  I already get involved."

                "Yeah, but it sounds to me like what you did so far helped both Ucchan and your cousins.  So you're even.  Just don't do any more, and you're okay."

                "Exactly," Kodachi agreed.  "The reason you support Ukyo is that she has had such a difficult time up till now, correct?  Your compassion for her in no way makes you a traitor to your sisters.  They're younger and have more time to find someone."  Then the White Rose nearly bit her own tongue as she realized that comment hadn't been very considerate of Shampoo's situation.  She breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the Amazon didn't seem to make the connection.

                "Ranma... Kodachi... thank you.  Shampoo do feel better now."  The Amazon gave them each a smile, then got to her feet.  The others joined her.

                As Shampoo started to walk back toward the Kuno mansion, Kodachi spoke up.  "Wait, Shampoo, we were going to go see your great-grandmother, remember?"

                "Aiyah, that right.  But she not there now.  Left to go run errands.  Is no telling when she get back."

                "Surely it won't take that long?" Kodachi asked.

                Ranma chuckled.  "Depends on what she meant by 'running errands.'  If she just went shopping, it probably won't take more than an hour or two.  But if she meant to go shake down some Yakuza, she won't be back till nightfall."

                The White Rose stared at him, wondering if that had been a joke.  "Shake down the Yakuza?!"

                Shampoo shrugged.  "How you think we get money to run restaurant at a loss?  Great-Grandmother not spend own treasure, that for sure."

                Kodachi sighed, more than a little annoyed.  It seemed as if every time anyone remembered to go ask their questions about the Heart Link, something came up to distract them.  Well, this time it wasn't going to happen.  They were going to go back and wait as long as it took to...

                At that point, a barrage of chains snaked out and wrapped around a telephone pole several feet away from Ranma, effectively distracting her from the thought.

                "I have you now, Saotome!"  The White Rose could only gape as a tall boy in loose white robes, with long black hair, jumped down and landed in front of the offending pole.  "I've been waiting for this moment ever since I learned it was really a man who knocked my beloved Shampoo off the challenge log!  It's your fault she had to leave our village.  And that means it's partly your fault she had to endure a travesty of an engagement to that scum Tatewaki!  The only thing saving you from my full wrath is that you didn't try to force yourself on her.  For that, I'll let you off with just a few bruises!"

                Kodachi hitched her mouth shut, and glanced to her companions.  Ranma was just shaking his head in disgust and anger.  Shampoo was registering dismay, and pinching herself repeatedly as if trying to wake up from a bad dream.

                "What, no pleas for mercy, Saotome?  Just as well.  At least you can face punishment like a man!"  The White Rose turned again to stare at the newcomer, just in time to see him rear back and slam his fist into the telephone pole.  "OWWW!!"

                "Same ol' Mousse," Ranma muttered disgustedly.  Then, louder, "I'm over here, you moron!!"

                Mousse retrieved a first-aid kit from the interior of his robes, wrapped his injured hand, then pulled his glasses down over his eyes and turned in the direction of the voice.  He walked up to Ranma and scrutinized the other's face closely.  Then with a grimace, Mousse brought one knee up forcefully, intending to strike Ranma's chin.  Ranma just swayed to one side, then dropped and swept the Chinese boy's other leg.  Mousse crashed to the ground, then picked himself up, even angrier than before.  "How dare you!"

                "You're one to talk about daring," Ranma sneered.  "What do you think you're doing here?  Her Great-Grandmother gave you a direct order to stay away from Shampoo.  You got a lotta guts coming here after that, considering what happened to the last person to defy a Matriarch's edict."

                Mousse paled and put one hand over his throat reflexively.  Then he seemed to shake off the sudden chill.  "The Council of Elders rescinded that order.  Even the Matriarch doesn't have unlimited power.  The only thing that gave her the right to tell me that was because Shampoo's honor was compromised, having two men for her Airens.  I couldn't have done anything about it, so she could tell me to stay away."  Mousse turned from Ranma to Shampoo, his expression changing from hostility to hang-dog shame.  "And she didn't even send word back when that conflict was resolved.  I'm so sorry, Shampoo.  I'd have been here a lot sooner if I'd known."

                Shampoo glared at him.  "Mousse say that like it would have been good thing.  Is not so!"

                "Come on, Shampoo, don't be that way..."  Kodachi marveled that anyone could so quickly go from the extreme decisive anger Mousse had shown toward Ranma to this craven pleading.  "You don't have to be stuck with these outsiders any more.  I'm here now.  We can go back home together."

                Shampoo just stared at him, temporarily at a loss for words at the depths of his cluelessness.  Ranma glared at the half-blind boy.  "Listen, jerk, how about you just once ASK her what she wants, instead of tryin' to force yourself on her!"

                "Shut up!  As if an outsider like you could ever understand our ways!"

                "As if a clueless blind idiot like you could understand anything!!"

                Kodachi sighed, then stepped between the two of them before violence could erupt.  She turned and glowered at Mousse.  "I believe Ranma made an excellent point.  Why DON'T you ask Shampoo what she wants instead of assuming you know what's best?"

                Mousse directed another glare at Ranma, then switched to puppy-dog eyes as he turned to face Shampoo.  "Shampoo, wouldn't you rather come back with me?  We can finally be married and start a whole new life together in the village."

                Shampoo gave him a level stare, and concentrated.  "I would rather be boiled alive," she said evenly, in the best Japanese she could manage.

                "That sounded fairly conclusive to me," Kodachi remarked.  "I don't think she's too excited about your offer."

                It should be mentioned here that Mousse was not completely clueless.  After experiencing years and years of rejection from Shampoo, he hadn't really expected her to jump into his arms now.  Hoped, yes, but not expected.  He wasn't that far out of touch with reality.  But he was very, very good at denial, unrealistic hope, and wishful thinking.

                "That's just because she doesn't realize what a strong fighter I've become!"  Mousse turned back to face Shampoo.  "Shampoo, I'll prove my worth to you."  He gulped.  He'd envisioned this moment hundreds of times over the past few weeks, as he'd formed his plans and waited for the Matriarch to leave, so his own grandmother could argue the Council into rescinding the order.  But it was still no easier to get the words out.  Mousse screwed all his courage to the sticking place, and managed to say, "I make formal challenge to you, for your hand in marriage."

                Kodachi saw Shampoo's glare become replaced by an expression of shock, and wondered just what the Chinese boy had said.  Then she glanced at Ranma, and frowned in puzzlement.  Her boyfriend was wearing a similar expression of shock, as if he'd understood the foreign words.

                Shampoo blinked, then a humorless grin replaced her disbelief.  "Is about time you give me chance to get you off my back for good.  Shampoo accept."  She pulled out her bonbori and assumed a fighting stance.

                "Not now," Mousse said, holding up his bandaged hand.  "It kills me to have to wait even longer, but I guess I'd better give this some time to heal.  We'll have the match two days from today."  He bowed deeply to Shampoo, gave Ranma one last glare, then walked off.

                "So what did he say?"  The White Rose broke the silence.

                "He made a formal marriage challenge to Shampoo."  Ranma's expression was a strange mixture of anger, grim satisfaction, and worry.  "The good news is if he loses, Shampoo has the right to reject him for good.  He'd have to leave her alone after that."  He sighed.  "The bad news is, if he wins somehow, she has to marry him."

                "Ranma-kun... how exactly did you understand what he said?"

                Ranma gave his girlfriend a strange look.  "The Heart Link, Dachi, how else?  I got all Shampoo's memories up until it happened, and she speaks Mandarin.  I ain't ever tried to speak it, but it's not too hard to understand when I hear it."

                "Just like I can speak good Japanese if I try real hard."  Shampoo frowned a little... something hadn't seemed quite right about that sentence, but she couldn't find anything in her copies of Ranma's speech patterns that explained the feeling of wrongness.  Shrugging off the issue, she dropped back into her normal mode of speech.  "Is not easy, though, have to wrap Ranma memories around own thoughts to do.  Much easier to talk like this and go on learning on my own."

                "Hmmm, I'm jealous.  Each of you gained knowledge of a different language from the Heart Link.  I wish I could have as well."  Kodachi had only meant to tease Ranma; she was quite surprised at the look of sadness that spread over his face at her words.

                "Yeah, I know."  Ranma looked off into the distance, temporarily forgetting the encounter with Mousse.  "What good did it do you to get my memories, Dachi-chan?" he asked softly.  "From you, I got to see even more of how much there is out there in life.  You have martial arts and your skill at painting, and you've got a great imagination and a lot of knowledge from reading so much.  I'd already been learning to like some of that stuff, and now I got even more of it."  He sighed morosely.  "I just wish I'd had something to give you."

                Kodachi gulped.  She knew what she wanted to say in response, what she needed to say, but actually getting the words out was going to take a LOT of guts.  As she was trying to work up her courage, Shampoo shifted from one foot to the other.  The movement drew Ranma's attention back to her and her situation.  He pushed aside his melancholy thoughts, putting on an expression of determination instead.  "Come on, guys.  We need to get back home and start getting ready."

                The White Rose sighed a little as the moment slipped past.  "Ready for what?"

                "Trainin' Shampoo so there's no chance at all she loses to Mousse."

                The Amazon in question glared at Ranma, though there wasn't any real anger behind it.  "Ranma have no confidence in Shampoo?!  Thank so very much!"

                "Don't give me that!  With the stakes what they are, you expect me to believe you aren't gonna do everything you can to prepare?  I mean, this is Mousse challenging you to a marriage duel!  There's no such thing as overkill when it comes to you beating him!"

                Shampoo inclined her head.  "Ranma have point."

***************

                Ranma watched with a critical eye.  "Okay, that's enough.  Time for a rest break."

                It was music to Shampoo's ears.  The lavender-haired one bowed to Kodachi, using what felt like the last of her reserves to keep from falling on her face.  The girls walked over to the wall and sat down near Ranma.  Actually, in Shampoo's case it was more of a controlled collapse.  Ranma was one harsh taskmaster when he got serious, she thought faintly.  This was the hardest she'd trained in a long time.  The Amazon suppressed a twinge of envy at the sight of Kodachi, who wasn't even winded.

                "Shampoo, I do believe you're ready."  Kodachi was impressed.  Though Shampoo lacked Ranma's intense speed, she had managed to dodge or block all the White Rose's attacks for thirty minutes straight.  "There's no way he'll be able to defeat you tomorrow."

                "Yeah, you're gonna make that jerk sorry he didn't get a clue years ago," Ranma affirmed.  "All his stupid Hidden Weapons tricks and ranged attacks aren't gonna be worth a bent yen piece against someone good enough to dodge Dachi's best shots."

                Shampoo finished getting her breathing under control.  "Thank you again, Kodachi, for help train against those type attacks.  Thank you both."

                The three sat quietly for a few moments.  Eventually Kodachi broke the silence.  "I still find it hard to understand how Mousse thinks he can win.  Even if he should defeat you in combat, and obligate you to be his wife by your people's laws, to be forced against your will would only drive your heart farther than ever from him."

                "Shampoo not pretend to understand how Mousse think.  But ask self this... do he really want my heart?"

                "What do you mean?"

                Shampoo's eyes seemed to be focused far away.  "He say he love Shampoo, but I no believe.  Probably he not even know what love is.  Can count on fingers of one foot number of times Mousse give up on own desires for my sake.  If love someone, want what best for them.  Should be willing to sacrifice own happiness for that.

                "Shampoo realize this about love from watch you and Ranma, Kodachi.  Lesson I very grateful to have learn."  Suddenly the Amazon laughed.  "Is ironic.  When I finally try use pearls on Tatewaki, to take his heart by magic, you know what real reason was?"

                "I couldn't say," replied Kodachi.  Ranma could have, of course, but he kept quiet, curious to know where Shampoo was going with this.

                "Was because I finally have to face own feelings for Ranma.  Had not let self realize until then."  Shampoo turned and looked Kodachi in the eye.  "It scared me, very much.  Was afraid to see just what I had let sneak up on me.  And Shampoo find strength to use pearls, not because suddenly want Tatewaki again, but so there be no chance I cause trouble between you two, not even by accident.

                "It no work out like Shampoo hope, though.  Almost backfire really bad.  When Ranma swallow pearl and turn away from you to Shampoo, I feel like worst person alive."

                Kodachi arched one eyebrow.  "Do you mean to say there wasn't even a moment in which you felt joy, that Ranma would choose you?"

                "You trying make Shampoo feel bad all over again?!"  The Amazon gulped.  "For less than one second, yes.  Shampoo do feel joy.  Then I remember that in turning to Shampoo, he turn from you, and I see you crying.  Happiness turn to ash before Shampoo can even start to feel for real."

                The White Rose felt guilty then.  "I'm sorry for sounding like I was accusing you, Shampoo.  I remember very well that you immediately pushed Ranma back at me then.  And I also remember the last words you spoke to Ranma, just before the Heart Link.  You told him to make me happy, and to tell me I was the sister you wished you could have."

                She paused, then continued.  "That meant a lot to me, Shampoo.  More than you might think.  I have always wanted a sister.  B- but my parents decided not to have any more children after I was born.  I almost didn't survive the delivery, and they were afraid to risk that again.  And so Tatewaki and I are the only two children my parents will have."

                "Why they no adopt?" Shampoo queried.

                "Too busy giving me extra love and attention, mostly.  Also, Father was gone for two years, searching for a cure for me.  It's always bothered me.  I know it's not rational to blame myself, but at least a little, I do."

                "And you shouldn't," Ranma said forcefully.  "By the time you were twelve or thirteen, they had more than enough free time to adopt if they wanted to.  Heck, they're still young enough.  It's their choice, Dachi.  They might not even have wanted another kid after you anyway."

                The White Rose gave him a mock glare.  "Thank you so very much for that wonderfully thoughtful comment, Ranma-kun."

                Ranma blinked.  "What'd I say?"

                Shampoo snickered, then turned serious again.  "I glad to hear it mean much to you, Kodachi.  It very important to Shampoo as well.  Ranma ever tell you about..." she swallowed, " ...about Shampoo's mother?"

                Kodachi shook her head in negation.  Ranma spoke up.  "I figure that kinda personal stuff ain't my place to talk about, Shampoo."

                "I would no have mind you tell her, Ranma.  But maybe is better I do."  Shampoo looked down at the floor.  "Mother... mother die in childbirth, with twins.  She not strong woman, and no could handle two babies.  Not all Amazon lore could save her, or Shampoo sister and brother, Sugar and Spice."  Shampoo closed her eyes, and a few tears trickled down her cheeks.  "Still hurt, even so long past.

                "So you see, is no small thing for Shampoo, when call you sister."  Shampoo wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked intently into Kodachi's.  "So much of what Shampoo have now is gift from you, or Ranma.  Even my life, after you two bring Shampoo back from point of death.  Already mention to Ryoga, and I tell you now.  Would die before I betray you... sister."

                After another long moment of silence, Ranma spoke up.  "Could we maybe talk about something a little less mushy now?  Like strategies for the fight tomorrow?"

                Shampoo and Kodachi gave identical grimaces at the pleading tone he'd used.  "Is for sure Ranma never win title of Mr Sensitivity, right, Kodachi?"

                The White Rose grinned.  "You said it... sister."

***************

                All was quiet the next morning, as the three walked toward the park where Mousse had specified the match would take place.  Not only the martial artists, but Nature herself seemed to be waiting expectantly.

                Then again, it could just be that Nature was tired out from the furious thunderstorm that had taken place the previous night.  The deluge had actually brought some measure of relief to Ranma--he'd begun to get seriously concerned by the length of time that had passed in Nerima without any sudden rainstorms.  Another week without any rain, and he'd probably have begun working on plans for an ark.

                They reached the site of the match with some time to spare.  Shampoo busied herself with warm-up stretches, but she seemed distracted, and kept shooting glances around the area as if something she'd expected to be there wasn't.

                Ranma noticed this.  "Looking for Mousse, Shampoo?  I'm kinda surprised myself he ain't here early."

                Shampoo shook her long lavender mane.  "Not for Mousse.  Is very strange feeling, Ranma.  Shampoo keep expecting to see many many people here to watch fight, with sneaky mercernary girl have sold tickets."

                "Actually, she made some mention of that to my brother, when he explained to her why the three of us missed class yesterday and would again today.  But she decided not to ruin her perfect attendance record."  Kodachi gave the Amazon a puzzled look.  "Why aren't your great-grandmother and cousins here?"

                Shampoo shrugged.  "She say she too busy, but tell us to come back to Nekohanten afterward, for victory feast.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung helping prepare it."

***************

                Ling-Ling consulted the recipe card again.  "I thought Great-Grandmother was going to be helping us cook this," she griped.

                Her twin grimaced in displeasure.  "I wish she'd just tell us why she didn't want us to let anyone know she left us with all the cooking so she could go watch the fight.  It sounds suspicious to me."  Lung-Lung brooded a bit.  "I bet she's going to secretly interfere, to get rid of Mousse once and for all."

                "I'm not so sure about that.  I think she just wanted to see Shampoo kick that idiot's butt for good.  She probably told us not to tell anybody so Shampoo wouldn't think Great-Grandmother didn't have confidence in her."  Ling-Ling idly tried to work out how she could have expressed that last sentence in Japanese.  After getting lost in a maze of negatives, she concluded she probably needed more practise with the language.  She smiled.  Definitely she needed more practise.  And who better to practise with than Ryoga?  Now that her ankle was almost completely healed, it was about time she and her sister made a delicious lunch and took it to their soon-to-be-Airen as an apology for their earlier actions...

                Lung-Lung poked her sister in the arm, shaking her from her distraction.  "I know it's called Egg Drop soup, but I don't think you're supposed to drop the shell in as well." 

***************

                Not a bent twig nor a stirring leaf betrayed the presence of the Matriarch.  She was perched in the branches of a nearby tree, watching the scene unfold before her.  None of the youths present would have noticed her presence, even if they had chanced to look directly at her position.

                Now that he was here, faced with the culmination of all his dreams of the past decade and more, Mousse was finding it very hard to fight off a case of the shakes.  Shampoo, by contrast, stood proudly and disdainfully still.  Kodachi regarded the Amazon's stance, and suspected Shampoo would rather be beaten with a rod than show any emotion which could conceivably hint that she had even the slightest measure of respect for Mousse as an opponent or as a person.

                Ranma didn't have to look at Shampoo's posture, and he didn't suspect.  He knew it was true.

                Mousse took a good look at Shampoo.  'It's now or never,' he told himself.  'I've got to earn her respect.'

                Shampoo was surprised when Mousse gulped, then seemed to draw strength from her coldness.  "Shampoo, the winner of our challenge match shall be the first to force his opponent to unconsciousness or submission."  Mousse turned and looked at Kodachi, who wondered idly just how thick his glasses were.  She couldn't make out any detail of his eyes with the spectacles in place.  "If you would give the signal for the fight to begin, Miss Kuno?"

                Shampoo arched her eyebrows.  "You not going to beg first for Shampoo to give up without fight?"

                "You could do that as soon as she signals, and let me win by submission," Mousse pointed out.

                Shampoo responded with a glare that actually knocked the Chinese boy back a pace or two.  She sniffed and produced her bonbori, drawing herself into a ready position.

                Kodachi studied the tableau arranged before her.  Shampoo was obviously prepared for combat to begin.  As for Mousse... he didn't seem to be in any particular stance, but then the White Rose didn't know much of anything about the Hidden Weapons style.  She couldn't tell whether Mousse was ready or not.

                Deciding that she didn't really care if it caught Mousse off-guard, she raised her hand, then dropped it with a cry of "Begin!"

                Immediately Mousse sprang into the air, leaping backward and to his right, even as he shot a set of weights on chains toward Shampoo.  She tucked and rolled, and the missiles passed harmlessly to one side of her.

                Ranma noted that the weights on the ends of the chains had been well padded.  They wouldn't really have hurt Shampoo if they'd hit.  He frowned.  What did Mousse think he was going to accomplish like that?  With padding that thick, Shampoo's Bakkusai Tenketsu training pretty much guaranteed she wouldn't even have felt the attack if she'd let it connect.

                His question was answered as Mousse continued the maneuver.  The myopic martial artist had not let go of his end of the chains.  As Shampoo rose to her feet, Mousse touched down from his previous leap, then kicked off again.  He shot at forward at an angle, intending to wrap the chain around Shampoo and immobilize her.

                Shampoo realized his intent, stored her bonbori, and grabbed the chain, yanking hard in an attempt to get the grounded end moving.  Her eyes widened in disbelief when it didn't budge.  Even as the flying figure of Mousse rocketed past her, and the chain began to tighten around her, she gritted her teeth and pulled with all her might.

                The fact that the padded weights still didn't release their hold on the earth did credit to the super adhesive with which Mousse had covered them.  However, Shampoo's desperate strength was not to be denied; a huge chunk of the ground itself ripped out, and the weights and attendant soil shot into the air.  The chain slackened around Shampoo, who took advantage of the sudden release to bound forward.  She bounced with one foot off the mass of dirt as it flew past her position, and soared into the air with a grace nearly worthy of Ranma.

                Mousse realized by the sudden lack of tension on the chain that his attack had failed, but as he was still flying through the air he was unable to do anything about it just then.  Meanwhile, at the height of her arc, Shampoo whipped out a gymnastics club and threw it.  It smacked Mousse in the head just as he landed.  Shampoo touched down as well, frowning a little at herself for the error.  She'd used a gymnastics club rather than a bonbori because she was carrying a number of the smaller tools, with only two of her preferred weapon.  But it had been pointless to throw something so flimsy at her opponent's head.  He wasn't even fazed by the impact.  Shampoo told herself she should have remembered how thick-skulled he was.

                Mousse didn't let his disappointment show on his face.  He'd hoped that attack would be enough to defeat Shampoo.  But apparently it was not to be.  The Master of Hidden Weapons pulled a bo staff from nowhere and began to spin it, sidestepping toward Shampoo.

                Shampoo pulled out her bonbori and began sidling toward Mousse as well.  The two circled each other like a pair of alley cats, each looking for an opening in the other's defense.  Mousse tensed up, took the first step toward her... and his foot caught on a stone.

                As her opponent stumbled, Shampoo dashed forward, bonbori swinging in a blistering offensive.  Scrambling backwards with a desperate series of swings from the staff kept Mousse from taking any hits, but it looked more and more like the fight was about to be over.

                Meanwhile, Mousse was struggling with a sense of disbelief.  His attack had gone perfectly, up to a point.  He'd meant to trick Shampoo into overcommitting herself to an offensive by seeming to stumble.  Then, he would have separated his staff into two halves connected by a monofilament wire, which he would have used to sever one of her bonbori where the haft met the ball of the mace.  Unfortunately, Shampoo's skill was just too much for him--even in the midst of her attack, there were no exploitable holes in her defense.  Mousse desperately searched for options, as the bonbori continued to miss him by increasingly smaller increments.

                The only thing that saved him was that Shampoo wasn't really out for blood.  Had she been striking at full strength, she would have quickly broken both the staff and Mousse.  But she was holding back, not a lot, but enough that Mousse was able to slip past her by sacrificing his hold on the bo.

                Shampoo spun and charged after Mousse, not wanting to let up the pressure and give him time to recover.  She barely had time to let out an "Aiyah!" as a giant iron ball seemed to materialize in front of her.

                Kodachi stared in amazement to see Mousse drop something that huge from nowhere, then winced as Shampoo ran headlong into the iron ball with a resounding clang.  She hoped her friend had been able to toughen herself up before the impact.

                Mousse turned, and folded his hands into the sleeves of his robes with a look of triumph on his face.  This almost immediately faded into panic as Shampoo stood up, a murderous gleam in her eye.

                "Play time over!!" the Amazon snarled.  She dashed toward Mousse again.  The Master of Hidden Weapons desperately launched another set of chains.  The weights on the ends of these weren't padded, though... he was running out of the special attacks he'd prepared for this battle, and had to make do with whatever nonlethal weapons he could bring to hand.

                Once again the bonbori disappeared.  Once again, Shampoo grabbed the metal lengths.  This time, though, she directed her fury against Mousse's end of the chain.  She yanked the half-blind boy into the air.

                Mousse released his hold, but that didn't immediately help him.  Much of the chain was still concealed inside his robes.  Letting go only served to relinquish what little control he'd had over his flight.

                Shampoo grinned triumphantly as she began spinning her unwilling passenger.  She picked out a particularly solid-looking tree to cushion his landing.

                Mousse gritted his teeth, and took the best of a bad set of options.  Tensing himself against the upcoming strain, he reached into one of his robe's subspace pockets and withdrew the largest object he had on him.  It phased into the 'real' world, and he dropped it as quickly as he could.

                The mass she was spinning was only increased for a split-second, but it was such a huge jump that Shampoo lost control anyway.  The chain slipped from her hands, and Mousse went flying.  He managed to make a more-or-less controlled landing, though he was still aching from the strain of briefly supporting a Volkswagen Beetle in midair.

                "Is time for finish!"  Shampoo once again raced toward Mousse.  He pulled a pair of nunchaku out of his robes and braced himself for her charge.  But as she reached a point only a few steps away from him, her form seemed to waver, then vanish from existence.

                Mousee gaped.  "Shampoo?  What... how...?"

                "Splitting Cat Hairs, Revised!"  With that cry, the real Shampoo dived from the cover of the Volkswagen.  Mousse tried to recover, but the attack had caught him too much by surprise, from too awkward an angle.  The nunchaku were dashed from his hands, then a flurry of bonbori blows crashed into him.  Shampoo made sure not to hit any vital areas, but her attack was more than fierce enough to smash Mousse to his knees, leaving him barely able to move, much less manage a counterstrike.

                Shampoo looked down at him, and her expression softened just a trifle.  "Mousse... give up now.  No want have to knock you out."

                "I... I..."  Mousse gasped in pain, and clutched at his side.  A sudden bulge under his robe heralded the extraction of a small device from subspace, though his hand hid this from Shampoo's sight.  Through the fabric of his robes, Mousse's fingers sought the button on the remote controller, and pressed it.

                Without a sound, the large iron ball Mousse had dropped earlier split along its equator.  The top half folded back on hinges, and a horde of tiny 'Spruce Goose' model airplanes rose out of the interior, winging toward Mousse and Shampoo.

                The whir of their engines, combined with Kodachi's gasp, alerted Shampoo.  The Amazon spun.  Recognizing her peril, she darted forward far enough to hopefully prevent Mousse from attacking her from behind, and began spinning her bonbori in a storm of flying wood and metal.

                It was her first real mistake of the fight.

                The planes had been homing in on Mousse--he'd never had an opportunity to plant the beacon device on Shampoo during the fight, as he'd planned to do.  Had Shampoo just gotten out of the way, she'd have been fine.  As it was, she managed to destroy all the planes.  None got through her defense.

                But since upon destruction each released a cloud of knockout gas, which in sufficient quantities could be absorbed through the skin, it didn't really matter.

                Shampoo crashed to the ground, unconscious.  Mousse struggled to his feet, the widest grin he'd worn in years stretching from ear to ear.

***************

                The sounds of commotion outside the restaurant reached Ling-Ling's ears.  She looked over the victory feast once more, feeling more than a little uneasy.  She and her twin had taste-tested the food already, and most of the dishes didn't seem nearly as good as when Great-Grandmother made them.  The Matriarch had gotten back only a minute ago, but she hadn't seemed too concerned when Lung-Lung nervously said she didn't think the food was really fit for a victory celebration.  When the twins had asked for details about the fight, the ancient Amazon had given them an inscrutable glance and reminded them that, as far as they were concerned, she had been in the restaurant with them for the past hour.

                The door opened.  Mousse was the first inside.  He was as battered and bruised as the twins expected.  He was also fuming, tight-lipped with anger even as he limped into the restaurant.  This was a little surprising--the younger Amazons had expected depression and black despair at his loss, not fury.

                Then Kodachi walked through the doorway, carrying their unconscious 'big sister', and the twins felt their hearts stop beating.

                Ranma followed close behind Kodachi, who gently set Shampoo down on a couch.  One look at him, and Lung-Lung realized she'd only THOUGHT Mousse was angry.  Here was the real thing, a fury that made her very glad she wasn't standing between the two young men.

                Mousse deliberately turned his back on Ranma, a thing Lung-Lung privately knew she'd never have done in his position.  The half-blind boy shifted to face Cologne.  "Matriarch, I have defeated Shampoo in lawful marriage challenge.  By our laws, she is now my wife."  He took a deep breath, and seemed to get a better grip on his temper.  "I ask that you send these outsiders on their way now."

                "No way!" snarled Ranma.  "We ain't gonna let you drag her off to be miserable for the rest of her life!  Besides, she has to stay near me for a while longer."  It was odd, one tiny detached corner of his mind thought.  He'd never particularly minded that the Heart Link forced the girls to stay near him so much of the time, but he'd also never expected to feel grateful for that fact.  But now he thanked whatever powers were listening.  It was the perfect excuse to buy them some time.

                Mousse whirled, his face contorting again in anger.  "Has to stay near you?!" he hissed.  "No.  I don't think so, Saotome."

                "He's telling the truth," Kodachi said coldly.  "Ask the Matriarch if you don't believe us."

                Meanwhile, Cologne had moved to Shampoo's side.  After examining her and making sure there was no danger, the ancient Amazon had tapped a few shiatsu points.  Shampoo began slowly rising from deep unconsciousness toward wakefulness.  As her great-granddaughter began to stir, the Matriarch turned back to face the main group.

                Ling-Ling looked on in dismay.  The Matriarch had always seemed to be so strong, even unassailable, more like a force of nature than a flesh and blood person.  But she was suddenly showing every minute of her three-hundred-plus years.  The younger Amazon, who only a minute previously had felt that things couldn't get any worse, suddenly realized that, somehow, they had.

                Cologne took a deep breath.  "I'm afraid that isn't true anymore, child.  The 'separation anxiety' phase of the Heart Link lasts only ten days at most.  I thought you would discover that for yourselves."

                Ranma and Kodachi just stared in blank horror.  They had only experienced the sensation in question once, when they'd been trying to figure out just how much time apart was too much.  The experience had been far worse than any of them had been prepared for, due to a natural mistake--Kodachi and Shampoo had both deliberately stayed away from Ranma at the same time.  This hadn't doubled his discomfort.  It had squared it, and that same level of discomfort had fed back to both girls.  After that, the three had made absolutely sure never to risk feeling that again.  And so Ranma was caught completely by surprise with the news that all their precautions had been unnecessary for the past fortnight.  Not to mention the fact that his ace in the hole, his one sure way to keep Mousse off Shampoo's back until they could figure out what to do, had just been wiped out.

                "What are you talking about?" Mousse asked the Matriarch.

                "Shampoo was very badly injured about a month ago.  Both Ranma and Kodachi donated some of their life force to heal her.  But a side effect of the process is that both girls needed to stay in Ranma's physical presence most of the time, or they would all be overwhelmed by feelings of pain and anxiety."

                Mousse just stood there, trembling, for a moment.  Then he whirled to face Ranma, and even as battered and bruised as he was, he still managed to manifest a battle aura.  "You scum!  How dare you treat Shampoo like this!  It's YOUR fault she was hurt!  She'd never even have been in this miserable country if it weren't for you!"

                Ranma flinched back, amazed that Mousse had actually made a charge with some sting to it.  Then he pushed aside the guilt; the situation was too tense for him to indulge in self-recriminations.  "She made her own choice, Mousse!  Even after Tatewaki got out of being her Airen, she still wanted to stay here, rather than go back to China... and you."  Ranma's voice, which had started as a shout and fallen to a softer, more controlled tone, lowered further to a deadly growl.  "She doesn't want you, moron.  She never has.  She never will.  And I won't let you force yourself on her."

                "Ranma."  Before Mousse could launch himself at the pig-tailed martial artist, Cologne placed herself between the two of them.  Balancing atop her staff allowed her to look Ranma in the eye.  "You witnessed the fight.  You should be as familiar with our law as Shampoo is.  Tell me, did Mousse win fairly?"

                Ranma thought as hard as he could, trying to work out what to say in answer.  He'd gotten as far as 'Hell, no!', but hadn't yet managed to come up with a reason that might hold water, when a quiet voice spoke.

                "Y- yes, Great-Grandmother.  Is fair victory."

                Everyone turned to stare at Shampoo.  "Sh- Shampoo... you can't...!" Ranma said in desperation.  Kodachi gazed helplessly at the devastation on the Amazon's face, and the tears which were slipping down her cheeks, and felt a moment of bitter anger at whatever evil fate had cursed Shampoo.  Was her friend never to know any good fortune in this life?

                Shampoo desperately clung to every scrap of strength she had, to keep from breaking down completely into sobs.  "H- have no choice, Ranma.  Shampoo accept challenge.  D- didn't h- have to do that.  C- could have refuse.  Must live now with choice I make."

                "Stay out of this, Saotome!"  Mousse walked up to Shampoo.  "Shampoo, don't cry.  I'll make you happy, I promise."

                "Mousse make promise he no can keep," whispered Shampoo, looking away.

                Kodachi looked around helplessly.  Ranma was clenching his fists, staring murderously at Mousse, but seemed unable to do anything more constructive.  The twins were just standing stunned, looking as if a pillar of their world had been kicked out from under them.  Kodachi turned to Ling-Ling, who was standing near her.  "We can't just let this happen!  Why is she going along with this travesty?!"

                "Have no choice," Ling-Ling said in a choked voice.  "She accept marriage challenge, is bound by result.  Had right to refuse.  Now big sister is bound by Amazon law to be wife to Mousse."

                "I don't care about Amazon law!  I don't want to lose my sister!!" exclaimed Kodachi.  Then, like a shard of poisoned ice, the thought slipped through her mind, 'But Shampoo cares.  What right do you have to make the choice for her?'

                Lung-Lung spoke then.  "Us neither."  For a moment she scowled furiously at Mousse.  He didn't flinch under the assault of her gaze, and it was the young Amazon girl who looked away first.  "But is nothing we can do."

                "Maybe not.  Maybe you can't.  But I can."

                Kodachi drew her breath in sharply as she turned and looked at Ranma.  She hoped he knew what he was talking about; she was fresh out of inspiration.

                In point of fact, Ranma had been doing more than just standing in silent, frustrated fury for the past few minutes.  He'd been wracking his brain, trying to find some proviso of Amazon law that would give them a way out.  It had only taken a second to come up with one.  A few more minutes of furious thought had failed to bring any others to light.  And so he called on all his courage, reminded himself that it was absolutely vital to buy time for Shampoo, and spoke up.

                "Mousse..."  He took a deep breath.  "I say you ain't worthy to be Shampoo's husband.  I say she deserves a stronger man than you.  I... I challenge you for the right to her hand in marriage."

                There was dead silence in the room for several seconds.  It seemed like an eternity to the heir to the Anything-Goes school.  He kept his eyes riveted on Mousse, not brave enough to look around the room and see how anyone else was reacting to his words.

                Slowly, Mousse's face curved into a sneer.  This was definitely not what Ranma had expected.  "I knew it.  I knew you really wanted her.  But I've got some bad news for you, Saotome.  You can't make that challenge."

                "The hell I can't!  Any other guy who knows about the law can challenge you for her until she says she actually wants you as her husband!" Ranma snarled back.

                "Any other guy... except Tatewaki and you."  Mousse allowed himself a scornful laugh.  "You already had your chance, and you threw it away.  You don't have the right to even THINK about winning Shampoo back after that!"

                Ranma paled as he realized there was in fact a basis in Amazon law for the other's argument.  He scrambled desperately for a counter, found one, and returned, "You're wrong, Mousse.  That ain't how it happened.  I didn't throw nothing away.  Shampoo chose Tatewaki over me, and I could live with that.  But I ain't gonna give her up to you.  And I say I never lost my right to challenge for her."

                If possible, Mousse's sneer became even more pronounced.  "You think you understand our ways, just because Shampoo might have told you a few things?!  Please.  I learned to read using our copies of the law books.  I know what I'm talking about.  And I'm telling you, you lost your chance at Shampoo."

                "And I'm telling you you're full of it!!"  Ranma turned to face the Matriarch.  "Honored Elder, I ask for your judgement on this disputed point of law."

                Mousse felt a qualm of uncertainty on hearing Ranma give a formal request to an Elder in the correct manner, even in Mandarin that was decidedly badly-accented.  It was the first gap in the confidence he'd been feeling since his victory over Shampoo.  With a scowl, he forced the hesitation aside, and said, "Yes, Matriarch, please inform this outsider that the law is as I described it."

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung stared breathlessly at their great-grandmother.  The tiniest flickerings of hope had awakened in their hearts with Ranma's challenge.  Now, seeing the Matriarch was once again looking inscrutable, rather than merely old and tired, that hope began to grow.

                Cologne took out a pipe, lit it, and took a long drag.  "Speak Japanese, boys, it's only polite."  She blew a smoke ring.  Ranma began to calm down.  He knew very well that the Matriarch didn't consider Mousse a suitable suitor for her great-granddaughter.  For the old one to be this much at ease, she had to have decided in his favor.

                Not that that was without its own problems.  Ranma tried and failed to get up the nerve to turn and look at Kodachi, to see how she was taking this.  He told himself that it should be okay--after all, she had to have learned by now how he felt about... dammit, that he LOVED her, right?  Surely the Heart Link would've settled that once and for all.  Dachi was smart, she'd realize this was just a tactic to get Mousse off Shampoo's back.  Everything was gonna be okay.

                Cologne gazed at Ranma with half-lidded eyes.  "Boy, I'm afraid Mousse has a valid point.  The fact that you once had a legitimate claim on Shampoo, and allowed her to slip from your grasp, does weaken your position considerably."

                Ranma's mouth dropped open.  Desperately he recovered enough to reply, "O- oh, yeah?!  The way I remember it, once she made the choice my claim was gone.  That's what YOU told her, anyway!"

                "True enough," Cologne answered calmly.  "But the fact remains that you didn't protest or fight the decision."  As Ranma looked like he was revving up for another outburst, she held up a hand.  "However, you are correct in that it need not completely disqualify you from pursuing Shampoo now.

                "My judgement as the Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku is this.  You, Ranma, may challenge Mousse for Shampoo's hand in marriage... but only if you swear an oath upon all your honor that you are serious about the marriage, and will not change your mind or cast her away as her previous Airen did."

                Silence.

                Silence loud enough to deafen.  It seemed to Ranma that the restaurant was filled with a noiseless roar that was about to burst his eardrums.

                And then, Mousse broke it.  "What kind of meaningless condition is that?!" he exploded.  He was too far gone in his anger to realize he was shouting at someone who could have him stripped from his family and cast out into the world with nothing.  "It's obvious he means it.  Who wouldn't?!"  He turned to face Ranma.  "I will NOT let you..."

                Mousse's voice choked off as he really looked at Ranma.  The pig-tailed martial artist was pale, trembling like an aspen tree in a high wind.  And the expression on his face... once, Mousse had stood on one side of a massive canyon in the midst of a forest.  A forest fire had been raging on the other side, but Mousse hadn't been in danger.  The chasm was large enough to form an insurmountable firebreak.

                However, on the cliff opposite Mousse, a man had been trapped by the approaching fire.  The expression on his face had been terrible--the indecision of one forced to choose between certain and nearly-certain death.  To stand frozen, and be overtaken by disaster... or to cast himself blindly into the abyss.

                Mousse didn't know what the man had eventually done.  In fact, Mousse hadn't even seen him, or been aware of his existence.  It had been late evening at the time, and he hadn't been wearing his glasses anyway.  But if he HAD seen that man, he would have instantly been reminded of that time by the look on Ranma's face now.

                "You don't mean it, do you."  Mousse spoke in a sort of frozen calm.  "All this is just... just you trying to keep me away from my beloved Shampoo.  What right do you think you have to interfere?!"  With an effort, he grasped hold of his temper just as it attempted to run away.  "Never mind.  I don't care what your reasons were.  Get out of here, Saotome."

                Ranma paid Mousse about as much attention as he did the housefly buzzing against a window two buildings away.  I.e., none at all.  Desperately he turned to the Matriarch.  "Why... why are you doing this...?"

                Cologne looked him in the eye and answered in Mandarin as well.  Kodachi was dimly aware of twin gasps from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, as well as Shampoo gulping, then seeming to forget how to breathe.

                Ranma flinched back, not quite as badly as if she'd shoved a cat in his face, but not far from it either.  He stared desperately into the Matriarch's eyes, silently willing her to take back her ruling, and her last statement.  No such luck.  Cologne simply met his gaze calmly.  Ranma turned to look at Mousse, who didn't seem to be having trouble with his temper any more.  The Chinese boy's anger had shifted from hot to cold, and was tinged with more than a hint of gloating triumph.

                Ranma didn't trust himself to look at Kodachi, or Shampoo.  He didn't dare use the Heart Link to sense what they were feeling.

                They were the hardest words he'd ever spoken.  They were the hardest he'd ever speak.

                He turned to Cologne.  "The oath you asked for... I swear it.  On all my honor."

----------------------------

                Kodachi lapsed into silence.  Her brother waited a minute, then asked, "How did you feel when he said that?"

                "I..."  Kodachi shook her head.  "I didn't feel anything, at first.  I couldn't feel anything.  I just... froze."  She drew a shuddering breath.  "Then I made what might or might not have been a mistake.  I concentrated on the Heart Link, trying to understand what Ranma was feeling then."

                She gazed off into the distance, but it was clear the Nerima skyline wasn't really registering on her eyes.  "So much hurt, Tachi.  His soul was like a maelstrom.  I couldn't even tell you all of what I sensed then.  Pain, desperation, intense shame, confusion, anger at the Matriarch, blazing hatred toward Mousse, despair warring with his natural defiance of despair."  She gulped.  "He was hurting so badly, brother.  It was all I could do not to grab him in a hug and break down and cry.  But the situation was a little too intense for that."

----------------------------

                "Damn you, Saotome!  I won't let you do th- unnh!"  With that, Mousse collapsed into unconsciousness.

                The Matriarch lowered the staff with which she'd tagged Mousse's Instant Unconsciousness shiatsu point, and turned to the twins.  "I need to have a private discussion with these three.  Please take Mousse somewhere far away from here, and keep him there for the next hour or two."

                Lung-Lung grimaced.  She wanted to watch what happened next, not sit on Mousse in some out-of-the-way hole and wonder what was going on!  Still, there was no getting around the fact that the Matriarch had given her a direct order.  She scowled as she picked up one of Mousse's legs.  Ling-Ling grabbed the other, and they dragged Mousse out, taking extra care to bump his head on the doorframe.

                Shampoo ignored the sound of the twins arguing whether the bottom of the ocean or the top of a smokestack would be a better place to leave Mousse.  She'd done the same thing Kodachi did, and used the Heart Link to sense Ranma's feelings.  Like the White Rose, she was struggling against the urge to try and comfort the man she loved.  Of course, there were more reasons for her hesitation than there were for Kodachi's.

                "That was a brave oath, sonny boy."  Cologne blew one last smoke ring, then put the pipe away.  "I trust you have considered the ramifications?"

                Ranma didn't respond.  "I don't doubt that you'll defeat him handily," the Matriarch continued.  "Just as you'll defeat anyone else that would fight you for Shampoo's hand in marriage.  Of course, once you, as an outsider, have a valid claim on Shampoo, Mousse can no longer be one of those challengers."

                "What?  I don't understand.  Why not?"  Kodachi wasn't sure what difference it made, but her curiosity was aroused.  And it was easier to deal with inconsequential things first.

                "For the simple reason that Ranma is not yet part of our tribe.  The marriage laws are intended to bring in new blood, individuals who have proven their strength.  Since Mousse is already one of us, he cannot legally challenge Ranma once he is Shampoo's legitimate Airen."

                "I not think that stop him," Shampoo muttered.

                Cologne ignored the statement, though she thought with grim amusement that it was technically correct.  That point of law wouldn't be what stopped Mousse.  "Only another outsider could challenge Ranma over Shampoo, and even then only with her permission and as long as the marriage remains unconsummated."

                Ranma twitched slightly, but still didn't say anything.  The Matriarch continued relentlessly.  "I'm glad to see you're finally coming to terms with your true feelings, son-in-law."

                "Now wait just a minute!" Ranma exploded.  Everyone in the room waited.  He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but couldn't think of anything to say.

                After a moment, Cologne resumed speaking.  "You started out disliking Mousse because of what you saw in my great-granddaughter's memories.  But now you despise him, far more than Shampoo herself does... because he is threatening to take her away from you.

                "You've spent virtually all your free time with her these past several weeks.  Have you even once in all that time resented it, or felt a desire to get away from her presence?

                "And finally... the most telling point of all..."  Cologne pinned Ranma with her most intense stare.  "In order to protect her from Mousse, you swore an oath on all your honor... an oath you had every intention of breaking once you could find a way to do it without hurting Shampoo."

                Ranma gasped, staggered backward, and collapsed into a chair.  "How... how did you..."

                Cologne ignored the question.  She pogoed forward until less than two feet separated her face from Ranma's.  "Your honor is the one thing your father was never able to take from you, the one thing of value you've held for all your life.  But you were willing to cast it aside, for the sake of helping my Shampoo."  The intensity of her expression softened then, into sympathy.  "I know this is hard for you, Ranma.  For what it's worth, I'm sorry.  I didn't want things to happen this quickly.  But that fool Mousse has forced matters to a head."

                "What you mean, this quickly?"  Shampoo told herself that it was still too soon to assume her suspicion had been proved correct.

                The Matriarch bowed her head.  Shampoo just stared then, forgetting suspicions and hopes alike at the sight of her great-grandmother appearing almost... humbled.  "Shampoo... Ranma... Kodachi.  Although I spoke no word that was not true, the fact remains that I misled you.  Kodachi, I told you that you would know the Heart Link has worn off when you could no longer sense Ranma through it.  That's technically true, or at least not false.

                "But the fact of the matter is that the condition is quite permanent."

----------------------------

                Kodachi paused, and looked at her brother.  "We then spent some time learning the specific details of the Heart Link.  Do you particularly care to hear them, or would you rather I summarize and skip to the aftermath?"

                Tatewaki considered, then decided he might as well hear the full details.  Perhaps telling him might help his sister come more fully to terms with whatever she'd learned that afternoon.

                Besides, he was curious.

---------------------------- 

                Shampoo's eyes widened drastically.  THAT she hadn't been expecting!

                Needless to say, neither had Kodachi nor Ranma.  "P- permanent?!"

                The Matriarch nodded gravely.  "Have a seat, Kodachi.  This is going to take a while.

                "The Heart Link was developed by the greatest mistress of chi our tribe, and perhaps even the world, has ever known."

                "Mi Razh?" asked Ranma.

                "Yes, yes, don't interrupt.  She is responsible for well over half of our secret techniques.  The Splitting Cat Hairs and the Fist of the Ice Bear, to name two examples you've heard of.  Her legacy has helped keep our tribe strong over two thousand five hundred turbulent years.  And yet most of the outside world doesn't even know she existed, or the miracles she wrought."  The Matriarch turned her gaze on Kodachi.  "I've often wondered, child, whether the man that empowered you has had a similar, secret impact.  I would dearly love to meet him someday.

                "But getting back to the subject... Mi Razh developed many devastating attacks over the course of her lifetime.  As she grew older, she began to desire to leave a legacy besides newer and more lethal attack techniques.  And so she turned her contemplation from the path of the warrior to that of the healer.

                "A technique for prolonging life was already known to the Amazons at that time.  Mi Razh revised it and greatly increased the efficiency.  You can thank her that I'm still around to interfere in things, instead of kicking the bucket a century ago.

                "But even though she had done that, it wasn't enough for her.  Few individuals have the strength of will and talent for chi-manipulation to learn that technique in the first place.  For all that she made it far more powerful, Mi Razh was completely unable to make it easier to use.  And so she began to study how one who could control her own chi might be able to manipulate another's.

                "She had only the best of intentions, or at least that's what the stories say.  Of course, I doubt seriously that any of her peers wanted to speak ill of one who'd given so much to the tribe.  Anyway, the fact remains that she made some terrible discoveries when she began studying how to manipulate the chi of others who couldn't control it themselves.

                "Mind control.  Absolute chi absorption.  Halting the flow of chi in another's body, simply by manipulating the flows in the air around them.  These techniques are all sealed, known only to the Council of Elders of the Joketsuzoku.  Over the centuries, revised versions have been developed, ones that are much less powerful and thus safe to be taught.  The Xi Fang Gao, for instance.  But Mi Razh's own techniques, including the Heart Link, are forbidden to be used at all."

                "But Great-Grandmother, you use technique," Shampoo pointed out.

                "So I did," returned the Matriarch.  "Believe me, the Council was unhappy about that.  But it was a choice between that and your death, child.  In such circumstances, rules are inevitably going to get bent.  The actual law is that if a Council member, even the Matriarch, makes use of a forbidden technique, she must inform the rest of them of her action.  The Council members may then challenge her over it, if they feel the action was unjustified, but unless the judgement is unanimous such confrontations must be one-on-one.  Only two were foolish enough to challenge me over my decision."  The Matriarch grinned humorlessly.  "They may even be able to walk unaided by now."

                "What I don't understand is why the Heart Link was developed in the first place."  This was Ranma.  "I mean, ok, it let you transfer Dachi's chi surplus to Shampoo and save her life.  But there ain't anybody else with that kinda power to spare.  So what was the point in making up the thing in the first place?"

                "And what if ten warriors should donate their energy, to bring back one wounded ally?" the Matriarch returned.

                "Umm... good point."

                "That was what Mi Razh had been aiming for, when she developed the technique.  Unfortunately, it just doesn't work that easily.  For one thing, there are basic differences between men and women.   And I'm not talking about the obvious physical ones, either.  As I'm sure Ranma can appreciate, the spirit, the yin and yang, is far more important.  That is one critical detail of the Heart Link--it relies on the complementary nature of those differences.  It is simply not possible to Link a woman to a woman, or a man to a man."

                "Well, that's one question answered," muttered Kodachi, still concentrating on the smaller things.

                The Matriarch sighed.  "As the story goes, Mi Razh was good enough to work out some of the theory involved, but it wasn't until the Heart Link was actually used that most of the rest became apparent.  Her young grand-nephew was caught in a rockslide.  He survived, but would never walk again.  Or he never would have, had Mi Razh not used the Heart Link to transfer chi from ten volunteer warriors to him.

                "Because she was guiding the transfer of chi, she did not notice the side effects.  There was another Elder present, who did realize something of what was happening, but this was the first of the forbidden techniques to be developed.  At that time I suspect there was nobody who trusted their own judgement over Mi Razh's.  And so the witness said nothing, probably even told herself she was imagining things, as the spirits of those involved in the Heart Link twisted and reconfigured themselves."

                "What?!  Whaddaya mean by that?!"  That hadn't sounded at all good to Ranma.

                "Relax, sonny boy, it's not nearly as bad as I made it sound.  To put it simply, a man and a woman connected through the Heart Link are changed.  It's the same thing a scientist named Heisenberg discovered millennia after we Amazons did... the act of observation changes the thing which is being observed.  But Heisenberg didn't realize the counterpoint, or at least not its significance.  The one doing the observation is changed as well."

                "I... I remember..."  This was Kodachi.  "As I was nearing the ends of Ranma's memories, I felt as if I was both pulling back and drawing closer at the same time..."

                "Exactly.  Your spirits had been immersed in absolute union.  That couldn't continue if you were to regain your individuality, but it couldn't completely end either.  And so you drew apart, somewhat.  But that degree of closeness, of wholeness, is something that no-one can relinquish once they've experienced it.  And so your soul and Ranma's both shifted, in order to remain connected."

                The Matriarch laughed then.  "I don't suppose you noticed much difference after that, child.  You already loved him with all your heart.  But if there had been some basic incompatibility between the two of you, it would have been erased.  He and you would have literally met half-way.  You could have been strangers or the bitterest of enemies before the Link, but you would still have eventually come to love one another just as much as you loved yourselves."

                "So you're sayin' I got no choice?!" Ranma demanded.

                "Choice about what, exactly?" the Matriarch inquired smoothly.

                "About..." Ranma seemed to have some trouble with whatever he'd started to say.  He clenched his jaw shut, looking helpless.

                The Matriarch sighed.  "And here you have the reason that the Heart Link is a sealed technique.  Ranma, I'll be blunt and say what you, due to your absolute unwillingness to hurt Kodachi, cannot.  Yes, the Link made it inevitable that you would grow to love Shampoo.  She's a part of you now, boy, just as you are of her."

                Ranma wanted to deny it.  He wanted to yell that he had a choice, that he'd never betray Kodachi like that.  But even as that thought rose up, another side of his soul snarled back, demanding that he swallow those words, or even his own tongue rather than say something that would hurt Shampoo so much.

                Kodachi didn't dare to focus on the Heart Link then.  She was already feeling enough pain of her own at the sight of Ranma, groaning with his head buried in his hands.  "Ranma-sama..." she whispered.  The White Rose still felt oddly disconnected, and knew instinctively that she was going to need a long time to come to terms with the revelations of the day.  But that could wait for later.  Right now there was a more pressing need.

                She pulled her chair next to Ranma's.  Draping one arm across his shoulders, she pulled him to her in a tight hug.  "Ranma... it's all right.  No matter what," deep breath, "I love you."

                Ranma trembled, returned the embrace.  They just sat there for several long moments.

                When the Matriarch judged that he'd regained enough composure, she spoke again.  "Ranma, unless I am seriously mistaken, the reason you're tormenting yourself is largely that you feel you are betraying Kodachi.  Am I right?"  He shuddered, and nodded.  "But you cannot lie to yourself any longer about what you're feeling for Shampoo.  The conflict is tearing you up inside.

                "Shampoo, Kodachi, listen very closely to me.  It falls to you to resolve this conflict.  Ranma cannot forsake either of you.  Oh, he could try, I'm sure his will is strong enough for that, but it would destroy him and the both of you as well, since you're connected to him."

                "WHAT?!"  Ranma's head shot up, and he stared in horror at the Matriarch.

                "Yes, boy, what affects you affects the two of them, and vice versa.  Not as quickly, perhaps, but just as surely."  The Matriarch gave him a sympathetic look.  "If you think this is bad, consider the poor boy who was the first male to experience the Heart Link.  He suddenly had TEN women tied to him."

                "Yeah, but in his culture it was okay for a man to have more than one wife!" Ranma countered.

                Cologne snorted.  "Not until then, it wasn't.  Where did you think that law came from, sonny boy?  The struggles that group had to settle down together are legendary."  She pogoed to the door of the restaurant.  "That's really all the important stuff.  We can talk again later.  But the best thing you three can do now is work this out amongst yourselves."  She permitted herself a grim smile.  "One other thing... it's a secret of the council, but inclusion in a Heart Link nullifies all marriage laws."  

                "What?!  Then why didn't you just come out and tell Mousse he had no right to Shampoo?!"

                "I'd as soon not tell him any more about the Heart Link than I have to, thank you very much," the ancient Amazon answered acerbically.  "But I'll give you whatever aid you need in dealing with him."  It still wouldn't make up for her lapse in judgement during the fight, when she'd assumed Shampoo had everything under control.  Cologne had refrained from interfering, had missed her chance to ensure Mousse lost, had failed to buy more time for the children to get used to the Heart Link before revealing the truth.  But perhaps things would still work out all right.  

                The Matriarch left them, then, and there was a long silence in the restaurant.  Eventually Ranma broke it.  "What're we gonna do?" he asked helplessly, looking from Kodachi to Shampoo and back again.

                Shampoo swallowed.  "Ranma..." she said softly, then turned to face Kodachi.  "Kodachi, I mean what I say about not betray you.  Ranma, I not ask for more than you can give."

                "It's all very well and good to say that, Shampoo, and I'm sure you mean it.  But what do you WANT?" Kodachi asked, trying to sound nonconfrontational.

                The Amazon took a deep breath.  "Remember, Shampoo grow up with idea that is okay for one man have more than one wife.  Ranma... l-love Shampoo too no mean you has to love Kodachi less.  What Shampoo want, more than anything else, is marry you.  Be with you forever, give love to you and get yours back, for whole life.  But only if can do without hurt Kodachi.  Only after both you know you not love each other less because of me."

                Ranma gave her a long, scrutinizing look.  At last he said, "I believe you.  I can feel you're telling the truth."  But then his look changed to a challenging stare.  "But I can also feel some guilt lurking back there, Shampoo.  I think you better explain that."

                The Amazon gulped.  "Is guilt I tell self I no should feel.  But no can help it.  Ranma, I guess already that you starting to feel more for Shampoo than just friendship.  Not say nothing, because not sure.  But I see how you get so angry when boys challenge Shampoo.  Is intense anger, and seem familiar to Shampoo.  Then I realize why.  Is much like what you show when Kodachi threatened.

                "It start Shampoo thinking about Heart Link, Ranma.  Some of what Great-Grandmother say, I already work out on own.  Part about be so close to someone else, know all someone else's whole life, seem to Shampoo like it would have to change anyone.  And also after that we spend so much time together, only make the closeness go deeper.  More for you and Kodachi than for you and me, since you already know you love her anyway.  But it still there for me."

                "You guessed all that, yet you didn't say anything?!" Kodachi demanded.

                "How could I?!  Not know for sure.  What if I wrong?  Then say something is really big mistake.  So Shampoo keep quiet and wait to be sure."  The Amazon sighed.  "Stupid Mousse," she said bitterly.  "Never anything but trouble.  Like Great-Grandmother say, this too soon.  Ranma, please, stop looking like you is on torturer's wrack.  Shampoo already say she not ask for more than you can give."

                "And what difference does that make?" Ranma muttered.  "This ain't about you asking for too much anyway."

                "It's about me, isn't it."  A flash of insight made everything clear to Kodachi.  "You feel like you're betraying me, but you can't deny the fact that you... you do love her too."  

                Ranma shuddered, and nodded.  "It... it ain't the same, Dachi.  I don't feel the kinda fire for Shampoo that I do for you.  But it's still there.  It's kinda quiet, protective, maybe... maybe more like the early stages of love than the full-blown deal.  Still small enough that I could ignore it until her great-grandmother shoved it in my face.

                "But you..." he gulped.  "I love you.  So much.  I wish I'd said it sooner.  I just... I knew you knew, after the Heart Link an' all.  So I just let it ride.  I wish I hadn't done that.  I just... I just wish..."

                Kodachi felt something release inside her then.  She reached out and gently placed two fingers over Ranma's lips.  "Shhh.  It's okay, Ranma-sama.  It's okay.  Like you said, I knew."  She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder.  "Ranma... do you remember, a few days ago you said you wished you'd had something to give to me in the Heart Link?"  She felt him sigh and nod.  "But you did.  More than you could imagine.

                "You know better than anyone else how often I've experienced rejection, how often others have distanced themselves from me because of the accident of my birth.  I told myself it was their problem, not mine, if people were too stupid to give me a chance and see what kind of person I really was.  But somewhere, deep inside, a part of me had truly come to believe that I was not good enough, not as a person, not as a woman.

                "That wounded piece of my soul was why I believed the insinuations of that miserable witch Kaori Daikokuji.  What you did then helped shed some light into that dark corner, but it wasn't until the Heart Link that it was healed completely.  I saw then how you saw me, as beautiful, and desirable.  As someone worth all the love you could give.  Even if you were too shy to say anything yet.

                "I think maybe that's the reason I didn't work out any of the things Shampoo did, about the Heart Link.  The revelations from your memories had so much impact, I just didn't see anything else.  And I certainly didn't need any changes to my soul in order to love you.  I did then, I do now, and I will forever."

                Ranma hugged her tightly, a gesture she returned with enthusiasm.  After a few minutes passed, she pulled back a little, enough to turn and glance at Shampoo.  The Amazon was sitting quietly, with her head bowed.  "Ranma... I won't pretend that it's going to be quick and easy for me to come to terms with this.  I don't have the advantage of having grown up in the Amazon culture.  But... but if you love her too, it's okay."

----------------------------

                Kuno gave his sister a piercing glance.  "Can you truly accept this?  Just like that?" he asked.

                Kodachi frowned at him.  "Weren't you listening, Tachi?  No, I can't just snap my fingers and swallow the idea that Ranma loves her too.  It's going to take time.  Probably quite a lot of it.  But I've made my choice."  She sighed.  "The only choice I could make."

                Tatewaki just looked at his sister for a minute or two.  "He owes you so much," he said at last.

                The White Rose smiled wryly.  "So speaks my elder brother, always concerned and protective of me.  But this once I think you're wrong.

                "I love him, Tachi, with all of myself.  And he loves me.  I would sacrifice ANYTHING I have for our happiness together."  She paused, then said softly,  "Even my expectations that it was just going to be the two of us."

                "If you say so."  Tatewaki's face curdled into a sour grimace.  "I dearly hope this will be the last time our lives are disrupted by that Amazon."  Then he started in surprise as his sister glared at him.

                "Brother, dear, in case you have forgotten, the alternative to the situation as it stands was Shampoo's death.  If time should somehow turn backward, bringing me back to the moment before the Heart Link and giving me a chance to choose differently, I would still take this path.  If the price of Shampoo's life is that she remains part of mine and Ranma-sama's, then so be it.  And if I can accept this without resentment, then you have no room to complain."

                The kendoist hung his head, ashamed.  "I suppose I deserved that."  He gulped.  "I spoke out of pain at my guilt, sister.  Forgive me."

                Kodachi arched one eyebrow.  "Guilt?"

                "As you described the Heart Link to me, my foremost emotion was not outrage at what had been done to you.  And it should have been!  I should have been concerned only for you!  But... but the greatest thing I felt at first was relief that the Matriarch had not used that technique to bind me to Shampoo."

                "Well, it IS a forbidden technique.  I don't suppose she could have justified using it, since in your case nobody's life was at stake."

                "I suppose."  Kuno sighed.  "Sister... I don't suppose there's any point in bringing up impossibilities... but what would you do if time should turn backward to a point prior to Shampoo's injury?  Would you still let things progress as they did?"

                Kodachi just sat there for several minutes.  At last, as her brother had begun to think she wasn't going to answer at all, she said, "I don't know.  I don't know if I could bear to give up the closeness I have to Ranma-sama now.  And remember, Shampoo called me sister and said she would never betray me.  I cannot but feel that if I could prevent the Heart Link, that would be just about as great a betrayal of her as I could come up with."

                "I rather doubt that," Kuno protested.

                "Nonetheless, it is true.  Regardless of how or why it happened, Ranma now returns her love."  Kodachi stared challengingly at her brother.  "The man to whom she gave her heart has let her into his own.  Would I rather she had fallen in love with Ryoga instead?  Yes.  But that didn't take place.  And since things happened as they did, there's no point in speculating about might-have-beens.  All that is left to do is go forward, and play the hand that fate has dealt us."  She ran out of determination then, and sighed again.  "Easy enough to say.  It remains to be seen how difficult it will prove."

                "And so that is why you're here, now?  By yourself?"

                The White Rose grimaced.  "Yes.  I sent them out on a date, if you can believe that.  It was easily one of the hardest things I've ever done.  And what's worse, I've been focusing on Ranma.  He simply wasn't ready for it.  I thought I was doing the two of them a favor, but their evening has been nothing but awkward and uncomfortable so far.  Right now he is wishing I hadn't insisted on it."

                Her brother gave her a quizzical look.  "That sounds like a little more detail than you normally get through the Link, sister."

                "How right you are," she said.  "We spoke again with the Matriarch, later in the afternoon.  She told us one last detail about the Heart Link.  Namely, the closeness of the connection only deepens over time.  That's why after the first ten days we could have safely spent time out of each other's presence, without going into a panic attack.  It's because, on a deeper level, we would still be together.

                "As time goes by, it becomes possible to sense more and more of your partner through the Heart Link.  Eventually it's quite likely that he and I will be able to communicate our thoughts directly, more or less like telepathy.  And of course, the same goes for him and Shampoo.  However, I think that, because we loved one another even before the Link, the process was accelerated for Ranma-sama and myself.  Once the Matriarch had told us this, I tried to sense more detail than I had before.  It took a slightly different mindset... I don't have any words to describe it.  But after she had given me the idea, I found it easy to do."

                "Hmmm."  Kuno changed the subject.  "By the way, you never did tell me what the Matriarch said to Ranma, just before he swore the oath."  He frowned.  "For that matter, I'd like to know how she figured out that at first he didn't mean to keep his word."

                Kodachi gave him a wry smile.  "When I asked her that same question, she pulled out her pipe, put it in one corner of her mouth, and said, 'Elementary, my dear Kuno, elementary.'  She then confessed that she hadn't been sure he didn't mean the oath, but was guessing, knowing that if he had meant it then he must have already admitted the truth of his feelings to himself.  But knowing Ranma, she didn't think it likely, and of course it turned out she was right.

                "What she said to Ranma earlier was simply this: 'I just want you to tell the truth... son-in-law'."

                "I... see."  Kuno thought of something else that needed explaining.  "And what of Shampoo's would-be husband, Mousse?  It seemed from his actions tonight that he has learned something of what has transpired."

                "The Matriarch told him an abridged version of the truth.  Namely, that his actions had forced Ranma to admit the truth of his feelings for Shampoo, and that Shampoo preferred Ranma over him."

                "So what was he doing here, talking to you instead of challenging Ranma?"

                The White Rose shrugged.  "Presumably he's familiar enough with Japanese culture to know I wasn't expecting to share my husband.  I suppose he came here looking to challenge Ranma, found that he wasn't here, and saw me on the rooftop instead.  It wouldn't have taken any great deal of perception on his part to see I was struggling to find some place of balance.  I suppose he had some notion of enlisting my help to pull Shampoo away from Ranma-sama."

***************

                Had Shampoo been able to hear Kodachi's words, they might have afforded her a brief moment of ironic amusement.  Because she wasn't feeling very close to Ranma just now.

                'I knew this was a mistake,' she thought glumly.  'It was a nice thought of Kodachi's, but it's just too soon for Ranma.  And with as hard a day as I've had, this evening was no time for a first date for me either.'

                They had eaten dinner, with minimal conversation.  Now they were taking a walk in the park.  The silence stretched, and stretched, becoming more and more awkward by the moment.  Shampoo was wracking her brain for something to say to break the ice, when suddenly a completely natural and unforced conversational gambit sprang to her lips.

                "Owww!"

                Ranma jumped.  His companion had just stumbled over a shadowed hole in the ground.  He'd walked right by it without even noticing.  "Oh, jeez, Shampoo, you okay?"

                Shampoo rubbed her ankle.  "Yes,  Shampoo think so.  Should have been watching where going."  He reached out and gave her a hand to get back to her feet.  Shampoo accepted the aid, squashing the momentary urge to pull him in for a kiss.  It was WAY too soon.  "Ranma, I very tired.  Has been long day, thanks to Mousse."  Identical expressions of disgust flitted across their features at the name.

                "Yeah, I hear that.  Come on, let's head on home."

                The two were quiet again as they walked back.  After they'd gone a few blocks, Ranma spoke up awkwardly.  "Um... sorry this wasn't much of a date, Shampoo.  It's just..." he let the statement fade away unfinished.

                "Shampoo understand.  No feel bad, Ranma."  Suddenly, unexpectedly, she gave him a grin.  "Not nearly as bad as first date with Tatewaki."

                Ranma surprised himself by laughing a little at that.  "Yeah, I guess not."  He sobered then, as the memory surfaced in his own mind, bringing a phantom remembrance of pain with it.  That occasion had been nothing but heartache for Shampoo.  Ranma glanced sideways at her, and felt a new measure of resolve.  This might not have been much of a date, but at least he could give her a little something.  Gingerly he reached out and took her hand in his own.  Shampoo smiled at him then, the biggest smile she'd worn that day.  They walked the rest of the way back like that, each thinking quietly about beginnings.

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                Author's notes

                This chapter in its final form is a bit different from how I originally envisioned it.  Chapter eight was originally intended to be longer, covering more time, allowing the characters to come more fully to accept the situation.

                It also was going to be the final chapter.

                That's right, folks, you've reached the end of the primary story arc.  But, since enough people wrote in to say they like the fic, I've continued it into a secondary arc.

                At this point I suppose there are some people disappointed that this isn't going to be a strict Ranma-Kodachi pairing.  I hope that's not a common feeling, or at least that the number of people glad to see Shampoo find happiness too balances it out.

                A few things to clear up here... way back in the prologue, did the old Kodachi expect things to turn out like this?  I shouldn't have to say it, but no.  She made the best plan she could based on what was likely to happen.  For the record, she expected that it would be Ranma who defeated Shampoo in the first place, not Tatewaki.  This would have led to a direct confrontation between Kodachi and Shampoo, which the White Rose would have won.  She would not have run upon receiving the Kiss of Death, thus becoming an Amazon in her own right.  With that, though Shampoo might still WANT to marry Ranma, she would no longer have the law on her side as Kodachi would be an Amazon with a better claim.  Although that in itself wouldn't make Shampoo give up, it would give Kodachi and Ranma the option of contacting the elders of the Amazon tribe to remove Shampoo from the picture for good.   Oh well.  A poet said something once about the best laid plans...

                Speaking of the quality of the Black Rose's plan, Kodachi only THINKS she almost didn't survive being born.  The last scrap of power that eventually set a geas on her father had another function:  keep her alive through the stress of birth and the critical first few weeks afterward.  She was in no real danger.

                It may seem that Shampoo is treating Mousse much worse than usual.  That was my intent.  Here she isn't a lonely girl with minimal contacts among people her own age--no longer desperate enough for a friend to put up with Mousse.  Plus, she's learned what real love is by now, and is frankly disgusted with Mousse's mockery thereof.

                So why is she willing to go along with the marriage?  If it were just her choice, she would reject him in a heartbeat.  Nor am I of the opinion that she cares enough about Amazon law to abide by it no matter the cost.  But consider this.  She's a direct descendent of the Matriarch.  As I already mentioned in a previous chapter, that puts her under more pressure than many other Amazons.  Remember for a moment what happened in the original series:  Shampoo received a Jusenkyo curse for sparing Ranma-chan.  That's quite a harsh punishment, especially when you consider that the only member of the Joketsuzoku involved was Shampoo herself.  So how much worse do you think things would be for her, if she broke the law by refusing to give herself to her lawful husband, a legitimate member of the tribe, after agreeing to the marriage challenge?  I think that could be seen as a worse transgression by far, a betrayal of the whole tribe, and with a worse punishment.  That's the angle I'm taking in this fic, anyway.

                I only have one more point to make on my interpretation of Amazon marriage laws.  Since the way I've outlined things means that Mousse cannot legitimately win Shampoo away from Ranma, why then does he challenge him all the time anyway, in the original series?  One possible answer isn't very pleasant, I'm afraid.  Those laws only apply... as long as Ranma is alive.  I don't think Mousse would slit Ranma's throat while he's asleep, but killing him in battle is acceptable (if you disagree, try reviewing the episodes where Mousse reappears with his Jusenkyo curse).

                Thanks to Jim Bader for C&C.  Next time:  Adjustments, and a resolution or two.


	10. The Fortunes of War

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.

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                Chapter 9:  The Fortunes of War

***************

                The three of them walked slowly along the canal, eventually stopping near one of the bridges.  Shampoo bent down, picked up a stone, and sent it skipping along the surface of the water.  She felt a moment of strange satisfaction when it clonked a passing duck on the head.

                "Good shot," remarked Ling-Ling.

                "Was imagining it was Mousse, for some reason," Shampoo replied.

                Lung-Lung squinted at the dazed duck.  "Hmmm.  He do wear white, and use lots of bird-name attacks, and brain is probably about same size."

                They sat down and watched the light of the sunset dance on the water for a few moments.  Then Ling-Ling spoke up.  "Big sister Shampoo... you think Ranma can win?"

                Shampoo turned and just stared at her cousin.  Ling-Ling, not knowing quite what to make of her expression, continued.  "I mean, Mousse was tricky enough to beat you.  I just... I don't want you to be chained to someone like him."

                Shampoo slowly shook her head.  "No worry.  Ranma will win."

                "You very confident," Lung-Lung said doubtfully.

                "Shampoo have good reason.  Know Ranma very well by now."  She smiled briefly at the thought of just how well she knew him.  "Always, when he have to win, he does.  That why I give such strange look to Ling-Ling just now.  You ask if Ranma can win.  Question what Shampoo would ask is if it even possible Ranma not to win."

                "Lung-Lung hope you right."  The lime-haired girl sighed.  "Big sister?" she continued in a less-than-confident voice.

                "What?"

                "Will maybe be harder fight than you expect.  Harder than should have be."

                Shampoo looked her cousin in the eye.  "What you mean, Lung-Lung?"

                Ling-Ling gulped.  "Was idea Ling-Ling have.  We tell Mousse Ranma never yet beat you in combat, other than one time in village.  We want him think win Ranma will be too too easy, so he make mistake and lose.  But what happen was he get more mad, that Ranma never beat you but say he too weak to be husband to you."

                "So you think Mousse going to give his all in fight now?"  The twins nodded, and Shampoo shrugged.  "Shampoo think he would have anyway.  It no make difference.  Mousse at his best not good enough to beat Ranma."

                Ling-Ling looked away.  "He win last fight," she said softly.

                "And is last fight he win," Shampoo said in a tone of absolute conviction.  "Shampoo have every confidence Ranma not make my mistake, not go easy on Mousse."

***************

                Ranma sat calmly, folded in a lotus position.  His eyes were closed, and there was an expression of peace on his face.

                Kodachi watched closely, trying to find a point in the cycle of his breathing when his focus would waver slightly.  After a minute she gave up.  "Now!" she exclaimed.

                In an instant, Ranma surged to his feet and shot forward as if out of a cannon.  He covered the distance to his target before the White Rose had even finished her single syllable.  With a roaring cry, Ranma lashed out with both fists, striking too quickly for the eye to follow and yet holding perfectly to the intended pattern of his attack.

                His first blow struck the head clean off the practise dummy.  His next smashed through the lower ribcage area.  His third and fourth, striking almost simultaneously, blasted through the shoulders.  He finished the attack with a sweep that shattered the pole supporting the dummy (or what was left of it, anyway).

                Kodachi eyed the splintered wreckage, then the grim look on Ranma's face.  "I'd say you have a winning strategy, Ranma-kun.  Strike hard, strike fast, don't give him time to use any of his tricks."  She pursed her lips.  "However, unless you mean to TRULY ensure he never bothers Shampoo again, I suggest that in your fight you don't hit him quite THAT hard."

                Ranma sighed, then walked over next to her, and the two sat down together.  "I hate him, Dachi," he said quietly.  Unspoken, but felt by the both of them, was the implication that she hadn't been joking.  If he really cut loose, Mousse wouldn't fair much better than the other dummy had.

                The White Rose placed a sympathetic hand on his arm.  "Well, it'll be over soon enough.  You'll defeat him with ease, I'm certain.  After that, he'll have no way to ever regain an honorable claim on Shampoo."

                "And then what?" Ranma asked, with more than a hint of bitter sadness in his tone.

                Kodachi waited a moment, expecting him to say more.  When it became apparent that he was waiting for her, she replied, "Then things get back to normal."

                "Normal.  Huh."  Ranma placed his hand over hers, then turned to meet her gaze.  "Normal for me, I guess."  Kodachi's eyes widened as she saw/felt a surge of raw pain rise behind his own.  "Thanks to me, Ucchan lost her dowry an' had a miserable childhood.  I got Ryoga a Jusenkyo curse.  I set Shampoo up for a broken heart with Tatewaki.  I even managed to hurt Akane's feelings when I left, or at least that's what Nabiki says."  His voice nearly cracked then.  "Everybody I ever get close to I wind up hurting.  I never wanted that to happen to you, Dachi-chan.  But I guess I shoulda known I couldn't keep it from happening forever."

                "Ranma-kun, that's ridiculous..." she started to reply.

                "Don't!"  Ranma stared at her in desperation.  "Don't lie or make out like it ain't anything important!  I can feel you, y'know.  I can see when you put up a good front, but it's just hiding the pain inside!"

                Kodachi sat quietly for a moment, trying to find her way to a response.  At last, she said slowly, "All right, Ranma, I suppose you have a point.  No lies then, no evasions.  Yes, it hurts.  And I have been putting on a mask, at least a little.  But let there be no such veil between us.  I want you to deliberately look into my soul, Ranma-sama, and feel how I'm hurting now."

                Ranma gulped, nodded, braced himself.  He reached out, sensing the true depth of hurt in her.  After a minute he disengaged.

                As he shuddered and wiped the tears from his eyes, Kodachi eyed him narrowly.  She sighed a slight sigh of exasperation--he'd obviously missed the point so far.  "What exactly did you learn from that experience?"

                "That I'm a pathetic excuse for a man who can't even keep from breaking his own girlfriend's heart?"

                Kodachi thumped him lightly on the nose.  "Wrong answer."

                That did serve to distract Ranma from his remorse.  "Huh?!"

                "Ranma, dear... apparently you've forgotten a conversation we had not long ago."

                Ranma gave her a confused look.  "Um, sorry... I've kinda had a lot on my mind recently?"

                "I know, so let me refresh your memory.  You, me, the rooftop of Furinkan."  Kodachi arched one eyebrow.  "You had almost gotten up the courage to kiss me.  Don't think I don't intend to collect on that some day soon, by the way.  But we were interrupted by a moment of empathy between you and Shampoo, in which you felt how lonely she was.

                "You were blaming yourself then, as I recall.  You felt terrible about how Shampoo was hurting, particularly that it was partially your doing.  And I reminded you that sometimes pain is necessary for one's personal growth."  Kodachi grimaced slightly as she remembered her point at the time had been that Shampoo wouldn't hurt forever, that she'd grow from the experience and eventually find whatever man was right for her.  Well, that had happened, all right.

"Hurt is not the same thing as harm, Ranma-kun.  Yes, the idea that I will have to share you with Shampoo does hurt.  Even as you just felt from me."  She stared into his eyes, and cranked the intensity of her gaze up to its maximum.  "It hurts... but the pain I'm feeling because of you is about one-twentieth the pain you're feeling, because you think you're harming me.

                "That was what I wanted you to realize, when I told you to use the Link to sense the depth of my feelings.  But all you did was obsess about the fact that you had caused me some slight pain."

                "Slight?!" Ranma protested.

                "Yes, slight!" Kodachi answered emphatically.  "Ranma-kun... I admit that I'm putting on a brave face of acceptance.  But in time it will be no mask, no charade.  Already I'm beginning to adjust.  I will adapt to this, as will you and Shampoo.  You need to let go of your shame.  You have not betrayed me, or done anything to cause me needless hurt.  Consider what I would have felt, what we all would have felt, had Shampoo fallen in the battle with the Oni."

                Ranma shuddered, then said almost reluctantly, "Well... I guess you're right.  That woulda been worse than this."  But his tone made it clear that that only went so far to dispelling the pain.  Might-have-beens were by nature less forceful than the immediate present.

                'Good enough for a start', Kodachi thought.  After all, if it was going to take her time to get over her pain, she could hardly expect Ranma to let go of his instantaneously.  Aloud, she said,  "I told this to my brother already...  I consider the way things are to be a price worth paying, when it buys Shampoo's life.  And so that is really what I meant, when I said that after Mousse is defeated things will get back to normal.  It may not be precisely as it was before, but it's not so terrible, is it?"

                "Y- YOU'RE askin' ME?!  I ain't the one having to make a sacrifice here!" Ranma protested.

                "No?  You consider the pain and abuse you're heaping on yourself to be no sacrifice?  Really, Ranma-sama, if that's your idea of fun you could have just stayed engaged to Akane."

                Ranma closed his mouth with an effort.  He just stared at her in wonder for a few moments, then asked, "How can you do it?  How can you just accept this, an' worry more about how I'm hurting than how much you are?"

                Kodachi's lips quirked into a smile.  Trust Ranma to think that was something special when she did it, but nothing remarkable when he did.  "Because I love you, you gallant, wonderful idiot."

                Ranma trembled then, as he looked at her.  No words would come, though he would have given much to know just what to say back, to touch her heart as she'd just touched his.  'I love you too' just didn't seem to be enough.

                Perhaps, a voice whispered in his mind's ear, it isn't a time for words after all.

                Kodachi felt her heart begin to beat like a bass drum as Ranma slid around to face her directly, took her left hand in his right, then slipped his free arm around her shoulders.  Slowly they began to lean toward each other...

                Their faces were less than an inch apart when the door opened.  Tatewaki walked in, glancing around as if searching for something.  Then, as the sight before him registered, he gulped and fled, all thoughts of his misplaced book gone from his mind.

                A long moment of awkward silence was broken by the White Rose's growl.  "My brother is a dead man when next we spar."  She sighed, then started to say something else... and Ranma moved.

                Technically speaking, it wasn't a very good kiss.  A professional like Mikado Sanzenin probably would have given it a four out of ten at best.  After all, neither of them had any real experience with such things.  Neither had ever trained in Martial Arts Making Out.  The only thing either of them really knew was that this was what you did with someone you loved, to show them how you felt.

                The Sanzenin scoring system be damned.  It was enough.

***************

                Back at the canal, Shampoo blinked, then focused her attention on Ling-Ling again.  "Sorry, Shampoo not paying attention.  What was you saying?"

                Ling-Ling started to pout at being ignored, then let it go as she gave her 'big sister' a close look.  Something had obviously just raised Shampoo's spirits by quite a large margin.  "Big sister Shampoo, why you smiling now?"

                "Something just happen.  Shampoo not sure what, but Ranma not hurting near so much anymore."

                Lung-Lung gave her a long look, then shook her head.  "It still seems so weird, hearing you talk about being able to feel what he does."

                "I don't think it's weird, just different," her twin disagreed.  "And I bet it would be neat, to be able to do that with Ryoga.  Maybe we should ask Great-Grandmother to set that up for us."

                Shampoo sweated big-time.  She had told some things about the Heart Link to the twins before she'd learned there was a reason not to, but she was now trying to honor the Matriarch's wishes that the details be kept as secret as possible.  Best not to let them get their hearts too set on the idea of a Link to Ryoga.  "I don't think that's a good idea.  Remember what I said about how shy he is?  I really think that would be just a little too pushy."

                Ling-Ling sighed.  "I guess you're right."  After a moment of silence, she continued.  "So why was Ranma hurting before this, anyway?  You're sure he'll beat Mousse with no problem, right?  What's he got to be sad over?  He's going to be getting the best woman in the village for his wife!"

                Shampoo gave the younger Amazon an inscrutable look.  "Haven't you figured out yet that the Japanese have a hard time with some of our customs?"

                Lung-Lung frowned.  "No joke.  I know not everyone is cut out to be a warrior, but come on!  How can these people have any pride in themselves when there's not a single decent female fighter on this island?!"

                Shampoo arched one eyebrow, deliberately mimicking Kodachi.  "Not one decent female fighter?!  You've certainly forgotten Ukyo pretty quickly!"

                The twins gave identical grimaces.  "Well, we were TRYING to.  Thanks for spoiling that," Lung-Lung said wryly.

                "And besides, Kodachi could kick all three of our butts at the same time," Shampoo continued.

                Ling-Ling rolled her eyes, sure that she was being put on.  "Riiight.  But anyway, that's only two out of who knows how many.  You sure weren't joking, back when you talked to us about winning Ryoga, when you said the Japanese didn't care about strength in their women."

                "And what does that have to do with Ranma hurting anyway?" Lung-Lung queried.

                Shampoo blinked, then remembered where she'd been going with this.  "It doesn't.  That wasn't the custom I was talking about."  She drew her knees up to her chest, and turned back to look out over the water.  "It's the one-husband-one-wife situation."  For a moment, she felt the typical Amazon disdain for outsiders and their short-sighted ways... then, with a start, remembered the real reason the custom had been adopted among her people.  This left her with a distinctly odd sensation of disorientation.  With a mental shrug, she returned her attention to the conversation at hand.  "Ranma didn't grow up thinking it would be okay to love two women and want to take them both as his wives.  But then it snuck up on him anyway.  A bit of his problem is he felt it was wrong in general, to want us both, but mostly he's been tearing himself up inside because his choice did hurt Kodachi."

                "Why should it, though?  I mean, you're her best friend, right?"

                "What difference does that make, if she grew up thinking there were some things you just don't share?"

                "Well... I GUESS I can see your point... kind of..." Ling-Ling said almost reluctantly.  "Do you think she's going to be okay with this?"

                "Yes, I do."  Shampoo knew SHE couldn't deny Ranma something he needed.  And Kodachi certainly didn't love Ranma less than the Amazon did.  "And I'm not going to make any moves on him until I'm sure she doesn't have a problem with my doing it."

                Lung-Lung grimaced.  "Where's the fun in that?!  You'll have a husband you can't do anything with for who knows how long!"

                Shampoo shrugged.  "Good things are worth waiting for."  It was a lot easier to say that now that she knew her waiting wouldn't go unrewarded.

                "I guess..."  Lung-Lung brooded for a bit, then brightened.  "Well, at least it won't be like that for us.  I mean, Ryoga might have a bit of trouble swallowing the idea of marrying us both, but at least he won't have to worry about his first wife feeling hurt that she's not his only one."

                "Hmmm..."  Shampoo was more than a little sad to see they weren't even considering the possibility that they might lose to Ukyo.  She still wanted to spare her cousins as much pain as she could, when the inevitable happened.  "I think you two are being too confident.  Remember what I said about how shy he is?  What'll you do if he simply cannot accept the thought of two wives?  Would either of you be willing to give him up to the other?"

                "I wouldn't ask her to!"  "Me neither!"

                Shampoo gave an exasperated sigh.  "Then what would you do?"

                The twins paused for thought.  After a few minutes, Ling-Ling grinned.  "We'd just have to make the right choice for him.  If he picked Lung-Lung, I'd dye my hair green and the two of us would switch off, trading places every few days until we both got pregnant.  Then he'd have to accept us both!"

                "Yeah, good idea!" Lung-Lung said enthusiastically.

***************

                For no apparent reason, Ryoga shivered.  It had felt as if something with a lot of legs, and made out of ice, had just crawled down the back of his neck.  Which was odd, considering that he was currently soaking in a hot bath.

***************

                Shampoo gaped for a minute or two, then felt a moment's pity for Ryoga.  He wasn't going to have an easy time discouraging his younger suitors, that was for sure.  She thought about saying something else, but decided there wasn't much chance they'd listen at this point.

                Thinking of people who didn't listen to things they didn't want to hear made her consider another visitor from her village, and reminded her that she still needed to talk to him...

***************

                A quick stop at the Nekohanten gave her Mousse's location.  Fifteen minutes of walking took her to his camp, in the forests just outside the city.  As Shampoo approached, she heard the shnnk and thock of metal impacting on wood.  The last few steps brought the scene into view.  Mousse was practising an attack sequence, striking with blades that protruded forth from his sleeves.  His target was a log standing on one end, roughly as tall as Ranma.

                Shampoo cleared her throat to attract his attention.  Mousse spun around.  His glasses slipped down on his nose in the process, and he absently pushed them back into place.  Shampoo flinched as the blade on his arm came within inches of removing him from the picture for good.  As he peered through the dusk and got a good look at the new arrival, Mousse's expression broke out into a wide smile.  "Shampoo!  I- I'm glad to see you."

                Silently Shampoo doubted that would be the case in a few minutes.  She walked into the clearing, and sat down on a large rock.  Since her perch had just enough room for one person, Mousse had to settle for seating himself near her.  "Shampoo hear match with Ranma is set for two days from today."

                Mousse frowned as he thought of his challenger.  "That's right," he said angrily.  "When he challenged me, that worm Saotome set the date of the fight as far in the future as the law would let him, just to make me wait even longer."

                Shampoo slowly shook her head.  "That not true, Mousse.  He need give you time to heal, that mean four days at least.  And we already miss several days of school because of you, so Ranma think is better to have fight on Saturday anyway.  It just work out like that."

                Mousse snorted, clearly unconvinced, but didn't say anything in response.  After a minute or two, he spoke up hesitantly.  "You know, Shampoo, there doesn't need to be a fight at all."

                That was actually the gist of what Shampoo had come to say, but she suspected that Mousse was coming at an angle quite different from hers.  "What you mean?"

                "Come on!  You know what I'm talking about!" Mousse groaned.  "He has no right to challenge me for you if you say he can't!"

                Shampoo sighed.  "Then he have every right to challenge you."

                "Shampoo..."  The Amazon in question was surprised to see what looked like a genuine display of spirit on Mousse's part as he stared at her.  In the past his backbone had always been only slightly less firm than a wet noodle around her.  But here Mousse was actually managing to look like he expected her to give way to him!  "What more do I have to do?!  I beat you.  That ought to be enough!"

                "Enough for what?" Shampoo asked evenly.

                "Enough for you to respect me!  Enough for you to admit you care about me!  Enough for you to be my wife now, and not keep putting up more hoops for me to jump through!"

                His first sentence had actually caused Shampoo to begin to feel some sympathy for him.  As the best fighter her age in a village that prized the way of the warrior above all others, one thing she'd always had was respect.  Sometimes it was all she had, but it had always been there...  at least until she came to Japan.  Tatewaki might respect her now, Shampoo wasn't sure, but it didn't matter.  When she'd wanted it most it hadn't been there.  And it was true--she didn't have any respect for Mousse.  After all, he'd never really done anything to earn such from her.  But she could see how the lack might have hurt anyway, and she could feel pity for him.

                However, such feelings curled up and died a quick death with Mousse's second and third statements.

                "Respect, Mousse?!  You want to earn my respect?!  My heart?!  Beating me in combat isn't nearly enough for that anymore!" she hissed.  "You won with a cheap trick.  Don't expect me to go all starry-eyed and treat you like Razor reborn, just because I made a stupid mistake in our fight!"

                It was more than enough to blow out the flame of Mousse's spirit, but his stubbornness was made of sterner stuff.  "Then tell me.  Tell me what would make you respect me," he said bitterly.

                Shampoo calmed down again.  She just looked at him for a moment, then asked slowly, "Yield your claim to Ranma.  Give me to the one I really love."

                Mousse's mouth opened and closed wordlessly for several seconds.  Then, finding his voice, he squawked, "What?!  I'm supposed to win your heart by giving you up to someone else?!"

                "That not question Mousse ask," Shampoo said, deliberately in Japanese.  "Mousse ask what do to earn my respect.  I answer."

                Mousse seemed to struggle for a minute.  Then he looked away, and spoke quietly.  "Do you know why I'm here, staying in this forest, instead of at the Matriarch's restaurant?"

                Shampoo blinked.  "Umm... because Great-Grandmother would throw you out so hard you bounced five times if you showed your face there?"

                "Come on, Shampoo.  You know the law better than that.  Foreign places owned by anyone of the Joketsuzoku are designated as safe havens for any member of the tribe who needs a place to stay.  She couldn't throw me out, at least not unless I'd insulted her, or broken some law, or left home without permission.  I could demand she provide a place for me."  He frowned off into the twilight for a minute, then continued.  "But I'm not going to do that kind of thing anymore.

                "I had a long talk with my mother, after I learned how you weren't tied to anybody anymore, yet the Matriarch hadn't bothered to tell me or rescind her order to keep me in the village.  I wanted to know just what I was doing wrong, why your great-grandmother was dead set against me being your husband."  Mousse sighed.  "I didn't want to hear what she told me.  But I had to accept that she knew what she was talking about.  She said that I'd just been expecting you to give your love to me, that I'd just been demanding it rather than work for it.  That I'd been saying you should be my wife just because that was the way I wanted things to be.

                "She told me that I'd never become your husband if you didn't respect me.  She said that I'd have to win that before I could win you.  I told her I'd been trying to do that for years, that's why I mastered the Hidden Weapons style.  I said she was wrong, that I'd never just expect you to marry me because I wanted it.  She told me I was trying to win you on my terms instead of yours, which basically amounted to the same thing.  She pointed out that no matter how many of the other villagers I defeated, I still hadn't even tried to take you on.  But how could I?!"  Now Mousse turned back to look at Shampoo.  "How could I risk hurting you?!"

                "How many of your opponents have you killed, Mousse?  Or crippled?"  Shampoo already knew the answer to this question, or at least she hoped she did.

                "None.  What's your point?"

                "...Oh, never mind.  So how did you get up the courage to finally challenge me?"

                "That was my mother's advice.  We worked for a long time, planning out attacks that wouldn't be dangerous but could still defeat you.  And it worked.  I'm sorry it took me so long, but I've proved my strength to you now.  Isn't that enough?!" Mousse demanded.

                "Mousse..." she sighed, considering what to say.  Several thoughts ran through her mind.

                'You don't respect me.  You don't respect my warrior's heart enough to treat me as an equal.  Ranma at least was willing to trust me when I asked, trust his life to my skill.

                'You don't care about what I want.  You scared off all the boys of the village, because you couldn't bear the thought of anyone else with me.

                'You haven't even considered that I have a life here, or that you're trying to rip it apart.  The only thing that matters is if you can get what you want.

                All that and more.  All valid objections, all reasons that she didn't love him and never would have.  But what she actually said was, "You're too late, Mousse.  I love Ranma.  I have for a while now.  You want me to respect you?  Then do something really hard.  Give up on what you want, so I can have what my heart longs for.  Because you can have my respect, if you do that, but you'll never have my love."

                Mousse stiffened, holding motionless as stone, then said, "I won't accept that.  I won't give you up to some weak, unworthy outsider!"

                Shampoo sent a glare his way that should have ignited the air between them.  Much of its effect was wasted, though, since Mousse's vision was hardly 20-20 even with his glasses, and the light was pretty much gone by now.  "What give you right talk about Ranma that way?!"

                "Why shouldn't I?!  Your cousins told me he's never beaten you in battle, except once when he was in disguise and you were tired out from a whole day of fighting.  How DARE he say I'm too weak to be worthy of you when he hasn't even defeated you for real?!"

                Shampoo snorted.  "You misunderstand.  What Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung mean is Ranma never make formal challenge since then.  He wipe floor with me plenty times when we spar."

                Mousse shrugged.  "You know practise fights don't count under the law.  And even if he's better than I think he is, even if 'weak' doesn't fit, he's still not worthy of you.  Not compared to me.

                "I've loved you since we were little kids.  All I've ever wanted was to be with you forever.  Compared to me, he has no right to you!  I'd give up anything, do anything to be with you!  I'd even die for you, Shampoo!"

                Shampoo got up, walked over to the log that had served as his practise dummy.  She bent down and picked up one of the many wood chips lying on the ground at the log's base.  "Or kill for me," she said coldly.

                "He made the challenge under our laws," Mousse said with equal grimness.  "If he can't handle the consequences, there's still plenty of time for him to back out."

                "Ranma never backs out.  Of course, he doesn't lose either, so I guess there's no real need for me to say this.  But I will anyway."  Shampoo's gaze was like cold iron.  "You said so far you've never maimed or killed anyone.  If you break that record with Ranma, I will kill you."

                Mousse paled.  "Y- you don't mean that."

                Shampoo turned, and walked away.  Over her shoulder she said, "Mousse better believe Shampoo do."

***************

                At school the next day, Ukyo noticed that Ryoga didn't seem to be all that focused on their lessons.  It looked to her like he was concentrating on something else entirely.  As the lunch bell rang, she decided to ask what was going on.

                Ryoga blinked, then seemed to come back down to earth.  "Um, well, it's gonna sound strange, I know, but I've just been off-balance all day long.  I think I've been waiting for something crazy to happen."

                "Come on, Ryoga-kun."  Ukyo was finding it easier to say the endearing attachment, though she was still a long way away from tossing --sama's around like Kodachi did.  "I know this place is as nutty as a squirrel convention, but we can't have chaos EVERY day!"

                "Exactly.  What happened yesterday?  Or the day before, or the day before that?"

                "Hmmm..."  Ukyo considered, then had to admit, "Well, nothing that I can think of.  It has been pretty quiet these past few days.  Even those jackasses in our class have been keeping their war on the back burner."

                "That's just my point.  The biggest thing going on now is some guy named Mousse from Shampoo's past has shown up and started bothering her again.  Even won a fight with her last week."

                Ukyo's face grew concerned.  "Wait a minute, sugar.  What does that mean for Shampoo, with those laws about getting defeated in combat?"

                "Nothing, that's just for outsiders.  It doesn't mean anything if a guy from her own tribe beats her," Ryoga reassured the chef, demonstrating the extensive depths of his familiarity with Amazon lore.  "But I guess she's not the champion of her village anymore.  Kind of a shame, especially considering how Ranma and Kodachi skipped school for two days with her to help her train for that fight."

                "Well, at least she's not stuck with some husband she didn't want.  What's this Mousse doing now to bother her?  Rubbing her nose in his win?"

                "I'm not sure.  It could be."  Ryoga shrugged.  "Whatever it is, it's got Ranma plenty mad.  Kodachi's seemed upset too, these last few days.  And Ranma's got a challenge match set up this Saturday with Mousse."

                "And you don't think the stuff that's going on there is crazy enough for Nerima?" Ukyo asked, returning to the original subject.

                "Well, no.  Some guy shows up, makes a nuisance of himself, gets beaten up by Ranma.  Ho hum.  What's the big deal?" Ryoga asked, demonstrating the extensive depths of his awareness of the current developments in the lives of Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo.

                Ukyo smirked at him.  "Well, for starters... what if this Saturday is just the beginning?  What if after Ranchan wins, this Mousse guy decides everything in his life is Ranma's fault, and begins some huge vengeance quest?" she asked teasingly.

                Ryoga's face fell.  "That isn't very funny, Ukyo."

                Ukyo sighed, her smile fading.  "Come on, sugar, you need to lighten up about that.  Things worked out for the best, didn't they?"

                "I guess."  The former lost boy decided a change of subject was in order.  Besides, he was curious--the chef had led the two of them to an out-of-the-way corner of the school grounds.  Usually by now Ukyo would have set up her porta-grill in the thick of things and begun whipping out okonomiyaki for the other students.  "Why aren't you practising your Art today?"

                Ukyo grimaced.  "I think I've been putting that little grill through too much.  Some part wore out yesterday, and I haven't had time to get a replacement.  So I guess the kids have to suffer through one lunch without real food."  She smiled again.  "Kinda nice to take a break every once in a while anyway, you know?  Cooking up enough okonomiyaki to satisfy the masses is fine for my bank account, but today I think I'd really rather have a peaceful, quiet lunch."

                Ryoga gulped and looked around.  After a few minutes he let out a long relieved breath.  "Well, if anything crazy was going to happen today, surely it wouldn't've missed that cue.  I guess we're okay."

                "Nihao, bandana boy!"

                Ryoga and Ukyo spun around, and gaped to see that Ling-Ling and Lung Lung were standing not five feet behind them.  Since the nearest cover in that direction was five hundred yards away, and it had been just slightly over twelve seconds since Ryoga had finished scanning the area, this was somewhat unexpected.  The twins had big smiles on their faces, and were carrying take-out boxes from the Nekohanten in place of their usual weapons.

                Ukyo recovered from her surprise first.  "You two AGAIN?!  Where'd you come from, anyway?"

                Lung-Lung tore her gaze away from Ryoga.  She looked at Ukyo, then down at the take-out box in her hands, then back to the chef.  "We come from restaurant.  Bring these," she said, speaking slowly and carefully, as if to a child.

                Ukyo gritted her teeth.  "Then shouldn't you go deliver them?  Please, don't let us keep you!"

                Lung-Lung shrugged.  "That why we here."  She turned back to face Ryoga, her big smile reappearing.  "Lunches is for you and spatula girl."

                "For me?  Why?" Ryoga asked.  Then he realized that had to be one of the dumbest questions he'd ever asked.  No doubt they'd say something like "Is duty of wife to provide delicious meal for husband."

                Ling-Ling bowed her head.  "We talk to big sister Shampoo.  She say we play too too rough."

                "We sorry," Lung-Lung said.  "We no want scare or hurt nobody."

                "So we practise hard, learn how to make Great-Grandmother special recipe for delicious ramen."  Ling-Ling's gaze shifted to Ukyo for a moment, and her voice was less than friendly as she made the next statement.  "Had plenty time to practise while wait for ankle get better."

                Lung-Lung sighed.  "Japan much strange, hard to get used to.  Nothing like home village at all.  We no fit in good here, take time to learn better.  But we trying."

                "So we bring these as apology.  Is one for Ryoga," Ling-Ling handed her box to the bemused boy, "and one for spatula girl."  Lung-Lung held hers out to the chef, turning so that her posture prevented Ryoga from seeing her face.

                Ukyo's annoyance at the continuing 'spatula girl' moniker was almost enough to distract her from the hint of a smirk on the lime-haired girl's features.  Almost.  The chef took the box, noting the slight gleam of light in Lung-Lung's eyes brightened perceptibly as she did so.

                Meanwhile, Ryoga was inhaling deeply, enjoying the medley of aromas rising from his box.  "Smells great.  Well, Ukyo, I guess it would be impolite to refuse."  And since they'd brought Ukyo a lunch too, this couldn't be part of some scheme to catch themselves an Airen.  "Let's eat."

                Her hand on his arm stopped him.  "Wait a minute, sugar," the chef said.  "How about trading boxes with me?"  She watched the twins closely, and felt a surge of triumph as looks of dismay passed swiftly across their faces (unnoticed by Ryoga, of course).

                "What for?"

                "Well... let's just say I'm sure the box you're holding has a delicious lunch, but I'm not so confident about mine."

                Now the looks of dismay were back, and plain for all to see.  Ling-Ling found her voice first.  "What that supposed to mean?!"

                "Oh, come on!  I saw right through your little trick."  Ukyo hefted her box.  "So what's in here?  Two pounds of habanero pepper extract?  Sleeping powder?"  She glared at them.  "Something that'll make my hair turn some ungodly color?"

                "Stupid spatula girl!  Lunch is perfectly okay!" Lung-Lung bristled.

                "Really.  Then I'm sure you won't mind if Ryoga-kun and I switch."  With that, Ukyo deftly lifted Ryoga's box from his grasp, replacing it with her own.

                The twins sweated.  "We mind!!"  "We mind lots!"

                "Oh, so you admit you tampered with mine then?"  Ukyo smirked, enjoying the taste of victory.

                "We not admit nothing!" Ling-Ling snapped.  She continued, her tone shifting from angry to hurt.  "Use just as much care in your lunch as in Ryoga's.  Should taste just as good, for sure not have no trick ingredients or nothing.  Was just peace offering, try make up for get off on wrong start.  But we see you not interested.  No worry, we not bother stupid untrusting spatula girl again by do something nice."

                The twins turned, and walked away.  "Hey... wait..." Ryoga protested weakly.  They didn't respond except to pick up their pace, quickly vanishing around a corner.  He sighed, then looked down at the box in his hands.  "Don't you think that was a little harsh, Ukyo?"

                The chef shrugged.  She was a bit uneasy that the twins had left without retrieving the lunch they'd offered her, but she wasn't about to show it.  "Whatever.  Like I said, I really wouldn't eat that if I were you."

                Ryoga just continued to stare at the box for a full minute.  At last he frowned, and said, "No, I think I'd better.  They don't deserve for me to think the worst of them without any reason."  Quickly, before his resolve could waver, he opened the box and gulped down the ramen.

                After a while, it became apparent that nothing bad was happening.  "I think maybe you should apologize to them," Ryoga suggested reluctantly.

                "When hell freezes over!" Ukyo snapped.  She sighed, then set her still-untouched ramen to the side.

                "Aren't you going to eat that?"

                "No, I don't think so.  I don't have much of an appetite anymore."

                "Well, I don't want it to go to waste.  Here, let me have it."  Ukyo passed the box to Ryoga, and he began to take care of its contents.

                Ukyo watched him, halfheartedly wondering if the real trick had been in Ryoga's lunch, and those little Amazon nuisances had meant for her to switch with him... that thought triggered another, and she sat bolt upright, smacking her fist into her palm for emphasis.  "That's it!!"

                Ryoga choked, her sudden exclamation startling him and making some of the ramen go down the wrong pipe.  He coughed for a bit, then asked, "What?!  What's wrong?!"

                "Nothing's WRONG, exactly.  I just realized what those devious little sneaks' plan was.  Of course they didn't need to put anything in either of the lunches.  They just needed to make me THINK they did, so I'd look bad when I accused them!"

                Ryoga gave Ukyo a strange sidelong glance.  "Don't you think you're reaching a little there?"

                "Of course not.  It makes perfect sense!  They get to look like poor little oppressed girls that nobody gives a fair chance to, and I get to look like some kind of ogre."  The chef gritted her teeth.  'Well, I admit it was a clever plan.  But this isn't over yet,' she thought darkly.

                Ryoga sighed.  "Listen, Ukyo, I really think you're imagining things.  I know Shampoo pretty well by now, and I don't think that 'subtle' is a strong point for Amazon girls."

***************

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung slowly made their way back to the Nekohanten.  By the time they reached it, the Matriarch had returned as well.

                "Well done, you two.  You performed admirably.  From what I could see after you left, your future Airen was feeling sympathetic toward you and a bit annoyed at the Kuonji girl's attitude."

                The twins broke out into big grins.  Then it had been worth it!  "Thank you, Great-Grandmother, for helping us come up with that plan!"  "Yeah, thanks a lot!"

***************

                The rest of the week passed quietly enough.  Even though she had complete confidence in Ranma's victory, Shampoo had to admit that it was still a comfort to sit in on his practise sessions.  Watching dummies bite the dust in less than fifteen seconds just gave her a warm fuzzy glow inside, especially after Ranma let her start draping white sheets around them like robes and drawing glasses on the face.

                Mousse remained at his camp, training nearly constantly for the upcoming fight.  Had Shampoo returned to speak with him again, she would have been pleased to see him practising with blunt weapons rather than bladed ones.  The Chinese boy was still focusing on melee rather than ranged attacks; he figured Ranma wouldn't be expecting that after witnessing the tactics he'd used against Shampoo.  Plus, it would be more satisfying to give Saotome an up-close-and-personal beating.

                After swearing her to secrecy, Tatewaki revealed the latest developments to Nabiki.  The middle Tendo spent the better part of an evening quietly giving thanks that nowadays her life and Tachi's only touched the fringes of the maelstrom of chaos that had Ranma Saotome at its center.  She even found it in her heart to pity Shampoo--Nabiki didn't think the Amazon really appreciated what she was letting herself in for.

                Dawn followed dusk... the wheel in the sky kept on turning... and then, inevitably, Saturday arrived.

                The breakfast table was where Ryoga finally began to clue in to the fact that something was up.  Not just Ranma, but also Kodachi and Shampoo were tense with expectation.  The former lost boy was a little puzzled at this... just what was the big deal anyway?  He didn't remember his one-time rival ever being this keyed-up before a fight, not even on the night before the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics match so long ago.

                "Ranma, what's got you so uptight this morning?" he finally asked.

                Ranma just stared at Ryoga for a minute, then replied, "Um, you do remember that today's the day I'm fighting Mousse, right?"

                Ryoga shrugged.  "So what?  You think he's gonna be able to beat you?  Yeah, right.  You know the first time you fight someone for real you always catch them by surprise with your speed.  I just wish Nabiki was taking bets on this fight... I could use a little extra cash."

                The heir to the Saotome school gave a grin then.  "Well, can't say I disagree with you."  He looked at Ryoga, calmly eating his miso, and felt a moment's gratitude.  It was nice to see Ryoga was so confident in him, acting as if Ranma's victory was such a foregone conclusion that what was at stake didn't matter at all.  "So, you gonna come and watch the fight?"

                Ryoga shrugged.  "Sure, why not.  I could use a good laugh or two."  Besides, he considered Shampoo a pretty good friend.  Watching some jerk who'd been bothering her get what was coming to him sounded like a good way to spend the morning.

                Not much else was said as the four youths finished breakfast, then made their way to the park.  Kodachi distracted herself from her tension by wondering why the city council never seemed to object to the constant challenge matches.  After all, the frequent battles more often than not left buildings damaged, trees uprooted, and grass trampled out of existence.  She would have been quite amused had she known the truth.  The council was composed almost completely of middle-aged out-of-shape fanboy-types who got a vicarious thrill out of the high level of martial arts mastery that was displayed in Nerima on a regular basis.

                Although, if she'd known the ENTIRE truth (namely, that one council member had a secret stash of red Chinese silk shirts and black pants, and another occasionally practised ribbon strikes while dressed up in a leotard embroidered with white roses), she'd have been somewhat less than amused.

                This time, Mousse had made it to the battleground early (although he wasn't the first to arrive; Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and the Matriarch were there already).  This time, there was no hesitation or trepidation visible in his expression.  He stood at one end of the clearing, looking resolutely ahead, with his glasses pushed up on his forehead so Saotome would be able to clearly see the look of disdain in his eyes.  He did wonder why he was hearing an occasional snicker from the twins.

                As Ranma walked into the clearing, he groaned.  The Master of Hidden Weapons was doing a good job of trying to stare down a tree.  Still, Ranma didn't think his opponent was likely to win that contest.

                Any more than Mousse was going to win the one that had brought everyone here.

                "Hey!  Duck-boy!  I'm over here!"

Mousse spun at the sound, and more by accident than design his glasses slipped into place over his nose.  He adjusted them, then sneered, "Trying to sneak up on me, Saotome?  And who are you calling Duck-boy?!"

                Ranma just closed his eyes, visibly counting to ten.  And why had that name sprung to mind anyway?  He shrugged it off.  "Whatever.  Are you ready for this?"

                Mousse inclined his head.  "I am."  A battle aura began to glow faintly around him.  "I won't let you have Shampoo."  The aura grew brighter.  "I won't let you take her away from me!"  Brighter yet.  "She's my bride, Saotome!  Not yours!!"

                Ryoga's facefault shook the earth.

                Everyone in the clearing gave him a confused glance.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung hurried to his side, gently picked him up and began checking him for injuries.  As their future Airen was still too dazed to resist, they were able to take quite a few liberties, the subconscious memory of which would cause Ryoga to wake up in a cold sweat for many nights to come.  It was just too bad Shampoo wasn't paying them any attention--she might at least have stopped Ling-Ling from claiming his shirt as a souvenir.

                "Give it up, bird brain," Ranma said coldly.  He drew himself into a ready stance, then turned to face the Matriarch.  "Honored Elder, please bear witness as I challenge Mousse for the hand of the one who would not be his wife."  That was the wording Shampoo had suggested he use.

                Mousse gritted his teeth and balled his fists, but didn't say anything.  Cologne smiled inscrutably.  "Certainly, son-in-law."  Mousse and Ryoga both twitched, one from fury, one from shock.  "What shall be the endpoint of this fight?"

                "Same as when Mousse fought Shampoo.  First to unconsciousness or to give up loses."  Ranma looked over to the White Rose.  "Dachi?  You wanna give the signal?"

                "Certainly," she agreed.  Ranma turned back to face Mousse.  Kodachi took a deep breath, then shouted, "Begin!"

                It was the most anticlimactic battle that had been seen in years.

                Mousse didn't even have time to realize what was happening.  The Saotome heir had decided the previous night that he couldn't afford to win by beating Mousse unconscious.  There was too good a chance he might slip and do permanent damage.  And so Ranma blasted forward at full speed, swept Mousse's legs out from under him, struck him lightly on the shoulder as he fell, then, as Mousse spun one hundred eighty degrees, tapped his opponent's Instant Unconsciousness shiatsu point.

                A long moment of silence was broken by Cologne's chuckle.  "Most impressive, Ranma.  Well done indeed."

                Ling-Ling looked up, tearing her eyes away from Ryoga's bare chest.  "Huh?"  She blinked, then her jaw fell as she saw Mousse was already down for the count.  She poked her sister, who reacted similarly.  The twins felt more than a little disappointed to realize the battle had begun and ended while their attentions were engaged elsewhere.

***************

                Some time later, Ryoga sat on a couch in the Kuno mansion.  His head was spinning, and he was trying feebly to grasp who he was, where he was, and how he'd come to be here.  The first two fell into place without too much trouble, but the best answer he could find for the last one was a few hazy memories of stumbling back here in a daze, guided by Ranma.  Well, two and a half out of three wasn't that bad, he decided as his head cleared some more.  That left him way ahead of most philosophers who'd tackled those questions.

                With the preliminary issues settled, Ryoga advanced to another, more difficult one.  He remembered hearing Mousse say something to the effect that the fight between the Chinese boy and Ranma was over who would get to marry Shampoo.  He remembered falling forward and slamming his face into the ground.  The trouble was, which of those events had come first?

                On the one hand, hitting his head would neatly explain how he might have hallucinated Ranma challenging Mousse for Shampoo's hand in marriage.  Just for the sake of argument, Ryoga briefly tried to imagine that what he thought he'd heard had been real, that Ranma really had been fighting to win Shampoo for himself.  That mental picture broke down as soon as he could form it... the reaction he seemed to remember from Kodachi was absolutely inconceivable.  Furious anger from her he could believe in, or, more likely, bitter tears and absolute devastation.  NOT just standing there looking mildly tense.   No, it had to have been a trauma-induced delusion.

                However, there were some flaws with that idea as well.  If he assumed the blow to his head had caused the vision, that left him with the question as to what had caused the blow to his head.  And for that matter... Ryoga frowned, then ran his fingers over his scalp.  There wasn't any particular sore place to be found.  He glanced at a clock, and ruled out the possibility of having been unconscious for hours.  The former lost boy knew that any knock on his noggin sufficient to cause hallucination would have had to leave some traces behind.  And there were none.

                Ryoga groaned as his head began to hurt, not because of any hit he'd taken, but from the effort of trying to figure out what had happened.  Okay, start at the beginning.  He thought he remembered witnessing the prelude of a match in which Ranma was challenging Mousse for Shampoo's hand in marriage, and the shock of that had sent him right out of connection with the world...

                ... hold on a minute...  sure, Mousse had been blustering and laying claim to Shampoo... but RANMA hadn't!  Ryoga thought over that for a few minutes, before a light bulb went off in his head.  Of course!  That explained everything!

                Now that he thought back, he realized Shampoo had never actually said that the law about women of her tribe yielding themselves in marriage to victorious guys only applied to outsiders!  Sure, whenever she'd mentioned the law it had always been in the context of men from outside the tribe, but maybe that was just because there were no guys from Joketsuzoku around.  Until now, anyway.

                Ryoga followed the thought to its logical conclusion.  Then that would mean this Mousse jerk had deliberately tried to force Shampoo to be his wife!  That must be why he had fought her last week!  And of course Ranma and Kodachi wouldn't let a good friend get victimized like that... not when they could prevent it with a simple ruse!  Ranma would challenge Mousse, beat him as many times as it took until the scum gave up and went home, and then he and Shampoo quit pretending to be fiancées.  And that explained why Kodachi wasn't any more upset at Ranma's actions.  She knew she wasn't REALLY losing him.

                The former lost boy heaved a sigh of relief, though it was tinged with just a hint of melancholy.  He didn't think it was going to be all that much fun for Shampoo, pretending to be something she truly wanted to be but wasn't.  And the longer it took to get rid of Mousse, the worse it would be for her... Ryoga's jaw clenched with a sudden resolve.  He'd just have to help Ranma and the others make things miserable for this jerk, to get him out of the picture as soon as possible.

                Now that that had been settled to his satisfaction, Ryoga turned his attention to a less pressing but more personal question.  Namely... what had happened to his shirt?

                As if summoned by the thought, Kodachi walked into the room, carrying one of his spare garments.  She tossed it to him.  "Here you go, Ryoga."

                The former lost boy quickly shrugged it on.  "Thanks, Kodachi.  Um, you wouldn't happen to know how I lost the one I was wearing, would you?"

                "I think it happened after you fainted, when Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were giving you," Kodachi coughed into her hand, looking off to one side, "first aid.  But I wasn't really paying attention."  She sighed, and sat down in a chair.  "Ryoga... no-one thought to tell you what was going on, did they?"

                "You mean about Mousse defeating Shampoo so he'd become her husband?  And of course Ranma can't let that happen?  No, nobody did.  But I figured things out for myself just now."

                "I see.  I'm sorry, Ryoga.  I just assumed someone else had told you."

                He shrugged.  "Don't worry about it.  I should've asked why Mousse had challenged Shampoo."  Ryoga frowned darkly at the thought.  "That jerk.  How dare he try and make Shampoo's life miserable?  Good thing she's got someone like Ranma to be there for her."

                "Er... yes," Kodachi agreed half-heartedly.

                "Still, I do wish I'd found out sooner what was going on.  Shampoo's my friend too, you know.  I'd like to be a part of this too," Ryoga continued.

                "Y- you would?" the White Rose asked faintly.

                "Of course!  And believe me, I'm not going to just sit back and let you guys do it all by yourselves."  Ryoga smacked his fist into his palm.  "Together, we'll all show that Mousse jerk just why he can't have Shampoo!"

                "HOLD IT!  Time out!!"  Kodachi just stared at Ryoga for almost a minute after her outburst, then hesitantly asked, "Ryoga... just exactly what did you figure out about why Ranma was challenging Mousse?"

                Now Ryoga was confused again.  "Ummm... by Amazon law, Mousse could claim Shampoo as his wife when he defeated her, right?"  He waited for Kodachi to nod before continuing.  "Ranma challenged Mousse to get him to give Shampoo up."  Kodachi nodded again.  "After Ranma won, Mousse lost his claim on Shampoo to him."  Another nod.  "So now Ranma and Shampoo pretend to be a happy couple until Mousse does give up and go home.  And I'll be glad to help make things miserable for that jerk so he leaves sooner..."  Ryoga's voice trailed off as he realized Kodachi was now shaking her head in negation.  "No?  Where'd I go wrong?"

                The White Rose sighed.  "Ryoga, you must swear to keep secret what I'm about to tell you.  All right?"  Hesitantly, he nodded.  She paused for another minute, trying to come up with a good way of breaking the truth gently to him.  At the end of that time it dawned on her that there was no particular need or reason to break things gently.  "Very well then.  Here's the short version.  Although the Matriarch originally implied otherwise, the Heart Link is permanent.  And an inevitable side effect is that a man and a woman Linked together will grow to love one another."  She hesitated for a few seconds, then concluded, "Ranma was quite serious when he challenged Mousse for Shampoo's hand."

                "I see."  Ryoga nodded solemnly, then pinched himself as hard as he could.  "Yeoww!"

                Kodachi smiled wryly.  "No, it's not a dream."

                "But then... then what... I mean... you and Ranma... and Shampoo...  What's going to happen now?!" he managed to get out.

                "Things continue much as they were before, I suppose."  Kodachi shrugged.  "Except now Ranma can be honest with himself about what he's really feeling.  And Shampoo doesn't have to wonder whether she'll ever find someone she can love that will love her back."

                "And... and you?" the former lost boy asked.

                "And I... will simply have to adjust."

                Ryoga regarded Kodachi closely.  She was looking ahead, but her eyes were unfocused.  It was clear that her thoughts were elsewhere.  "That doesn't seem fair," he said quietly.

                She exhaled loudly, a gusty puff of air, then, unexpectedly, gave him a small smile.  "Perhaps not.  But... it's not as if Ranma-sama loves me less because of this.  The disadvantages are really just in my own mind, aren't they?  And there are some very concrete advantages to the way things have worked out."

                "Really?  What?"

                "Shampoo's continued existence, for one thing."

                "Heh.  Guess that's a pretty good point."

                "And even aside from that..." Kodachi searched for the right words.  "Life is full of tradeoffs, Ryoga.  Without the Heart Link, it would have been just him and me.  Shampoo would still be nothing more than a friend to him.  I wouldn't have to get used to the idea of sharing my future husband.

                "And I would only be able to come so close to him, and no closer."

                "I don't understand," Ryoga admitted.

                "I know.  You can't know what it's like," Kodachi said softly, looking off into the distance again.  "To be able to feel how much he loves me.  When we first were linked, when I saw all his memories, saw myself through his eyes and how much he cared for me... I could not give that up, Ryoga.  It is worth it, to share him with Shampoo, for that alone.

                "And so I have two reasons to accept the way things are... Shampoo's rescue from death, and the connection to Ranma-sama.  Either alone would be sufficient to justify the way things are.  To receive both... I don't think the price is unfair.  Not really."

                "Well... I'm glad you're taking this so well..."  They both sat quietly for a while.  Ryoga tried to come to terms with what he'd just heard.  Eventually he said, "I always knew Ranma was overconfident, but this..."  He shook his head in wonderment.  "Wanting two girlfriends at the same time.  He's got guts, all right."

                Kodachi grinned mischievously.  "Now, Ryoga, don't sell yourself short.  You have Ranma beaten in that department, or have you forgotten?"  She smiled even more broadly at the sight of his bewildered expression.  "Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, AND Ukyo.  Even Ranma-kun never had three girls after him at the same time.  If anyone in this house is a ladies' man, it's you."

                "HEY!  That's not... I mean, I don't... Those kids are the ones doing the chasing, not me!" he protested.

                "Methinks thou doth protest too much," Kodachi quipped.  "Besides, those two are hardly children.  They're of marriageable age under Joketsuzoku law.  Now you just need to teach them to get along with Ukyo and you'll be set."

                "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" Ryoga squawked.

                "Well, I thought it was," Kodachi giggled.  Then she sobered.  "But seriously, Ryoga, make sure you don't hurt their feelings too badly when you let them down, all right?  Remember what it was like when you lost your first love."

                Ryoga sighed.  "You know I can't stand to hurt girls," he replied.  "I'll do the best I can for them."

***************

                The rest of the day passed quietly.  Ranma was mildly surprised not to hear from Mousse, but he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

                The next morning, Shampoo pointed out that with all the recent mess with Mousse, they hadn't been able to spend much time relaxing lately.  In particular they hadn't had any time to hang out with Ukyo.  Ranma agreed that needed to change, and suggested that the three of them plus Ryoga head on over to her restaurant and see if she wanted to do something.  Kodachi lightly remarked that with the chef along too it would almost be like a double date.

                Shampoo didn't say anything to that, but her smile was like a sunrise.  Ranma smiled too, although his reaction was tinged with a little bit of nervousness.  Still, he was mainly relieved to see that things were smoothing out.

                Ryoga just laughed nervously.  And remembered the dream he'd had the night before, and the roles Ukyo and the twins had played in it.  And wished Kodachi had kept her big mouth shut the previous day.

                Some thirty minutes later they arrived at Ukyo's.  It would have been much quicker, except first Ryoga was drenched when a cyclist rode through a puddle, and then, a few blocks later, Ranma carelessly walked into the wake of a water pistol war some children were waging.

                By the time they reached their destination, Kodachi was halfway expecting the sky to cloud up and begin pouring rain.  But it was still clear and sunny, and she dared to hope the unwanted transformations were finished for the day.

                Shampoo looked through the window of the restaurant.  "Shampoo no see Ucchan inside," the Amazon said.  "Is time she should be starting set up stuff, yes?"

                Ranma shrugged, and knocked on the door, which swung slightly open at the first tap.  He blinked, then opened it and stepped inside.

                A shriek and a crash sent the others racing in after him... only to stumble over the prone bodies of Ranma-chan and Ukyo.  The two girls managed to avoid falling into the puddle left by Ukyo's pail of sudsy water, spilled when Ranma had tripped over her.  Needless to say, Ryoga wasn't so lucky.

                After those who needed it had gotten cleaned up, and the proposal to go out and do something fun was put before her, Ukyo accepted gladly.  The five of them left and began slowly walking down the street.  "So, Ucchan, you got anything in particular you wanna do?" Ranma asked.

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Nah, not really.  What about you guys?"

                No-one else had any burning desire for some particular activity either.  Kodachi spoke up.  "In that case, why don't we just head toward central Tokyo. I'm sure something fun will turn up."

***************

                It had taken Genma a ridiculous amount of time to jimmy open the lock on Azusa's cage with one of his claws.  Lockpicking was one larcenous skill he'd never mastered.  But eventually he'd succeeded.  One quick change and one not-so-quick raid on the Shiratori refrigerator later, grumpy, dirty, tired, and incredibly sick of being a panda, he was stalking through the streets back to the Tendo Dojo.

                It was just his bad luck that his path intersected with the one taken by Ranma and company... as irony would have it, not five minutes after Kodachi had made her last statement.

***************

                Ukyo regarded the sight before her with awe.  "I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it for myself."

                Shampoo shrugged, but there was a proud smile on her face.  "Is possible fit things into too-small spaces if know how.  Amazon secrets."  She bounced one of her bonbori off the trash can.  Genma, stuffed inside with the rest of the garbage, moaned faintly.

                "Hmmm... was it necessary for us to beat him so thoroughly in order to loosen him up, so that he would fit into its confines?" Kodachi asked.

                "No, that part just for fun," Shampoo answered.  The three girls shared a good laugh at that.

                Ranma and Ryoga, standing well back, sweated.  "On that note, buddy, I think I'll share a quote Dachi heard from her brother once," Ranma said.

                "What's that?" Ryoga asked faintly, still a little green after the sheer carnage he'd witnessed.

                " 'The female of the species is more deadly than the male'."

***************

                Some time later, Genma limped back into the Tendo Dojo.  There were mixed reactions at finally seeing him again.  Soun of course was overjoyed that his friend had escaped whatever danger had ensnared him.  Akane was glad too, since she had mastered her latest special technique several days ago and was eager to learn another.  Kasumi gave her usual smile, though it seemed slightly strained.  Nabiki was definitely less than enthusiastic to see him return, but she decided to look on the bright side--at least this way her father wouldn't be borderline hysterical all the time anymore.

                And all three girls wished that Genma had found time to take a bath BEFORE coming back home.

                "I tell you, it was a nightmare, Tendo," Genma shuddered.  "Some psychotic girl thought I'd make a great panda-skin rug and locked me in a cage in her room.  If her mother hadn't given me bamboo and water while she was at school, I don't know if I would have survived."

                "Well, I thought you were looking quite fit and trim," Soun laughed.

                Genma gave his friend a wounded look, but Soun was in too good a humor at Genma's return to even notice.  "It's no laughing matter," he protested weakly.  He shivered again, thinking back to his tenure in Azusa's cage, and in particular the nightmare it had been when she was at home.  Genma didn't think he'd ever be able to hear French names again without suffering flashbacks.

                Nabiki's nose wrinkled further.  She pulled out a bottle of perfume and began applying it liberally.  "Where'd you get that, Nabiki?" Akane asked.

                "Tachi gave it to me.  It's called Chantelle."  Genma flinched as if someone had kicked him in the gut.  "What do you think?"

                "Um, I think you're putting it on to mask a certain other smell.  Right?"  Out of the corner of her eye, Akane saw Genma looked like he was about to break down and cry.  Well, if it hurt his feelings to hear that, tough.  He was hurting her nose pretty badly.

                "Right you are."  Nabiki grimaced, waving her hand in front of her nose.  "But it doesn't seem to be helping.  Kasumi, do you think you could... suggest... Mr Saotome take a bath?"

                Kasumi turned and just stared at her younger sister.

                "Umm... Kasumi?"

                "Nabiki..."  The middle Tendo was shocked nearly out of her mind when Kasumi actually GROWLED at her.  "... did you just say you want Mr Saotome to go and wash off all that filth... IN MY FURO?!"

                Akane's jaw dropped.  Kasumi knew how to do the Demon Head?!

                "Sorry, my mistake!!" Nabiki squeaked.  She turned, fished out a wad of yen, and tossed it to her father.  "Daddy, I'm treating you and Mr Saotome to an entire day's worth of luxury at the public baths.  Please... take your time."

***************

                It was early evening as Ranma and company left Ukyo at her restaurant and headed back toward home.  The rest of their day out had been enjoyably uneventful.  No more random transformations, no encounters with martial artists spoiling for a fight, no hint of trouble anywhere.  It made for a nice change of pace, especially since things had been even more chaotic than usual lately.

                And so, when they arrived back at the Kuno mansion, and Ranma found Tatewaki waiting outside for him, holding out what was obviously a challenge letter, he was perhaps more annoyed than he would normally have been.

                "You missed him by only half an hour or so," Kuno said gravely.  "That Mousse fellow came by with intent to challenge you for a rematch for Shampoo's hand."

                Ranma read through the challenge letter, then clenched his fist, crumpling it.  "Guess I better go give him his answer then," he growled.  "Shampoo, you know where he's staying, right?"

                "That right."  The Amazon was glaring at the note as if she would rather it were Mousse's neck clenched in her Airen's fist.  "Shampoo take you to his campsite."

                "Thanks."  Ranma turned to the others.  "This shouldn't take long."

                "Ranma-kun... wait."

                "Huh?  What is it, Dachi?"

                Kodachi hesitated, wondering whether there was any point to the request she was about to make.  Deciding that even if there wasn't she wouldn't feel right if she didn't try, she continued.  "Why don't you let me take your answer to him instead."

                "Um... why?" Ranma asked, puzzled.

                "I want to try to reason with him.  After all, even leaving aside the question of the Heart Link, isn't it true that Mousse no longer has a right to make this challenge?  Since you aren't part of the tribe and he is, I mean."

                Shampoo shrugged.  "Is so, but like I say before, should no expect that to stop him.  For Mousse, what matter is what Mousse want."

                "Even so, I'd like to try to argue him out of this.  Besides, what date and time did he specify for the match, Ranma?"

                "Noon on Monday, a week from tomorrow."  Ranma frowned.  "That jerk, I bet he deliberately picked a time that'll make us miss class."

                Tatewaki gave him a wry look.  "And since when does that prospect break your heart?"

                The Saotome heir snorted.  "It's the principle of the thing."

                "And we've certainly missed enough class as it is, thanks to him.  I'd like to resolve this now, if possible."  Kodachi frowned.  "It's time to move on past this ridiculous obsession of his anyway."

                "Indeed.  This Mousse character is truly blind, in more ways than one.  How can anyone receive the kind of rejection he has and still delude himself into thinking he has a chance?" Kuno mused.

                "So, that's why I asked, Ranma-kun," Kodachi continued.  "It may only be a slim chance, that I'll be able to make him see reason, but what can it hurt?  And I'd prefer not to drag things out for another week if it can be avoided."

                Ranma shrugged.  "Well, if you want to try, go for it.  Then, after he doesn't listen to a word you say, tell him I'll be there for the match."

                "Ranma, you should try to keep a positive attitude," Ryoga said.

                "Shampoo have that.  Shampoo positive Kodachi is wasting her time."  The Amazon turned to Kodachi.  "You want go now?"

                "Well, actually, Shampoo, I was thinking it might be better just to go by myself.  Didn't you already try talking sense into him?  And it didn't do any good.  I thought it might have more impact if I told him you were so disgusted at his stubbornness that you weren't even willing to come see him."

                "Is worth a shot."  Shampoo gave the White Rose directions to Mousse's campsite.  Kodachi left, and the rest made their way inside.

                As the others started to walk off toward their different rooms, Tatewaki spoke up.  "Shampoo, wait."  She turned back to face him, an inquiring expression on her face.  "There was something I wanted to tell you."

                "What that?"

                Kuno's brow wrinkled thoughtfully as he tried to decide on the best way to begin.  "Well... concerning this situation with Mousse... if it had to happen at all, I'm glad it happened now, and not several months ago."

                "Shampoo glad too.  Look how much trouble he cause.  If come sooner, would maybe have been even lot worse."  Who knew?  Given his track record of keeping guys away from her, he might even have managed to prevent the Heart Link from ever happening, Shampoo thought with a mental shudder.  Then she tried not to feel guilty.

                "Maybe, but that isn't really what I meant."  Kuno looked away.  "Had he come back when you were still... pursuing me, I probably would have encouraged him in his suit.  Perhaps even tried to help him.  And I'm sorry, Shampoo.  You wouldn't have deserved that."

                Shampoo just looked at him for a few moments.  At last she said, "So you no think Sham--_I_ was just like Mousse, after you like he after me?"

                "No.  It wasn't that bad."  Almost, but not quite.  However, Kuno knew where to draw the line between honesty and thoughtlessness.  Besides, it wasn't like Shampoo had had a free choice in the matter.  "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry I didn't try to understand your situation as I should have.  I didn't want to treat you so coldly, but I thought it would be for the best, to get you to give up quickly."

                "Still, it hurt very much," Shampoo said quietly.

                "I know.  I... have many regrets."  He regretted not listening to his sister when she told him not to actually defeat Shampoo, back in the ice cream shop so long ago.  He regretted not trying to understand Shampoo's situation.  Most of all, he regretted the resentment he'd held toward the Amazon... he wasn't proud of how he'd handled things with her, and for a quite a while afterward he had been angry at her for putting him in such a position.  That had been mostly on a subconscious level; he hadn't even been aware of it until fairly recently.  "I'm sorry.  I have been for a while."

                "So why didn't ya say something sooner?" Ranma asked.

                Tatewaki jumped.  "Saotome, I thought you'd left with Ryoga.  This was meant to be more or less a private conversation."

                Shampoo shrugged.  "Is not like it not important to Ranma.  Besides, he has all Shampoo memories of that time.  Maybe do good for him to hear this as well."

                "Well... anyway... as to why I didn't say anything until now..."  The collar of his shirt seemed to be chafing Kuno's neck.  He tugged at it as if trying to loosen it.  "I... that is... I didn't want to give you anything that might encourage you... I didn't want you to start chasing me again..."  His voice had been getting lower and lower, and they basically had to read his lips to get the last sentence. 

                Shampoo blinked.  For s second, it looked like her face was starting to rearrange itself into a new expression, then she forced her features back to neutrality.  "So you want to spare Shampoo further hurt?"

                "Yes, more or less."

                "And even back when Shampoo first chase you, what you do was try to do what you think best for me?"

                "That's right, though my judgement frankly stunk."

                "So is truth, you never really hate me, and no wish evil, even though Shampoo cause you much trouble?"

                "Yes.  I was angry, sometimes, but I never hated you."

                In a flash the neutrality disappeared.  Shampoo's eyes grew wide and sparkly, and a big grin split her face.  "Wo de Airen... WO AI NI!!"

                Tatewaki's face turned the sickly grey of wet ashes, his eyes even wider than Shampoo's.  He stumbled back in horror, raising his arms in a futile attempt to ward off the incoming hug...

                ... and then realized that Shampoo was on her knees, holding her stomach with one arm, pounding the floor with the other, laughing so hard it looked like even odds on whether or not she'd be able to maintain consciousness.  Ranma was laughing every bit as hard, though with the support of the wall at his back he'd managed to remain on his feet.

                Kuno wiped the sweat off his brow.  "Ho ho and ha ha.  Very funny."

                "Oh man... your face..." Ranma wheezed between guffaws.  "Where's Nabiki... with a camera... when you need her?"

                After another few minutes of hilarity, Shampoo managed to regain her composure.  "That why you wait so long?  You worried if you give Shampoo slightest bit of kindness, I might forget everything else and start chase you again?  Not until you learn truth about Heart Link you think is safe to apologize?"

                "Er... well, yes..."  Kuno's collar seemed to be giving him some trouble again.

                "Hmmph.  You have big ego, Tatewaki.  But Shampoo accept apology anyway."  The Amazon smirked at him.  "Besides, you should no have worry--Shampoo no want settle for second best.  You good warrior, but Ranma is better.  He have you beat with ego too."

                "Come on, Shampoo, don't rag the poor guy... HEY!  Whaddaya mean by that last crack?!"

                Shampoo stuck her tongue out at him.  "Is rhetorical question, yes?"

                Ranma groaned theatrically, turning to face Tatewaki.  "Thanks a LOT, buddy.  Now you got her in a playful mood."

***************

                This time, Mousse wasn't practising.  He was just sitting there, looking off into space.  Kodachi told herself this might be a good sign.  She approached and cleared her throat.

                Mousse looked up.  "You?  Where's Saotome?  Didn't he even think enough of me to answer in person?" he asked angrily.

                Kodachi felt her hopes, not that high to begin with, sink a little lower.  "I asked him to let me come, and give you his answer for him."

                "Well, go ahead."

                "First, I have a question for you," the White Rose replied, seating herself.  "Mousse... according to the Matriarch, you have no right to make this challenge.  For pity's sake, Shampoo hasn't even given you permission!  What exactly do you think you're going to accomplish?"

                "What do you care?!" he snapped.  "Just give me his answer, and go away!"

                "No.  Not until you answer me.  Tell me how you think you're going to get around the law."

                Mousse glared at her.  "All right, fine, I will.  I know even if I defeat him, by the law he'd still be her Airen.  But if I do prove myself stronger, she could still pick me.  It would mean some dishonor for her, but not too much."

                Kodachi just stared at him for a minute.  "Let me see if I have this straight," she said at last in a stunned tone of voice.  "If you defeat Ranma, and do it soundly enough to prove that you're a much better fighter than him, then Shampoo could forsake him and choose you, and only suffer the loss of some of her honor for the choice she made."  Mousse nodded.  "And you honestly think this is going to happen?!"

                He gave her an even harsher glare, then looked away.  "It's the only chance I've got," he muttered.

                She opened her mouth, then changed her mind about what she had been going to say.  "Mousse... Ranma-kun would have come, to give you his answer himself.  But I asked him to let me do it instead,  because I wanted to try to talk to you first.

                "Please, give up now.  No good can possibly come of this.  You're holding onto illusions, you're hoping for something that has no chance of happening.  You aren't going to defeat Ranma.  Even if you did, Shampoo would still stay with him."

                "What do you know?!" he snapped.  "What gives you the right to speak for her like that?!"

                The sheer gall of that statement nearly made Kodachi go for her ribbon.  Exercising iron restraint, she limited herself to a verbal response.  "Do you see her here?!  No!  I just got directions from her instead.  She was so disgusted with your stubborn refusal to accept reality that she didn't even want to see you!"

                Mousse flinched visibly, as if she'd plunged a dagger into him.  "I could have lived the rest of my life without hearing that," he said bitterly.

                "Could, yes.  Should, no," she said forcefully.

                "Look, you've said your piece.  Just go ahead and tell me he agreed to the fight, and get out of here."

                "You stubborn idiot!  What does it take to make you face reality?!  This is pointless, Mousse.  All you're doing now is wasting our time and hurting yourself!"

                "Oh, well, let me just apologize for the inconvenience!" he sneered.  "And I'll suffer as much as I have to, to make my dream come true!"

                "Will you?!  Will you throw away everything you have, in pursuit of the impossible?!  It would be different if she cared for you, but she doesn't.  You're imagining something that just isn't going to happen.  Don't you think there must come a time to cut your losses and start anew?"  She was pleading now.  "Mousse, there is only so much in this world that we can change to suit ourselves.  Not all dreams come true.  I'm sorry that's so, but it is.  And your dream of Shampoo as your wife is one such."

                "SHUT UP!  I'm sick of hearing this!  If it had to be someone feeding me this crap, at least it should be Saotome and not you!  You should be helping me!!"

                "Helping you?  What on earth do you mean by that?"

                "What do you think?!"  Mousse fixed her with a piercing stare.  Well, it would have been piercing had his glasses not completely hidden his eyes.  "Do you WANT to share Ranma with her?!  You ought to work with me!  Then you could have him all to yourself, and I could have my beloved Shampoo, and everybody would be happy!"

                In later days, Kodachi would think back to this moment, to Mousse's words and the expression of unreasoning obsession on his face, and realize that this was where she let go of the last of her resentment at the way things had turned out.  At the moment, though, she wasn't really capable of introspection.  She was too dumbfounded even to respond.

                Mousse continued.  "Don't tell me it doesn't worry you," he said.  "Don't tell me you haven't even thought that if things don't change, you could wind up a distant second to Shampoo in Saotome's heart.  Is that what you want?"

                By now, Kodachi had recovered somewhat.  It was lucky for Mousse that all she felt capable of was speech.  "That will never happen."  For a second she seriously considered explaining the depths of the Heart Link to him.  After all, SHE had never promised Cologne not to say anything.  But then she abandoned the idea as unworthy of her.  "I know Ranma-kun better than that."

                "Do you.  Do you really."  Mousse found he believed her, certain from the tone of her voice that she was speaking from rock-hard certainty.  "So he loves you that much, does he?   I wonder... if..."

                " 'If' what?" Kodachi asked.

                "Saotome has taken the woman I love," Mousse said slowly.  Kodachi found she didn't quite like the expression on his face.  "I wonder what would happen... if I did the same to him.  If you know him so well, what do you think he'd say, if you didn't come back tonight?  Do you think he'd still show for our match, if he knew his absence would see you safely back to him?"

                "Is that a threat?!" the White Rose snarled.  For just a second, Mousse had the oddest impression that she ought to have black hair...

                ... then her expression relaxed.  For the duration of this conversation, Kodachi had been sitting on the same rock that had earlier been Shampoo's perch.  She now slid off and knelt down next to it, placing one palm on its surface.  "Mousse... I think there's something you should see."  She concentrated, then poured chi into the rock in _almost_ the same configuration she'd use for a Blast Ball.

                The boulder disintegrated.

                Mousse's jaw dropped.  Kodachi stood up, and spoke quietly.  "For your sake, Mousse, I'm going to assume that little game plan was idle speculation on your part, and not tell Ranma-kun.  But since you asked me a question, I suppose I should answer it.

                "If you were to try such a stunt..." she sniffed, looking down at the pile of dust at her feet, "... and if by some freakish mischance you were to succeed in imprisoning me, you might well not live to regret it, after Ranma heard the news.

                "Like I said before, I wanted to try to talk some sense into you before giving you Ranma-kun's answer.  But I know when I'm wasting my time.  He agrees to the match."  Kodachi hesitated for a second.  Ranma hadn't told her to add this next part, but she knew him well enough to be confident it was true.  "Don't expect him to go so easy on you, this time."

***************

                On returning to her home, Kodachi sought Ranma out and gave him an edited version of how things had progressed.  True to her word, she left out Mousse's less-than-inspired idea of kidnapping her.  She did tell Ranma that she'd warned Mousse not to expect much in the way of mercy.

                Ranma grunted.  "Did that make any difference to him?"

                She sighed forlornly.  "No.  I wish he'd just give up on this.  Not only for our sake, but for his own as well."

                Ranma slowly shook his head.  "I don't think he can.  He's just too obsessed with Shampoo.  He ain't strong enough to let go."

                "Ranma-kun?  Do you... have to fight him?" she asked hesitantly.

                He shrugged.  "What other choice do I have?"

                "Well... as I was walking back, I remembered something that I think we all forgot.  The Matriarch promised she'd give us whatever aid we needed.  Now that you've beaten him officially, and the Heart Link need not enter into her reasons for doing so, why shouldn't she just send Mousse back home?"

                Ranma was quiet for quite a long time as he turned that thought over in his mind.  At last, he said, "No, I don't think that's gonna cut it anymore.  I don't think he'd obey that order.  Even if he did, it wouldn't really settle things.  He'd still be out there, bitter, obsessed with her, maybe just waiting to pop up again when we don't expect it."

                "But do you think defeating him again next week is going to change that?" Kodachi asked, reasonably enough.

                Ranma gave a grim smile.  "Yeah.  I promise you this, Dachi-chan.  After I get through with him, he ain't ever gonna bother Shampoo again."

***************

                Kodachi found herself remembering that declaration the next week, as she, Ranma, and Shampoo made their way to the vacant lot where Mousse had designated the match would take place.  She thought to herself that the weather certainly was doing a good job of building dramatic tension.

                The day was preternaturally still--there was no wind at all.  The sky was completely devoid of clouds, and the sunlight was almost painfully bright.  The fierce light seemed to leave everything with a harder edge than normal.

                As they walked toward the lot, Shampoo was trying to enjoy the fact that soon she wouldn't need to worry about Mousse ever again.  But, as pleasant as the thought was, she kept getting distracted from it by the ripple and flow of Ranma's muscles.

                Like I said, the fierce light seemed to leave EVERYTHING with a harder edge than normal.

                They arrived at the lot to find Cologne waiting for them.  The twins came racing up a few minutes later, their errand having taken longer than they'd expected.  And then everyone was there except for the one who'd called them all out.

                About a quarter of an hour later, Kodachi turned to the Matriarch.  "It's past noon," she pointed out.  "Doesn't that mean he's lost by default?"

                "If Ranma so chooses, yes, he could declare himself the victor," Cologne replied.

                Ranma grunted.  "No.  I'll wait for him."  The twins gave him looks of mixed incredulity and outrage.  The vehemence of their reaction would have puzzled Ranma, if he'd noticed it.  But he was looking off into the distance.

                And ten minutes later, his vigil was rewarded.

                As Mousse approached, and entered the lot, he received quite a number of shocked stares.  His robes were wrinkled and smeared with resin and leaves.  His hair was sticking out at strange angles, due to the sap in it.  "Sorry I'm late," he gritted through his teeth.  "Somebody booby-trapped my campsite this morning.  When I stepped out of my tent, I had the joy of getting pinned underneath two falling trees.  And whenever I got close to squirming free, another two would fall on on top of the pile." Ling-Ling casually plucked a leaf out of her hair.  Lung-Lung clasped her hands behind her back, so that the sap still adhering to them wouldn't be noticed.  Both twins looked off into the wild blue yonder, whistling a carefree tune.  Kodachi echoed Ryoga's earlier thoughts on Amazon girls and subtlety.

                "Well, I guess the generous thing for me to do now would be to tell you it's okay to wait till later to have the fight, when you're rested and all."  Ranma snorted.  "Too bad I ain't going to."

                "I don't recall asking you for charity," Mousse sneered back.  "I'll beat you just the way I am now."  He turned to the Matriarch.  "For this fight, the endpoint is going to be a little different.  The loser will be the first to leave this lot.  However that happens... fleeing... knock out... or death."

                'Or if one of you should lose his glasses and stumble out blindly?' Cologne thought.  However, she was generous enough not to say it aloud.

                Mousse walked to the far end of the lot and took up a ready stance.  "Matriarch, if you would give the signal to begin, once everyone else has left the area?"  The various girls (and one who had once been a girl, a long, long, loooonnnnng time ago) vacated the lot.

                For just a moment, time seemed to stand still as the two antagonists stared at each other.  Ranma noted that Mousse was far enough away that even moving at top speed wouldn't be enough to get him within reach of his enemy before the other could react.  But he hadn't been planning to try the same trick again anyway.

                Cologne watched the two calmly, waiting for something to mar the perfect tableau before she would announce the signal to begin.  A leaf blowing between them... that would be the perfect sign, she thought.  It had an artistic elegance that appealed to her.

                Too bad there was no wind.

                After a few minutes had passed, both Ranma and Mousse were beginning to get a little impatient.  Both felt a desire to bounce something heavy off the Matriarch's head, but neither was willing to look away from his opponent, lest Cologne pick that very moment to give the signal.

                Cologne was becoming more and more frustrated as well.  By her ancestors, this fight was NOT going to start without a proper omen!

***************

                At Furinkan, in an unused upper classroom, Koga and the rest of the chemistry club were spending Monday lunch as they always did, trying to find a formula to turn lead into gold (they were waiting for success in this endeavor before officially changing their name to the Alchemy club.  They felt, rightly or wrongly, that waiting till then would mean fewer jokes at their expense).

                On the grounds below, Shinji kept his eyes glued to his watch.  Five... four... three...

                Koga reached for the sodium hydrochloride, not noticing that the liquid in the flask seemed slightly off-color, or that it was the only bottle whose label was crisp and new...

                ... two... one...

***************

                A massive boom rocked throughout Nerima.  Cologne blinked, grinned, then shouted, "Begin!"

                Ranma tensed, waiting for his opponent to make the first move...

                And while this wasn't the worst thing he could have done, it wasn't a particularly good idea either.

                From the depths of his robe, Mousse produced a bulging pouch.  Closing his eyes, he threw it forward.  The flash bomb traveled less than a third of the distance to Ranma before slamming into the ground and detonating, but it was powerful enough that the heir to the Saotome school was still temporarily blinded.

                The ugly truth of his situation dawned on Ranma almost immediately.  He was sightless, quite a distance away from an opponent who mostly relied on ranged attacks.  He tensed, then jumped straight up as hard as he could.  Hopefully this would throw Mousse's aim off until he could get his sight back...

                Ranma landed from his leap just as his eyes cleared.  He was surprised to see Mousse still standing where he'd been at the beginning.  There was no sign that he'd even launched any attacks while Ranma's vision was missing in action.

                Mousse had, however, taken the opportunity to put on a gas mask.

                Ranma began to get a bad feeling about this.  A quick frantic look around revealed no trace of noxious vapors, but that didn't mean anything.  It could be invisible, or Mousse might just not have launched the attack yet.  Ranma didn't particularly want to give him a chance to, and began stalking forward, ready to blaze into top speed if Mousse even so much as slipped a hand into his robe. 

                It was at that moment that a light breeze began to blow from Mousse to Ranma.

                Shampoo stared in dismay as Ranma began to choke and gag.  Anything that he was smelling she should have detected as well, with the way the wind was blowing.  That she didn't had to mean...

                'Oh, man, it must be the guy version of that stink-solution that only affects men or women!'  Ranma thought desperately, trying to bring to mind the particulars of that Amazon trick, particularly how long it lasted.  Choking and gagging as he was, he didn't have enough breath to hold for long enough to rush Mousse.

                The Chinese boy in question regarded his foe with grim delight.  The only drawback to this plan was the need to wear the gas mask.  It prevented him from taunting his opponent.  Deciding that he could do that after his victory, Mousse pulled out a handful of small globes and tossed them at Ranma.

                By sheer luck his attack missed, the target choosing that minute to jump backward and into clearer air.  But the blast as the bomblets struck was close enough to Ranma to knock him off-balance in the air.  He landed awkwardly, and Mousse launched another set of explosives, advancing so that Ranma was unable to get completely out of range of the smell.

                Kodachi's hands were clenched convulsively as she watched her boyfriend scramble and dodge around the lot, trying to get some breathing room.  Mousse pursued relentlessly, and it was all Ranma could do to weave his way through the fiery onslaught without receiving more than a minor singeing.

                And then, Mousse ran out of fireworks.  Ranma, who'd managed to get upwind, gasped and panted, wondering why his opponent had let up.  Just another minute or two, and he'd be recovered enough to try and get close enough to finish this.

                Sometimes, a minute or two might as well be an eternity.

                Mousse had been standing perfectly still, his hands hidden in his sleeves, his triumphant smile hidden by his gas mask.  He now unfolded his arms, revealing and throwing several small pouches toward Ranma.  His opponent jumped, getting five feet away before the projectiles landed.  As they exploded, launching a cloud of concentrated anti-male stench solution, that was revealed as being not nearly far enough.

                More by reflex than by conscious choice, Ranma shot backward, landing nearly at the edge of the lot.  He'd been knocked more than halfway to unconsciousness from the sudden assault on his sense of smell.  The frantic worry he felt from Shampoo and Kodachi helped snap him back to reality, though.  He looked up, to see Mousse was now throwing the pouches with abandon.  However, this time none were aimed at Ranma.  With a terrible chill, he realized that Mousse had already rendered nearly a third of the lot untenable for himself.  And the half-blind boy didn't seem to be running out of pouches.

                Desperation caused Ranma's tactical planning abilities to kick into overdrive.  He looked around, seeking something, ANYthing that could help him turn the tide... 

                Ling-Ling blinked as Ranma frantically shrugged off his shirt.  "He's got a good body, but I think Ryoga's is better.  Don't you?"  Her twin nodded, also wondering just what Ranma was up to.  Maybe he was going to try to wrap his shirt over his mouth, to filter the smell?  But without soaking the cloth in the proper mixture, that wouldn't work.

                Of course, Ranma knew that just as well as Lung-Lung did.  He knelt down, scooped a double handful of dirt into his garment, then twisted the shirt, put as big a chi charge as he could manage into it, spun it like a bolo, and let the unorthodox missile fly.

                The onlookers stared in amazement as Ranma's impromptu projectile soared into the nearby street... and smashed into a fire hydrant.  The ruined hydrant shot out a spray of water at incredible speed, which blasted into the totally unprepared Mousse and sent him flying clear out of the lot.

                Ranma, who had braced himself, fully expecting that his Jusenkyo curse would cause the water to hit HIM, thus rendering Mousse's stink attack null and void, was caught off-guard by this.  He stared blankly for a moment, then pulled himself together.  Stalking forward, the pig-tailed martial artist stopped next to his foe, who had been smashed against a nearby building.  Ranma was sincerely glad that the force of the water had washed off the stink powder from his opponent.

                Mousse pulled off the gas mask, and glared murderously at him.  "This... isn't over yet... Saotome..." he gritted out.

                "Wrong," Ranma said coldly.  "It ends here and now."

                The last sight Mousse saw before the darkness claimed him was a small green bottle, labelled 110.

*********************************************************

                Author's notes

                I'm assessing a fine on anyone who seriously expected Ranma to kill Mousse.  If that's you, donate ten dollars to the nearest branch of the Audobon society (that's a group dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of birds ^_^).

                Seriously, though, this is the last chapter I'll spend belaboring the unhealthy nature of Mousse's obsession with Shampoo.  Like Kodachi said, it's time to move on past it.  And if, perchance, anyone reading this is a shudder fan of the Shampoo-Mousse matchup, may I direct you to Wade Tritschler's anti-Shampoo-Mousse page?  The link is .  And one original series reference that he doesn't make there, that I think should be made, is this.  At the end of the second movie, Nihao My Concubine, when Mousse gives his all to rescue Shampoo from the bird-man, what does he say, when he's only about half-conscious after his victory?  Why, it's "Shampoo... is... MY bride..."  NOT "I won't let you hurt Shampoo..."  If ever you wanted a true example of his attitude toward her, that's it right there.

                If you're a fan of Mousse... you probably shouldn't be reading this if you like him the way he is.  But if you want to see things work out better for him than they do in the original series, well, so do I.  I just have no qualms about putting the characters through painful situations in order to force them to personal growth.  As Kodachi said, "Hurt is not the same thing as harm."

                Thanks to Jim Bader for C&C.  Next time:  The chapter that could have had a Dragonlance title.


	11. Roses and Thorns

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  The characters from Slayers are owned by Hajime Kanazaka and Rui Araizumi, and the Forgotten Realms belong to Wizards of the Coast.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 10:  Roses and Thorns

***************

                "Hey, Ryoga, we're friends, right?"

                Ryoga blinked, wondering where that had come from.  He was walking to Furinkan with Ukyo, as he usually did these days.  "Um, sure, Ukyo.  Why'd you have to ask?"

                Ukyo ignored the question.  "And... well... friends tell each other stuff, right?  I mean, if something was going on, and I felt like I had to tell somebody or bust, I could trust you, couldn't I?"

                He gave her a searching glance.  Admittedly he was no expert on girls or their moods, but it looked like Ukyo was feeling apprehensive.  She was chewing on her lower lip, and her brow was wrinkled with what sure looked like a worried frown to him.  "Of course you could," Ryoga answered staunchly.

                "Good."  In a flash the worried look dropped off Ukyo's face, and she fixed him with a gaze that was more like chilled steel than anything else.  "Then you wanna tell me what's been going on lately?"

                The sudden shift caught Ryoga completely off-guard.  "Ah... huh?" he asked intelligently.

                The chef gave an exasperated sigh.  "Come on, Ryoga-kun, I'm not blind.  It's obvious that something big has happened."  Now the apprehensive look was starting to reappear.  "I've noticed... every time I've seen you around Shampoo this past week, you've been staring at her an awful lot.  And a couple of days ago you were completely out of it, you weren't paying attention to anything going on around you.  That wouldn't have anything to do with Shampoo being out sick then, would it?"

                "Out sick?"  Then Ryoga remembered that was the excuse Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo had used to get out of class in order to be present for the fight with Mousse.  "Ah... I guess you could say that..." he temporized, trying to come up with a good cover story that wouldn't blow the others' secret.

                Ukyo looked away, so he wouldn't see the pain in her eyes.  'Always just a friend, never anything more,' she thought bitterly.  Aloud, she said, "I see.  Can't say I blame you, Ryoga.  She really is a knockout, isn't she."

                Ryoga scratched his head.  "Ukyo, I got lost somewhere in this conversation," he admitted.  "What are you talking about?"

                The chef gulped, rallied her courage, and turned back to face him.  "Are you or are you not trying to get up the guts to tell Shampoo how you really feel about her?"

                "Um... I'm pretty sure Shampoo already knows I'm her friend..."  At that point, Ukyo's actual meaning got through to Ryoga.  A huge drop of sweat appeared on his forehead.  "Wait a minute... you thought I was... for Shampoo?!"

                "Well, why not?"  Ukyo wouldn't have believed her mood could improve this quickly.  But then again, she also hadn't thought Ryoga would find the very idea of himself and Shampoo as a couple impossible to swallow.  "I mean, she is pretty darn sexy.  And you wouldn't have to worry about those little punk cousins of hers getting in the way.  Not if you were... going after her, I mean.  So why wouldn't you?"

                "Me and Shampoo?!  Ukyo, that's completely ridiculous!"

                Ukyo was almost fully reassured now.  In fact, she was starting to enjoy this.  Ryoga was so far off balance, it was all she could do to hold in a fit of the giggles.  But that didn't mean she was going to let up on him just yet.  "Give me one good reason why, sugar."

                Just how far off balance was Ryoga?  Well, his response to her request should serve as a good indication.

                "Because Ranma would squash me flatter than one of your okonomiyaki."

                No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Ryoga got the feeling that he'd have done better to think that one through first.  Heck, even 'Because Shampoo wants to see you and me get together' would have been less of an indiscretion.  A bit late for second thoughts now, though.

                Ukyo just stared at him.  At last she shook her head.  "No, you can't possibly mean what I thought you meant..."  She fell silent, and her eyes widened almost to the point of displacing her nose.  After gulping a few times, she asked, in a tiny voice, "Ryoga?  Does what you just said... have anything to do with Amazon customs?  Like, the same custom that's letting those two little runts chase you together instead of squabbling over you?"

                The former lost boy heaved a deep sigh.  Not much point in holding back now... the cat was well and truly out of the bag.  "If you mean the Amazon law that lets a guy marry more than one girl... yeah."

                "I think I need to sit down," Ukyo said faintly.  Putting action to words, she seated herself on a nearby bench.

                Ryoga joined her.  "I just found out about it last week," he admitted.  "Can't say I've gotten used to it yet, either."

                "So that's why you've been staring at her so often..." Ukyo thought back to the times she'd caught Ryoga at that, and realized that it hadn't just been Shampoo he'd been looking at, it had been Ranma and Kodachi as well.  And come to think of it, they hadn't been in school either that day when Shampoo had supposedly been out sick... the chef gulped, trying to banish the images that suddenly sprang to mind as to what the three had likely been up to on Monday.

                "And that's why I was so far out of it on Monday," Ryoga continued.  "I wanted to be with them, but we had that big English test.  I didn't think I should cut class.  Should've known better, though, I wasn't able to concentrate at all."

                "Y- you wanted to... be with them?!  Ryoga... that's... that's..."

                The former lost boy blinked.  "Oh, yeah, of course you don't know what really happened then.  Ranma had a challenge match with Mousse, over Shampoo."  He grinned sheepishly.  "I was kinda wrong when I told you that Mousse beating Shampoo before didn't have anything to do with Amazon marriage customs."

                Ukyo bit her tongue, and decided that as soon as Ryoga was out of sight she'd kick herself.  Hard.  "So he was her husband until Ranchan beat him up on Monday?  Poor Shampoo."

                "Nah, it wasn't that bad.  Ranma challenged him for Shampoo a couple of weeks ago, right after Mousse defeated her.  Remember I told you about that one?  Until that challenge was resolved, Mousse couldn't have claimed her.  Ranma beat him then, which was when I finally learned what was going on.  Mousse challenged him to a rematch.  That was the fight they had on Monday."

                "And Ranma did win, right?"

                Ryoga snorted.  "You have to ask?  Of course he won.  From what I heard, Mousse managed to put up a pretty good fight, but Ranma still took him down."

                "Hmmm."  Ukyo looked off into the distance.  "You think that's gonna settle it?  Did Mousse challenge Ranchan to another rematch?"

                "No.  He isn't going to cause any more trouble for them.  Ranma made sure of that."

***************

                Mousse stood on the edge of the shore at evening, and looked out over the water.  It was a cloudy day, but there was no wind.  The ocean lay flat in the stillness, its dull surface unmarred by the presence of boats, waves, or diving gulls.  The water was at rest, calm, colorless, and empty.

                It almost reminded him of himself.

                Closing his eyes, Mousse thought back to that one last moment of blinding rage, when he'd seen Ranma hold up the formula for memory erasure.  Even as he'd fallen into unconsciousness, he'd been railing against his opponent, and swearing with all the strength of his will that he'd defeat the Xi Fang Gao, that he would NOT forget Shampoo.

                And he hadn't.  But then, that hadn't been Ranma's goal anyway.

                When he'd come back to consciousness, he'd felt... different.  Somehow tired, and in some way... _less_... than he'd been before.  The Matriarch had been waiting for his revival, and had explained to him just what Saotome had done.

                Ranma hadn't erased his memory of Shampoo, she told him.  He'd figured that Mousse's strength of will would eventually throw that off, especially if he were surrounded by reminders of Shampoo.  And that would certainly be the case whether Mousse stayed in Nerima or went back home.  So Ranma decided to turn Mousse's will to his own ends.

                And what he'd sealed was every trace of Mousse's love and desire for Shampoo.

                He could still see her face, just as clearly in his mind's eye as ever he had.  Her features were still as lovely as ever.  Mousse concentrated on the familiar fantasy, then deliberately altered the mental image, to Shampoo standing hand-in-hand with Ranma, to Shampoo kneeling beside Ranma in an Amazon marriage ceremony, to Shampoo presenting Ranma with their firstborn child.

                And none of those images roused even the slightest spark of emotion in Mousse.  Not love, not longing, not rage, not devastation.  Just a sort of disinterest, as if he were contemplating something on another world, something that had no power to touch him, that had nothing at all to do with him.

                Mousse returned his attention to the ocean.  This time he imagined a sailboat on the water, one of those fancy models with a high-powered engine that could take the place of, or even outperform, the sails.  He imagined that boat lying becalmed, the sails hanging flat in the absence of wind, and the engine off-line because it had burned the last of its fuel.  The boat would just drift along, moving aimlessly with the currents of the ocean.  It was a good metaphor, the best he could think of for his own life.

                Up until now, he'd never even realized just how much of his existence was caught up in his dreams of Shampoo.  No matter how hard the going got, thoughts of his goal were enough to carry him along.  He'd told Kodachi that he would suffer as much as he had to, to make his dream come true, and suffer he had.  Only just now was he starting to realize how much.

                Mousse considered the sailboat analogy again, viewing his past through that paradigm.  Shampoo had been friendly to him, once.  That could be considered the wind, the force that had started him along the course he'd followed for so long.  But the wind had shifted, Shampoo hadn't taken well to his advances.  Mousse had already set his course, though, and once the wind was no longer favorable he'd simply engaged his engines.  His stubbornness and obsession.  They'd allowed him to hold true to the course he'd chosen, even as the winds blew harder and harder against him.

                But the engines had quieted, now, and they would not restart.  Mousse knew that for certain.  It was the way he wanted it, after all.

                Some thoughts of Shampoo did still have the power to invoke emotions in him.  When he thought of the past, how he'd treated her, how she'd treated him, feelings of anger and disgust directed toward himself surged forth.  He could see now, at least in a metaphorical sense, and what he saw of himself sickened him.  A blind, obsessed fool, unable to see what was clearly truth, unwilling to accept anything that ran counter to his will.  But he wasn't blind anymore.  Ranma had taken away all the old, comforting illusions, stripped them away and left him to face the harsh light of reality.

                And so Ranma had won for good, Mousse thought tiredly.  Even if someone were to offer to wash his hair with 119 shampoo, he wouldn't accept.  He would not go back to being what he once was.  He gave one long last look at the seascape before him, then turned and began making his way back toward the harbor.  His ship wouldn't leave for another hour at least, but he'd had enough isolation for now.

                Mousse relaxed as he walked along, deliberately emptying his mind of all thoughts, both of the benighted past and the uncertain future.  He would return to China, to his village, though he didn't know yet whether he'd find what he was looking for there.  But at least it would do for a beginning, with his family there to help him search for what he wanted so much.

                A place to stand.

***************

                While Mousse was staring out over the water, Kodachi was at home, strolling through the gardens.  After a few minutes of aimless walking, enjoying the sight and scent of growing things, she caught a glimpse of motion from the rose area.  She turned, and made her way in that direction, intending to say hello to her mother.  However, on passing through the hedge wall that separated the rose boudoir from the rest of the garden, Kodachi was quite surprised to find it was actually Shampoo in Hitome's sanctum sanctorum.

                "Nihao," the Amazon said, turning her gaze from one of the rosebushes and giving Kodachi a wan smile.

                "Nihao yourself," Kodachi said, regarding Shampoo with a puzzled look.  "What's wrong?"

                Shampoo didn't answer directly, instead turning back to face the rosebush she'd been inspecting.  She reached out and gently touched one of the snow-white blooms.  "This rose like nothing Shampoo ever see before."

                "Yes.  Mother developed that particular strain.  She started with the lightest-colored roses she could find, and worked her way to this."  Kodachi walked over and knelt down beside the bush, smelling deeply of one of the larger blooms.  "A rose of purest white, with a beautiful scent, which she created for me.  Even with her horticultural skill, it took her many years to perfect.  It was my eighth birthday present," she said softly, remembering.  "She brought me out here and showed me the bushes, and told me that she'd worked for years to make the roses just right.  Just for me."

                "Is because of this you name yourself White Rose, back when Ranma first meet you, yes?"

                "Well, partly," Kodachi said, a little embarrassed.  "I quit using that nickname when I left the St Hebereke team, though.  I didn't expect it would follow me as thoroughly as it has."

                "Why?  Why you stop using other name?"

                "I guess... the best thing I could say is that I just wanted to feel that my own name was good enough."  Kodachi groped for words.  "When I first met Ranma-kun, and introduced myself to him, I told him the reason I called myself the White Rose was because the captaincy of the St Hebereke team required such a nom de guerre.  That was true, but it was also true that without even realizing it I had begun thinking about that identity as a shield, something to protect me from the pain when others would reject me out of hand.  But then I met someone who didn't, who wanted to be close to the real me.  After that, I didn't want to feel like I was hiding behind some mask."

                Shampoo wasn't quite sure she understood the point Kodachi was trying to make.  "That silly, Kodachi.  Should not feel like other name not good enough.  Was based on gift from your mother, yes?  She made this rose just for you, worked very very hard and created a new special thing for you because she love you.  Should be proud to call self White Rose."

                Kodachi's brow wrinkled in thought.  "I didn't think about it like that," she admitted at last.  "Perhaps I will take that name up again someday, now that I can say for sure it wouldn't be something to hide behind."

                Shampoo looked back at the rosebush, running one finger idly along a stem.  Once again Kodachi was conscious of her friend's strange melancholia.  "Besides, Mother still needs to do a little more work on the rose before I can truly justify naming myself after it," she said in an overly-serious tone.

                "What you mean?"

                "Well, look at it," Kodachi answered.  "The variant Mother developed has no thorns at all.  I mean, I'm sweet but I'm not THAT sweet."

                Shampoo snickered at that.  "Shampoo think you have point.  Maybe it needs to have small thorns.  Bet Ranma would no agree, though.  He would say rose is perfect likeness right now."  Kodachi blushed, and the Amazon laughed again.

                After a minute or two of companionable silence, Kodachi asked again, "So what were you thinking about, when you looked so downcast earlier?"

                Shampoo sighed.  "Kodachi... would say this rose is best present you ever get?"

                The White Rose frowned in puzzlement, but gave it serious thought.  "The absolute best present... no."  This was clearly not the response Shampoo had anticipated; the lavender-haired one turned to face her with an expression of startlement.  And unless Kodachi was mistaken, there was more than a bit of indignation in there as well.  She continued, "The rose is third, I'd say.  The gift from my father meant more, when he left all his comforts and tracked down a cure for me."

                "Ohhh," Shampoo said, the annoyance vanishing from her face.  "Should have think of that."  Then her expression turned puzzled again.  "But what is second best gift?"

                "Wrong, wrong, wrong," Kodachi teased her.  "The cure was the second best.  You ought to have guessed that."

                "Then what you..." Shampoo stopped as the obvious answer dawned on her.  "Of course.  Ranma."

                "Indeed.  I still don't know what's bothering you, Shampoo, but take heart.  That which I consider the most precious gift I will ever receive... Ranma's love... is yours, too."  The White Rose gave her friend an inquiring stare.  "Doesn't that make you feel better?"

                Shampoo smiled.  "Is so."  She sat quietly for another minute, then spoke up again.  "What you say, tell me about how mother worked to make this rose for you, Shampoo already know from Ranma's memories.  Also know this is mother's special place, just like secret room full of magic stuff behind hidden tunnel in cellar is father's.  That why I come here now."

                "You wanted to feel as if you were close to Mother?" Kodachi hazarded a guess.

                "Want to imagine that someday I will be."  Shampoo sighed.  "You already hear about Shampoo's mother.  And we both know Ranma's no is here no more.  But you still have both parents, is only one of us who do.  I hope that someday they come to accept me as daughter too.  At least hope they no hate me forever."

                "Hate you?!  Come now, that isn't right!  My parents don't hate you!"

                "Maybe father not.  But can really say you no see how mother not want to be around me?  How awkward she act when I there?"

                "Well, yes, I have," Kodachi was forced to admit.  "But I'm sure she doesn't HATE you!  Besides... haven't you noticed that it's not just you?  She's seemed the same way to me, too.  I think... I think she may be disappointed in me... she may disapprove of the choice I've made..."

                "Please, stop!"

                At that anguished plea, both girls whirled to find Hitome standing off to one side.  The pain on Kuno matriarch's face showed she'd been cut to the heart.  She hurried over and sat down near the girls.  "You're wrong, both of you are wrong!  I know I've been distant, and... and maybe a bit cold.  But it was because I was feeling so terrible about how I failed you, Kodachi dear!  It was my guilt, not anything you did!"

                "G- guilt, Mother?" Kodachi asked faintly.  "What do you mean, you failed me?"

                Hitome turned to face Shampoo, and for a second her distress was replaced by a brisk, matter-of-fact tone.  "Please don't take any of what I'm about to say to my daughter personally, Shampoo."  Then she turned back to Kodachi, and the pain reappeared.  "Where were your father and I when Shampoo first showed up and caused so much trouble for Tatewaki?  Malaysia!  Where were we when you children put your lives on the line in battle with an Oni?  Madagascar!  And where were we when you discovered that Ranma didn't love only you anymore?  Montana!  So many times when we should have been there for you, and instead we were off traveling to some exotic location!"

                Kodachi decided not to mention that in two of those three instances, they'd been glad the elder Kunos hadn't gotten back until after things were more or less settled.  "Father's love of travel is a basic part of who he is.  Should I resent that, when he was incurably infected with wanderlust during his journeys to find a cure for me?  And you and he have never left either Tachi or myself alone when we wanted you to stay here, or when we wanted to go along on whatever trip was planned.  In case you've forgotten, that was true of all three of the times you mentioned just now.  Are you blaming yourself for not being able to see the future?"

                "I'm blaming myself for not being there when you needed me!"

                Kodachi took a moment to study her mother before responding.  "Mother, let's get down to the heart of the matter.  Do you wish you had been here, so that you might have prevented the Heart Link?  Do you wish you could have kept me from the necessity of sharing Ranma's love?"

                Hitome reluctantly nodded, wishing that her daughter hadn't been quite so blunt about it while Shampoo was sitting right there with them.  "You shouldn't have to make such a sacrifice, Dachi.  A parent's job is to watch out for their children and keep them from getting hurt like that!"

                "Do you see me crying?  I admit the idea took some getting used to.  But I have let go of my resentment."  Kodachi fixed her mother with a challenging stare.  "As far as I'm concerned, Shampoo is my sister.  Maybe not by blood, but the bond is still that strong.  And among the Amazons, good sisters always share with each other."

                Hitome mulled over that for a few minutes, then asked hesitantly, "Are you certain, then, daughter?  Are you truly not unhappy at how things have worked out?"

                Kodachi took a moment to think back.  She pictured Shampoo's face when the Amazon had first woken from unconsciousness thinking she'd become Mousse's wife.  She remembered the experience of touching Ranma's soul and living his memories.  She concentrated on the Heart Link, reaching out to sense Ranma, and was rather amused to realise he was lurking in the bushes listening to everything that was being said.  Then she brought her attention back to her surroundings, and answered firmly, "Mother, I am HAPPY with the way things stand now."

                Hitome regarded her daughter closely for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief and folded her into a hug.  "I'm sorry you thought I was unhappy with you, dear.  I'm not.  I'm proud of you, for accepting this and not letting it come between you and Ranma, or resenting Shampoo for it."  She turned and faced the Amazon.  "Please, don't think that I dislike you or wish you had never come into our lives, Shampoo.  It's just that I want my children to be happy."

                "Is okay.  Shampoo understand that.  Would even have understand if you do hate me."  The Amazon gave the elder Kuno a big smile.  "Am glad I was wrong about that."

                "Sometimes it's better to be wrong," Hitome agreed.  "As I was, for thinking my dear little Kodachi had to be miserable with the way things have worked out."  She paused, took a deep breath, then continued.  "Shampoo, I know that your life has been hard, that it seems like you have suffered in some of the same ways as Ranma has.  For a long time now I have been glad to be there to support him, and I dearly look forward to the day when I can do so officially as his mother."

                Kodachi fought down the urge to turn and direct a sultry look toward Ranma's hidden vantage point.

                Hitome continued speaking.  "I wasn't expecting to add any more daughters to my family.  Well, other than Nabiki, of course.  I can't say I've gotten used to the idea yet.  But if you'll give me the time to adjust, I'll see if I can't learn to be a mother to you, too."

***************

                A couple of days passed, and the school week neared its end.  Though she'd adjusted somewhat to what she'd learned in the last few days, Ukyo was still finding it difficult not to stare at Ranma, Shampoo, or Kodachi when she saw them at Furinkan.  Plus, while the chef wasn't much of a gossip, having to keep something THIS big to herself was still a bit of a strain.  At least she could discuss it with Ryoga as they walked to school.  

                Ah, there he was now.  "Good morning, Ryoga.  So, when d'you think Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo are gonna stop hiding what's really going on?"

                Ryoga paused, wondering how high that ranked on the 'top 100 strangest conversation openers ever'.  "I don't think they plan to at all," he replied.  "At least not while they're still in school.  Can you imagine what the rumor mill would say if they got ahold of something like that?"

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Like it would be any crazier than some of the stuff that's already going around?  I know for a fact there's several students who think Ranchan is a girl disguised as a guy, although I guess that one could've happened from somebody getting a glimpse of his curse."

                "Probably so."  A thought occurred to Ryoga, and he paled.  "Has anyone said I'm really a pig disguised as a guy?!"

                Ukyo rolled her eyes.  "Oh, yeah, that would really be an easy story to swallow.  I can just see somebody jumping to that conclusion, after you disappear and a little black pig shows up near where you were," she answered sarcastically.  

                "Well, you never know," Ryoga protested.  "These guys will believe anything.  A long time ago, Kodachi's brother, Tatewaki, began challenging a girl named Akane Tendo to spar in the mornings before class.  All he wanted was to help her get to be a better fighter, but somehow the rumor got out that he liked her, and was challenging her because anybody who wanted to date her had to beat her in combat first.  That just goes to show you what kind of nonsense Furinkan students will swallow."

                "Really?  Was this before or after Shampoo came onto the scene?"

                "Before.  What does that have to do with anything?"

                "Well, you must admit it sounds an awful lot like Amazon customs."

                "Huh."  Ryoga blinked.  "Guess you're right--it actually would make sense if they'd gotten that idea from Shampoo."  The former lost boy shrugged.  "But this was way before she got here.  They made up that crazy story all on their own."

                "Oh.  Well, I shouldn't be surprised.  That's not even the funkiest thing I've heard through the grapevine.  The other day I met some nutcase who was SURE Kodachi was a vampire," Ukyo said gravely.  "Just because she's got pale skin and violet eyes."

                Ryoga stared.  "And what about when she goes out in direct sunlight without crumbling into a little pile of dust?"

                Ukyo grimaced.  "I asked that too."  She gave him a serious look.  "Ryoga, I'm going to give you an opportunity I didn't get, and let you take the question back."

                He blinked again.  "Why?  Will I not like the answer, or something?"

                "You got it, sugar."

                For a long moment, curiosity struggled with discretion in Ryoga's mind.  At last he braced himself and said, "Go ahead and tell me, Ukyo.  I'm a man.  I can take it."

                "Don't say I didn't warn you."  Ukyo paused for dramatic emphasis, or maybe to give Ryoga a few more seconds to change his mind.  Then she said, "Sunblock.  Lots and lots of sunblock."

                Ryoga walked along quietly for a few moments, then said calmly, "I don't think I've ever looked forward to graduation as much as I am right now."  Ukyo laughed at that.  

"Seriously, Ukyo!"  They had just rounded a corner and come within sight of Furinkan.  Ryoga gestured passionately at the building.  "This place is a nuthouse!  Sometimes I worry that if I stay there too long I'll wind up as crazy as those idiots Shinji and Koga!"

                Ukyo thought about pointing out that with his curse and his Oni heritage he was already well over even the Furinkan average for strangeness, and thus probably not at risk for any further departure from the norm, but decided to spare Ryoga's feelings.  Besides, his rant had given her a better idea anyway.  "Well, we wouldn't want that to happen, now would we, sugar?  And you know, I wasn't really looking forward to class that much anyway.  Why don't you and I give it a miss today?"

                "Well, I don't know..."  Ryoga's uncertain response was interrupted as Shinji suddenly stormed past them through the school gates.  The youth was sporting a radical new mix of hair colors that would have looked out of place on even a Chinese Amazon.  Both Ryoga and Ukyo heard the croquet captain growling and muttering under his breath, though the only words they could make out were 'Koga' and 'justifiable homicide'.

                Ukyo and Ryoga sweated, then turned back to face each other.  "Right.  Why should Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo be the only ones who skip when they feel like it?  Let's go," Ryoga said briskly.

                Several minutes' passage found the two of them in one of the local parks.  Ryoga took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air.  How the air managed to be fresh, considering how near they were to downtown Tokyo, was a mystery that didn't occur to him; if it had, he might have reflected that living in Nerima had its pros as well as its cons.

Ryoga wasn't really in the mood for deep insightful thoughts just then.  He looked around with a big smile on his face.  "You had the right idea, Ukyo.  This is more like it.  A nice peaceful day, with none of the craziness we'd have to put up with if we were back at Furinkan."  He glanced over at Ukyo, who hadn't heard a word of this.  The chef's attention was fixed on something behind Ryoga's back.

                "Excuse me."

                The former lost boy turned, and stared.  The speaker looked like he was a couple of years older than Ryoga.  He was tall, even taller than Tatewaki, with blond hair and blue armor, an empty scabbard at his side and a naked blue-green iridescent blade slung across his back.  He seemed uncomfortable, and more than a little out of his depth.  "We're looking for a friend of ours.  Her name's Lina Inverse.  She's about this tall," he gestured in the region of his upper chest, "with reddish orange hair and violet eyes.  Oh, and she's a bit flat-chested, too.  Actually, make that REALLY flat-chested.  But... she's also kinda cute..."  For a moment the earnest look in the blond man's eyes was replaced by pain.  Recovering, he asked hopefully, "Do you know anyone like that?"

                Ryoga mutely shook his head in negation.  The swordsman looked at him closely.  "Are you sure?  I forgot to mention that she likes to throw fireballs around when she's upset.  That ring any bells?" he asked, now more desperate than hopeful.

                The swordsman's companion spoke up.  "Gourry, that's enough.  This isn't the right world either.  If it were, he would have been able to help us."

                Gourry turned and faced the other, a man whose hood and garments almost hid the fact that his skin was blue and composed partly of stone.  "But what about the spell, Zelgadis?!  You said it pointed right to this guy, as if he'd met Lina before!  Heck, you even said that it was registering so strongly that she was probably a big part of his life!"

                Zelgadis bowed his head, sorry now that he'd gotten his comrade's hopes up that far.  "Remember what I told you about analogues, Gourry?  I warned you it might just mean he'd met someone who was this world's version of Lina, or even somebody who was closely related to that person."  He gestured at Ukyo.  "For all we know, this young lady could be the analogue.  In any case, there's no point in staying here any longer.  We shouldn't put more of a strain than we have to on Amelia and Sylphiel.  Even as strong as they are, keeping the portal open and a stream of magic flowing to me takes a lot out of them."

                Gourry sighed, and seemed to sag.  "Okay," he said quietly.  To Ryoga, "Sorry to bother you."  Zelgadis hesitantly placed one hand sympathetically on Gourry's shoulder, then made a mystic gesture with the other.  The glowing ball of light bobbing along several feet behind him expanded into a doorway.  The two turned, and walked through the portal.  It closed behind them, vanishing without a trace.

                Ryoga just stood there for a few minutes longer, then sat down on a park bench.  Ukyo joined him.  "My reality check bounced," he complained.

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Hey, it could've been worse," she replied.  "From some of the stuff I've heard from you guys, if Ranchan had been here those weirdos probably would've wanted to fight him.  I'd say you got off easy, sugar."

                Thinking back over some of the stories he'd heard from Ranma and Kodachi, Ryoga brightened.  "Well, when you put it that way..."  He looked over at Ukyo, scrutinizing her carefully.  "You know, it really impresses me that you don't get any more weirded out by all the stuff that goes on around here.  I've been here a lot longer and I still have problems with it."

                "Yeah, well... sometimes it's a pain, but sometimes... sometimes I kinda like it  At least it isn't boring."

                "Me, I think I'd like a chance to try boring, one of these days.  You may think so too, after you've been here awhile longer."

                "Maybe.  But Ryoga-kun, you gotta realize where I'm coming from here.  I spent a decade denying who I really was, obsessed with getting vengeance on Ranma for something he didn't even do!  Even as crazy as this place is, it's a whole lot better than that."

                Ryoga breathed in deeply, then slowly let the air back out.  Perhaps this time his subconscious at least took note of how mysteriously smog-free it was.  "You know what?  You're right.  And I ought to look at it like that too.  My life IS a lot better now than it used to be."  He looked off into the distance.  "In fact, there's only one thing I really want to change right now."

                "The way those two half-pint Amazons refuse to get a clue?"

                He shook his head.  "My parents.  Remember what I told you about how my family get lost all the time?  Well, not me anymore, but my mother and father still do.  I'm hoping that when they eventually show up here Shampoo's great-grandmother will be able to do something about that."

                "You miss them, huh, sugar?" she asked sympathetically.  "How long has it been since you saw them?"

                "For my mother, about a month and a half.  For my father, it's been almost three quarters of a year.  And I only got a few days with each of them then.  I just hope things won't be like that forever."  Ryoga frowned thoughtfully.  "What about you, Ukyo?  How're things with your family?  I remember you've told us some things about your clan history, but you didn't say much about personal stuff."

                It was Ukyo's turn to look off into the distance.  "Actually, Ryoga-kun, I kinda envy you a little.  At least you've got a chance that your family will eventually be able to get together again.  My mother died when I was about a year old.  I never even got to know her."

                Ryoga gulped.  "I'm sorry, Ukyo.  I didn't mean--"

                She cut him off with a wave of her hand.  "It's not like you offended me or nothing, sugar.  I don't mind talking about it.  At least, not with you."  She gave him a sidelong glance and was mildly disappointed to realize the significance of that last statement hadn't registered with him.  Disappointed, but not surprised.  "Anyway, my dad had to raise me by himself.  And maybe you already guessed, what with Ranchan not knowing I was a girl back then, but he didn't really know how to do that.  It wasn't like he tried to make into his son or nothing, it's just... all he could teach me was what he knew, y'know?"

                "What did he think, when you renounced your femininity for revenge on Ranma?"

                Ukyo was quiet for a few moments before responding.  "I'm not sure.  We never really talked about it.  Right at the beginning he asked me if I was sure this was what I wanted.  I said it was, told him how the other girls were all teasing me at school.  He didn't try to argue with me, or tell me whether he thought it was a good idea or a bad one.  Just enrolled me in a new school and helped me work out a stricter training schedule."  The chef laughed at that, one of those dry, humorless laughs.  "Fat lot of good that last part did, at least when I fought Ranchan.  But then, my old man's no Genma Saotome.  Thank the kami for that."

                "What does he think about the way things are now?"

                "Er... well..."  Ukyo wiped a large bead of sweat off her forehead.  "I actually kinda... haven't told him yet..."

                Ryoga just stared at her for a few minutes.  At last, he responded, "You've quit pretending to be a guy.  You've given up on vengeance against Ranma.  You've beaten the one who was really responsible for the dishonor to a pulp.  Don't you think your dad might want to know some of that?!"

                "Well... eventually, yeah..."  Ukyo tried frantically to come up with a way of getting herself off the conversational hook without admitting she was waiting until she could introduce her new boyfriend to her father at the same time.  "Thing is, Ryoga, I'm not sure whether he'd be happy with me letting Ranchan go scot-free.  So I'm waiting and keeping quiet.  Eventually he's gonna get worried enough about not hearing from me to come down in person and check on me.  I figure if I wait till then, he'll be glad enough to see I'm doing okay that he won't be upset about Ranma or nothing."

                Ryoga reflected on how long it had been since he'd seen his father, and how glad he'd be if he should happen to run into him unexpectedly, and how much he'd appreciate the chance to spend some time with him without worrying the old man would disappear the minute they were out of each other's sight.  The former lost boy thought about these things, and decided he didn't much like Ukyo's little plan.  But since he had no idea of how to say that tactfully, he decided to change the subject.  "What about any other family?  You're an only child, right?  What about uncles, or cousins, or anyone else?"

                "Well, an aunt and uncle I never knew before showed up a few months ago, along with their kids.  Their oldest son was the guy you rescued from the 'street gang'.  Actually, their arrival was part of why I came here now.  With them around, I didn't need to help Dad out in the restaurant any more.  And I was ready to try and make it on my own."  Ryoga, as one who'd been forced to make it on his own far too often, thought a bit sourly that some people didn't know when they had it good.  Ukyo continued speaking, oblivious to his attitude.  "But the only other family I really knew growing up was my great-uncle and my great-grandfather."

                "What're they like?  I never knew any of my relatives, other than Mom and Dad."

                "I don't remember much of Great-Granddad.  Just that he was totally into the okonomiyaki martial arts.  My great-uncle, though..."  Ukyo was quiet for a few moments as she thought about how to continue.  At last, she replied, "He's the strangest mix you ever saw of somebody living in the past and looking to the future."

                Ryoga blinked.  "How exactly do you pull that off?" he wondered.

                "Well, you start by being really into clan history," Ukyo mused.  "Mix in the knowledge that a lot of the most important things in Japanese history didn't make it into the textbooks because nobody would believe them.  And then you throw in the certainty that the Kuonji family is destined for great things in the future, that our tasks aren't done yet."

                "What do you mean, your tasks aren't done yet?  What tasks?"

                The chef gulped.  "Did I say that?  Ah heh heh... I meant our GLORY DAYS aren't done yet!  Yep, that's definitely what I meant to say.  Actually, that's what I did say.  You just misheard me, is all."

                Ryoga just looked at her.  After enduring his stare for a few seconds, Ukyo felt her resolution crumble.  "Oh, heck, it's not like I've got any reason to worry about the stupid legend anyway," she grumbled (squashing the impulse to look nervously over her shoulder to make sure her great-uncle wasn't standing behind her).  She took a deep breath.  "You remember what I already told you about my clan's history, right?"

                "That the Kuonjis as they are today were formed six hundred years ago, from the union between a ninja clan and a family of okonomiyaki chefs?  That for a long time, you were assassins who used your cooking skills to hide the family's darker side?"

                Ukyo nodded.  "And after the ninja duties died out, we began practising the okonomiyaki martial arts openly.  That's what I told you guys, but I left out a lot of the more important stuff."

                "Like what?"

                She hesitated before responding.  Old habits died hard.  Then she frowned at herself, and said, "Well, the ninja duties... didn't exactly die out.  Not as such.  What happened was they got replaced by other ones.  We were given several tasks, by one of the kami no less, and were charged to keep them absolutely secret until they'd all been accomplished.  Supposedly if anybody talks before then to somebody not connected to the clan, they'll be punished by the spirits, or fate, or something like that.  Uncle Toshi wasn't too clear on it... you know how grown-ups are when they're trying to scare kids into being good.  Ominous and vague.  Anyway, I figure that part could just be something somebody made up in the past to help keep the whole thing secret."

                "Still, I don't want to get you in any trouble," Ryoga said uncomfortably.  "Why don't we talk about something else?"

                 Ukyo shrugged.  "Just admitting what I have means I've already crossed the line.  Telling you more wouldn't make a difference.  Don't worry, Ryoga.  The tasks WERE all completed.  My dad told me that himself.  I think Uncle Toshi just wants to think they aren't.  I mean, if there's still stuff that only we can do, then that makes us important.  Means he can be proud of what we're going to do, not just what we've done."

                "Well... what were the tasks, then?" Ryoga asked.  Reluctantly, because he still didn't like the idea of getting her in trouble, but was too curious now to let the matter slide.

                "There were four of them," Ukyo began.

                "Four?  Not three?" he interrupted, surprised.

                "This is reality, not fantasy literature, Ryoga-kun," she pointed out.  "The easiest one was to guard a treasure until the one who gave us the tasks came for it again.  We finished that one after only a hundred years.  Kind of a shame... the family history has it that the treasure was a sapphire as big as your head, and if you looked into it you could see light swirling around inside it.  I'd have liked to see it... supposedly when the kami or whatever he was took it back, he said it was the seed for a new universe, that it was finally ready to sprout and he was gonna go plant it in the Ethereal Void.  Or something like that."

                "Other worlds, huh...  I guess that's what those two guys were going on about earlier.  I wonder how many there are," Ryoga mused.

                "I guess there's some things we'll never know," Ukyo answered.  "Anyway, like I said, that was the easiest of the four tasks.  Nobody even tried to take the jewel from us, according to family history.  But the rest of the tasks were a lot harder."

                "So what were the others?"

                "Well, the hardest was to 'oppose the Rakshasa.'  They're, er, they WERE a race of evil-spirit-type things with a lot of dangerous powers.  They really got off on torturing and slaughtering anybody weaker than themselves.  What's worse is they could change their shapes, and were really, really cunning.  They liked to get into positions of power and then try and stir up war."  Ukyo shuddered-- as a little girl, the stories her great-uncle told her about the Rakshasa had always scared her spitless.  "We were given a bunch of special powers to help fight them.  Magic was tied right into our bloodline, and we got training in how to use it.  But I don't know a lot of that.  Uncle Toshi taught me a few things, but my old man stopped him.  He said it wasn't right for a kid to have to shoulder that kind of burden now that the Rakshasa were gone."

                "They're all gone?  You sure about that?  I mean, you said they could change their shapes.  What if they're in hiding, just biding their time and gathering their strength?"

                Ukyo shook her head.  "Nope, the last of them were wiped out in my great-great-grandfather's time.  Here, I'll show you."  The chef held her hand out, palm up.  A look of concentration furrowed her brow, and she chanted a string of words in a cadence completely unlike any language Ryoga had ever heard before.  He stared at her palm, not certain what to expect.

                He certainly didn't expect for nothing whatsoever to happen.  Ukyo relaxed, and let her arm fall back to her side.  "That WOULD have created a glowing light pointing toward the nearest Rakshasa, even if it were disguised and on the other side of the world."

                "Well, that was pretty anticlimactic," the former lost boy commented, "but I guess nothing is better than something."

                "Yep.  Another task was kinda like the one with the Rakshasa.  But it was a little bit uglier... at least, it feels like that to me..."

                "What was that one?"

                "We had to wipe out one particular bloodline.  Everybody descended from one particular guy... our clan hunted them down and either killed them, or made sure they never had any kids.  I don't know what the whole story was there, Ryoga-kun.  Our family never did learn it.  But the legends say that when these guys were cornered, they often fought back with some kinda blood magic.  Something really ugly."  She shrugged.  "My guess is, the guy who they descended from made a pact with a demon, so all his kids would have power.  Or maybe he even WAS a demon  And that's why the line had to die out."

                Ryoga wondered for a moment just what she meant by 'made sure they never had any kids,' then decided he'd rather not ask.  Which was a shame, as the answer (an item for which one of the softer-hearted Kuonjis had bargained with a dragon, which inflicted magical sterility) would have been much less unpleasant than the possibilities his mind suggested.

                "And then the last task.  Well, not last, exactly, it was actually the second one we completed.  There was this one piece of treasure, a necklace that gave whoever wore it great power, but also slowly twisted them to evil.  We had to track it down and destroy it."  Ukyo looked down at the ground.  "One of my ancestors gave her life to do that," she said quietly.  "She knew what it would cost her.  When the tasks were given, we were warned that when the necklace was smashed, it would cause a huge explosion of death energy.  I'm talking miles long and wide, Ryoga-kun.  The Kuonji who finally tracked down the necklace took it and traveled to the farthest wastes of Siberia, so there wouldn't be too much collateral damage when she set it off.  She died there, alone, far away from anybody she knew."

                Ryoga blinked.  "You mean... that was Siberia?"

                "Huh?  What're you talking about?"

                "Oh... I was just thinking out loud."  Ryoga put one hand behind his head, and gave an embarrassed laugh.  "Back when I was following Ranma, before Jusenkyo, I wandered through this huge, cold, barren plain.  And there was a scar miles long and wide, where nothing grew and no animals would go.  Gave me a pretty bad feeling too."  He forebore to mention that at the time he'd just gotten angrier at Ranma for putting him through this misery, and stubbornly walked straight through the blight.  It was the longest straight line Ryoga had ever walked up to that point.

                "You followed Ranma to China by way of Siberia?!"

                Another nervous, embarrassed laugh.  "Actually, at the time I thought I was still in Japan.  I did think it seemed awfully cold for that time of year."

                Ukyo slowly shook her head.  "Sugar, I think I'm beginning to see why you'd like to give boring a try."

***************

                The rest of that day wasn't boring, exactly, but nothing exciting happened to Ryoga.  Which frankly suited him just fine.

                Especially after he heard Ranma's story about how HIS day had gone.

                "Man, you picked the perfect day to cut class, Ryoga," Ranma informed him late that afternoon.  "There was a brawl in your classroom bigger than any they've had before.  We heard the explosions all the way on the other side of the building."

                Ryoga grinned.  "So did the noise keep you from getting your beauty sleep, or something?"

                "What the heck's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked irritably.  Beauty sleep was for girls, not guys.  If Ryoga needed to be reminded of that, well, there were plenty of ways to work pig references into the conversation.

                "Just that you look like you're pretty worn out.  Now if you were in MY classroom, that would make sense.  What happened to you?"

                Ranma snorted.  "You remember how, back when you enrolled at Furinkan, we tried to get you in our class, but it was too full?  Well, that changed a couple of days ago.  The Sakura triplets left.  At least, I guess they're gone for good.  'Cause we got a new student today."

                "Let me guess.  Somebody more like Koga than Kasumi."

                The Saotome heir nodded.  "Got it in one.  A girl with a chip on her shoulder as big as any Akane ever had."  He covertly watched Ryoga's reaction to the dropped name, and was encouraged to see the other didn't even flinch.  He'd have to tell Shampoo, since she'd been the one who suggested this method of gauging just how far the former lost boy had progressed in getting over his first love.  "Like it's my fault she's got long blond hair and is named Usagi Tokiro?  I mean, come on, ANYbody is gonna make a Sailor Moon remark or two.  She needs to learn to chill out about it."

                "What'd you do, call her Meatball Head?"

                "No, all I did was ask her if the artist who drew that silly little girls' manga was a friend of her family or something."  Ranma shook his head ruefully.  "It was a serious question, too!  I mean, obviously she was born way before the first Sailor Moon issue came out.  So either she WANTS to look like that Usagi, in which case she shouldn't've minded my asking, or else the character was based on her.  Saying she just happens to be a clone of the main character seems like a little too much of a coincidence."

                Ryoga choked on his drink.  After coughing for a bit, he asked incredulously, "You can sit there, after some of the stuff you've seen, and say there's ANY coincidence too big to believe in?!"

                "Um... well..."  It was Ranma's turn to cough.  "Anyway, she didn't much like me askin'.  Turns out she's a kickboxer, and a pretty darn good one, too.  I spent most of my lunch break fightin' her.  Finally lost my patience and spun her around until she got dizzy enough to pass out."

                "Why not just knock her out by hitting her Instant Unconsciousness point?"

                "She was wearing this stupid scarf thing around her neck.  It was thick enough to block shiatsu attacks."  Ranma grimaced.  "She didn't show up in class for two hours after that, which I personally wish had been more like two years."

                "What happened when she did get back?"

                Ranma hesitated, but then decided 1) Ryoga was bound to find out sooner or later, and 2) if he dodged the issue now and let Ryoga hear it from somebody else, he'd only get teased worse.  "Well... turns out she's the kinda girl who really, really hates it when she thinks a guy is lookin' down on her or something... when she thought I fought her like an equal, it kinda... made her get a crush on me... and she started comin' on to me almost as bad as Shampoo first did with Tatewaki..."

                "Um... you're not gonna try and add her to the harem too, are you?" Ryoga asked nervously.

                Ranma scowled at him, a little surprised at how good an actor Ryoga was turning out to be.  He almost looked like he'd really meant the question seriously.  "Hardy har har.  Laugh it up while you can, P-chan, 'cause I told her I wasn't available but I knew a guy named Ryoga Hibiki who was just as good at fighting girls as I was."

                The blood drained from Ryoga's face.  "Please say you're not serious," he pleaded.

                "Of course I'm joking!  Actually, I didn't even get a chance to talk to her.  Shampoo grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and dragged her off somewhere private.  Told Bunny-girl nobody hit on her sister's boyfriend, and beat the stuffing out of her."

                "On her _sister's_ boyfriend.  Convenient excuse.  Still, I'm surprised Shampoo reacted that badly."  Ryoga wouldn't have thought the Amazon would be so callous.

                Ranma shrugged.  "It's not as bad as I made it sound--she didn't do it to be a bully or nothin'.  It was more like a challenge match than anything else.  And after she took down Sailor Moon, Shampoo told her she had a lot of spirit and would make a good Amazon.  So now Usagi is gonna get training from the Matriarch, and in exchange for that she doesn't chase me or make any trouble at school."

                "Well, all's well that ends well, I guess," Ryoga said philosophically.  It was easy to be philosophical when it hadn't been HIS rough day.

                "Yeah.  Hey, I already asked Dachi and Shampoo, on the way home from school, but you wanna get Ucchan and the bunch of us do something tomorrow?"

                Ryoga shook his head regretfully.  "No, I can't this weekend.  I'm going to go to my house, to see if there's any sign of Mom or Dad having been by there lately.  Mr Kuno gave me some money for the train, but even with that to speed things up, I'll still be gone until Sunday."

                "Oh.  Well, maybe you'll get lucky and even catch one of your parents there."

                The former lost boy opened his mouth to respond.  Then, as a thought occurred to him, he changed what he was about to say.  "Yeah, right, Ranma.  My parents are only ever home for a few days at a time.  You think I'd just happen to run into them like that?  That would be one REALLY BIG, UNBELIEVABLE COINCIDENCE."  He almost shouted the last four words, just in case whoever or whatever was responsible for the typical chaos in their lives wasn't listening quite closely enough.

***************

                Ryoga set out early the next morning.  It was a nice day, sunny and mild, with a light breeze blowing.  There was a certain indefinable sense of vitality in the air--salarymen on their way to work felt their hangovers miraculously diminish; housewives found themselves lingering in the market, spending an extra few minutes bargaining rather than returning home quickly; students trudged to school with a greater measure of resentment at not having the day off.  Ryoga himself felt restless, anxious in a way he didn't quite understand.

                The feeling grew as a pair of birds flew past him, twisting and spinning in an aerial ballet.  Ryoga paused and watched them, feeling a vague longing rise up within him.  Then, as the birds passed out of sight, he sighed, dropping his gaze back to ground level to resume his walk.

                The sight of the lane he was in gave him pause, though.  Not that there was anything unusual about it; his surroundings could have been a backdrop from any large Japanese city.  If one ignored the language in which the signs were printed, there wasn't even anything to dictate the street's country of origin.  Although it certainly wasn't always the case in Nerima, there was nothing special to see here, nothing out of the ordinary to grab the attention.

                And yet Ryoga looked around as if seeing something not readily apparent, regarding his surroundings with more and more distaste.  A casual observer would have wondered why, unless the casual observer were Principal Fujima or someone else with powerful telepathic abilities.  But the fact was, Ryoga was feeling as if the buildings were crowding him, both leaning in to pin him between them while at the same time standing unnaturally tall and straight, to block out the sun and the sight of the sky.  The former lost boy took a deep breath, then closed his eyes, reaching for his center of calmness.

                'What the heck's wrong with me?' he wondered.  No sooner had he asked that question than the answer came.  For so many years, he'd so often wandered through forests, steppes, jungles, deserts, plains, caves, veldt, swamps, prairies, tundra, hills, mountains, and even once a bizarre area full of tar pits.  True, there had also been plenty of times when his wanderings had taken him through cities, towns, and villages, but the fact remained that much of his earlier life had been spent on his own, just about as close to Nature as it was possible to be.  Ryoga wasn't missing the 'on his own' part, but with quite a sharp pang he realized that if he didn't get to some greenery soon, he was going to go stir-crazy.

                Fortunately for the former lost boy, there was a park nearby.  He made his way directly there and sat down on a bench, letting out a contented sigh.  Already he felt better.  True, being in an artificial arboretum like this was only a palliative.  This wouldn't be nearly enough to satisfy him for any great length of time, any more than had the time he'd spent with Ukyo the day before in another park.  But Ryoga felt content now.  Let tomorrow take care of itself.  Or, looking at things from a more practical viewpoint, after he'd gone home and seen whether there was any sign of either parent, he could take some time to walk through the woods nearby.  Heck, maybe he'd even send word to the Kunos that he wouldn't be back for a few days, and then hike back rather than taking the train.

                The more Ryoga considered that last thought, the better it sounded.  He knew for a fact that there'd be plenty of camping supplies at his house, so that wouldn't be a concern.  His decision made, the former lost boy leaned back on his bench and heaved another contented sigh, resting his eyes on a nearby wall of trees.

                Then Ryoga blinked.  Admittedly he was feeling a lot better about being close to a facsimile of nature, but he didn't think it was enough of a relief to cause him to hallucinate a score of background music.  But beyond a shadow of a doubt, he was hearing SOMEthing.  He concentrated.  Some sort of wind instrument, he thought.  Ryoga wasn't certain, but it sounded as if there were two players, their melodies now winding around each other, now speeding along side-by-side.  There was a bounce and an exuberance about it that reminded him of the birds from earlier.

                He wasn't sure where the tune was coming from.  He thought there were two musicians rather than one, but he wasn't positive.  However, there was one thing about the melody which Ryoga knew with absolute rock-hard certainty.

                It was the most hauntingly beautiful music he'd heard in his life.

                He rose to his feet, and with all the stealth at his command he crept over to the tree line.  As he neared it, the music grew louder, indicating without a doubt that the source of the harmonics was on the other side, not too far away.  Ryoga slowly began working his way through the trees, not letting a single twig snap beneath his feet, not even bending a branch.

                Just as he reached the edge of the thicket, and bent to one knee, preparing to lie prone and look out through the thinner brush at ground level, something occurred to Ryoga.  I.e., appearances notwithstanding, he was in a city, not a forest.  He was approaching a person, or people, not some timid woodland creatures that would bolt at the first sight or scent of him.  Smacking himself on the forehead, he straightened up and walked out of the trees.  And saw the musicians.  And stopped dead, his jaw hanging open so far that a bird could easily have flown through the opening (though no doubt it would have regretted doing so almost immediately).

                They were facing away from him, away and to one side.  He couldn't see much of their profiles, but was able to get a pretty good look at the instruments they were playing.  Twin silver flutes, one part of his mind noted.  At least they looked like flutes, though much less elaborate than normal.  Perhaps they were based on a more primitive style, Ryoga thought to himself.  Certainly the instruments looked old.

                The former lost boy gulped, and pushed the random thoughts out of his mind.  They hadn't seen him yet, but who knew how long that would last.  He needed to get going now!  He needed to make his escape while the window of opportunity was still open!  He needed... he needed to... Ryoga sighed, and quietly sat down.  Who was he kidding?  That music was just too darn enjoyable for him to run off in the middle of the song.  He could wait until they finished, saw him, and started chasing him again.  But in the meantime, he was just going to sit here and enjoy himself.  A smile, containing equal parts appreciation and wonder, curved his lips.  Who knew Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were so talented?

                The music continued for several more minutes, before fading away with one last trilling cascade of notes.  Ryoga sighed, as one awakening from a dream.  The twins still hadn't turned, and there was no way they could see him with their current positioning.  He hoped that if he stayed still, they might not notice him and start up another piece.

                "Nihao, Ryoga," Ling-Ling said, quietly, but with a hint of amusement.  Her posture hadn't changed an inch.

                Ryoga facefaulted.  "Ah... huh?!  H- how'd you know I was here?" he mumbled through a mouthful of grass.

                Ling-Ling forced the mischief out of her grin, transforming it into a big welcoming smile.  She turned to face him.  "Silly Ryoga.  Is basic lesson for warrior... strong fighter like you has to have learn already.  More important than see with eyes or hear with ears is feel with heart.  We feel you nearby."

                'And it didn't hurt that we could see your reflection in our flutes,' Lung-Lung thought wryly.  Aloud, she said, "You like music?"

                "Y- yeah," Ryoga admitted.  "It was beautiful."

                He would have been prepared to swear that their smiles could not possibly have gotten even bigger, but at this they did.  "You want hear other one?" Lung-Lung asked eagerly.

                About ten minutes later, they set down their flutes.  Ryoga shook his head in wonderment.  "That was just amazing.  You're the best I ever heard.  I wouldn't have thought anyone could do so much with a couple of simple flutes."

                "Thank you," Ling-Ling barely managed to stop herself from adding an 'Airen'.  'Keep it cool, remember how big sister Shampoo chewed you out for taking his shirt after he fainted, remember how she said it really freaked him out,' she reminded herself.  She idly wondered just how he'd react if he found out that garment was now her favorite sleeping gown.

                "Lung-Lung hope that not insult to instrument."  The smile on the lime-haired girl's features reassured Ryoga that she was only kidding.  "These belong to great-great-great-great-grandmother.  Is family treasure."

                "She must have really been good if she could play two flutes at once," Ryoga remarked.

                Lung-Lung burst into a fit of giggles.  "Not at same time, silly!  Keep one in case other get lost or broken.  But she take such good care that never happen either one.  Both still good condition as many hundred year ago, when first crafted."

                "Is true these not have many many different complicated buttons and settings like modern flute."  Ling-Ling shrugged.  "But that not best way to play anyway."

                "I don't understand what you mean," Ryoga said.  "What other way is there to play a flute than blowing air into it?"

                "That not what Ling-Ling talk about."  The cherry-haired girl frowned as she tried to work out how to express her point in Japanese.  "Mean whole... philosophy of music.  Can maybe know a lot about music, can read book with picture of instrument, can know 'blow this hard and cover this hole and get this note to play on flute', but that not really help.  Is not right way to learn.  If try like that, never be able to do any more than play like parrot.  Only be able to echo what somebody else already come up with.  Could maybe sound nice, but music not have no power."

                Lung-Lung took over.  "Right way make music start with listening, finding songs in own heart.  Then have to learn to let out.  That what we do.  Flute is... is just door.  One of two doors.  Open it, open door in heart, let music flow out.  That how we give real beauty for you to hear."

                "Wow.  That's deep," he replied.  "Makes it sound like a perfect kata, when you're in the middle of your center of awareness, and your mind and body work together just right."

                "Mind and body and heart," Lung-Lung corrected him.

                "Yeah, that's true," Ryoga accepted the correction.  "Mind and body and heart."

                The three sat quietly for a moment, before Ryoga spoke up again.  "I bet it takes a lot of time, practising to be so good.  How can you do that, get in martial arts training, and still find time to work in the restaurant too?"

                "Is not easy," Ling-Ling answered frankly.  "But Great-Grandmother let us have time off for practise if really need it.  We is Amazons, after all."

                Ryoga didn't mention that he'd prefer to forget that.  "Okay, I can see why she wouldn't want you to lose your fighting edge.  But what does that have to do with the music?"

                The twins' reaction to the question startled him.  Both took deep breaths, then fixed him with piercing stares.  "Music is part of fighting style," Lung-Lung said fiercely, almost as if daring him to contradict her.

                Although more than a little startled by their reaction, Ryoga decided he'd ask about it later.  For now, there was a more interesting question.  "Really?  How does that work?"

                They gave him one more moment of combined scrutiny, then seemed to relax a bit.  "Remember what you just say, Ryoga?  You say what we say sound to you like perfect kata, when heart and body and mind all work together.  Well, you more right than you know.  When make music like that, is possible touch other people heart and body and mind with music.  With right training, can do many different things."

                "Ah.  Like making Ukyo dance around instead of fighting you, so you could toast her with the Dance of the Great Fire Dragon," Ryoga said, as understanding dawned.  "But I thought you used a boombox in that attack, not that you played the music yourselves."

                The twins flinched, as if he'd shouted a curse at them.  Ryoga blinked.  "Did I say something wrong?"

                Lung-Lung raised her head, and looked challengingly at Ryoga.  "Is all sorts of different records of music written down in village, each for different effect.  But all has one thing in common... just close up ears and effect disappear.  Is because of this most Amazons not respect that type fighting no more.  We not get much respect either, because we use it."

                "What does that have to do with using a boombox?" Ryoga asked.

                Ling-Ling spoke up, ignoring the interruption.  "There still few older Amazons who respect this style.  Is one who see gift for music in us, teach us what we tell you, about let music flow from heart.  Have to do that to make music with power enough to make opponent do what you want.  We only two in village what interested to learn."

                "But problem is no can do most techniques with just two people," Lung-Lung explained.  "Dance of Fire Dragon take seven different instrument at same time!  We only able do few weak songs by own selves.  This other reason why nobody in village our age think style any good."

                "We no give up, though," Ling-Ling pronounced.  "Tell Mother about what problem is, she help us come up with solution."  She pulled a cassette tape out of thin air.  "We play one of seven instrument together, record that part.  Then play back tape in background while play next instrument live, make new tape.  Repeat until tape have all seven instruments, each play by both us at same time.  Is very good idea Mother have, though sure was a lot of work."

                "We take tape to elder what teach us style," Lung-Lung said quietly.  Ryoga hoped they weren't going to continue switching back and forth like this... his neck was beginning to hurt from constantly turning his attention from one girl to the other.  "Want her be so proud of us, for take style and make more powerful.  But that not what happen.  She say we make mockery of proud piece of Amazon history, she want nothing more to do with us."

                "Aw, heck.  I'm sorry," Ryoga said awkwardly.  He swallowed, then said, "I don't know if it helps any, but I think you two were the ones with the right idea.  You took a weakness and figured out a way to eliminate it.  Whoever that elder was, she shouldn't've treated you like that."

                "What you think about rest of village?" Ling-Ling queried.  "About people our age say we stupid for use technique so easy to defeat?  Is they right for say we no should waste time like this?"

                "No, they're wrong too," Ryoga said firmly.  "In fact, I'd even say they're idiots.  Your training lets you make the most beautiful music I've heard in my entire life.  It would be worth it just for that, as far as I'm concerned.  And being able to use it in your fighting style is just icing on the cake."

                "What cake have do with it?"

                The former lost boy groaned mentally.  "I mean, it's like adding an extra bonus on top of what you already have."

                "We glad you feel that way."  Lung-Lung grinned at him.  "You want not see one of special techniques, Ryoga?"

                "Huh?  Run that by me again.  What do you mean, 'not see'?"

                The twins exchanged mischievous glances, then raised their flutes to their lips.  They began to play in unison, an oddly stilted melody that started out loud but quickly began to sink toward silence.  Then Ryoga blinked and rubbed his eyes... the twins' outlines were wavering and fading with the music!  Even as he stared, the last strains of music disappeared.  Simultaneously, the images of the girls vanished into thin air.

                Ryoga sat, stunned.  An invisibility technique?!  He looked at the ground, attempting to track them by the bending of the grass, but couldn't make out any place where it was noticeable.  It didn't even look as if the grass were bent where they had been sitting up till now.

                "Put hands over ears," whispered the wind.

                Automatically, he complied, and suddenly the Amazons were there again.  Or more accurately they were there still--they yet remained where they'd been seated the whole time, and they were still playing their flutes vigorously.  Ryoga removed his hands from his ears, and the music was audible then, but almost immediately it and the twins began to fade once more.  However, at that point the duo stopped playing.

                "Was Dance of Hidden Chameleon," Lung-Lung said.  "Only hear music on unconscious level, make whoever listen not be aware of whoever play."

                "That's amazing," Ryoga said in awe.  "Thanks for showing me."

                Ling-Ling smiled.  "Thank YOU, Ai--" she broke off coughing before the last word could fully emerge from her lips.

                "You okay?" he asked worriedly.  The young Amazon's false cough had caused some saliva to go down the wrong pipe, forcing her to begin choking and hacking in earnest.  Ling-Ling managed to get herself under control at last, and thought sourly that after Ryoga finally let himself be caught, she was going to address him solely as 'Airen' for a solid month.

                Meanwhile, Lung-Lung was regarding the angle of the sun with an expression of disappointment.  "Is almost time go back to restaurant," she said.

                "Don't you want to go?" Ryoga asked.  He hadn't thought the duo were unhappy with life at the Nekohanten.  Although even Ranma might have rolled his eyes at the former lost boy's inability to figure out why the twins might not want to leave just then.

                However, sometimes the obvious answer isn't the right one.  Or at least not the only one.  "Is just we get tired spend so much time cooped up in city," Lung-Lung answered.  "That why we always come here for practise music."

                "So you can have some trees and grass and bushes around, instead of just buildings and cars and streets and whatnot?" Ryoga asked.

                "That right.  Is you surprised?  Home village not like this.  Is really beautiful in Bayankhala mountains, Ryoga.  So many different types beauty there."  Lung-Lung sighed in melancholy.  "Both us miss sometimes."

                "No kidding.  I do too," Ryoga said.  "Well, not that I miss the Bayankhala mountains particularly, it's just nature in general."

                "Why that?  Ling-Ling thought most Japanese grow up surrounded by city."

                Ryoga snorted.  "Not me.  I've wandered farther in my life than both of you put together and doubled.  I've walked up mountains, across deserts, through forests, and beside rivers."  Sometimes all in the same day.  "I've spent a lot more time on my own outdoors than I have in cities or with other people.  That's why I came by this park today, actually.  I felt like I had to go somewhere with trees and stuff."

                "Some of that sound like lots of fun to Lung-Lung.  Not the 'on Ryoga's own' though."  Lung-Lung smiled at him.  "Bet you have many many stories of travels.  You want tell some?"  It had occurred to her that spending quality time with their soon-to-be Airen would probably be an acceptable excuse for coming back to the restaurant late.

                Ryoga checked the angle of the sun.  He was actually wearing a perfectly good wristwatch at the moment, but after telling the twins how much time he'd spent roughing it, it just seemed a little too anticlimactic to consult the timepiece instead of using the natural method.  "Nah, I can't right now.  I've got a train to catch."  He got back to his feet.  "Thanks for letting me listen to you play," he said sincerely.  He was also pretty grateful they hadn't used the occasion to do anything outrageous, to try and catch themselves an Airen.  Maybe Shampoo had finally gotten through to them.

                "Any time Ryoga want hear, can come to this spot early in morning.  We happy let you listen to music of our hearts."

***************

                The twins were a little disappointed that their next practice went without an audience.  But then Ling-Ling heard from Shampoo that Ryoga was gone and not expected back until the middle of the week.  The next few days seemed to pass far more slowly than ones in which they didn't see Ryoga but still knew he was nearby.

                "I'm glad Ryoga will be back soon, but I still wish we'd asked just why he had a train to catch," Lung-Lung said wistfully as she and her sister made their way back from a delivery.  "It would have been so nice to go with him, see his home, and hike back with him."

                "Yeah..." Ling-Ling sighed, ignoring for the moment the voice of common sense which told her that perhaps that would have been too aggressive.  Since Ryoga wasn't around to actually get spooked, there wasn't any harm in indulging in a little fantasy, right?  "It would have been even nicer to 'sprain my ankle' on the way back, so he had to carry me."

                Lung-Lung blinked, then her eyes too filled with sparkles as she imagined herself making use of that ruse.  At this point neither Amazon was really watching where she was going, and the only real question was which twin would collide with something first, and what it would be.

                As it turned out, it was Lung-Lung who walked into a streetlight.

                "OW!"

                Lung-Lung sat up, rubbing her head, then froze.  "Ling-Ling, I think you'd better get me to Great-Grandmother fast.  I must've really hit my head bad... I thought that streetlight complained when I ran into it."

                Her twin dropped her empty delivery box and whipped out her staff.  "It did," she said.  "Get back!"  Neither Amazon had forgotten the experience they'd had the first time they went looking for Ryoga.  Opening the lid of a dumpster and having a scaled, fanged monster almost as big as you are explode out at you tends to leave persistent memories.  And if dumpsters weren't safe, then why should they trust a talking streetlight?  Lung-Lung rolled backward, shot to her feet, and pulled out her trident.  Both girls tensed, preparing to dash forward in a coordinated attack...

                ...all things considered, it was fortunate that Tsubasa chose that moment to lose the disguise.

                The twins blinked as what looked to be a pretty girl with a large bump on her head squirmed out of the streetlight.  After its occupant was clear, it folded up into a heap on the curb.  The young Amazons relaxed a little, but only a little.  They weren't ready to trust that this apparent form of a human girl wasn't just another façade.

                "That hurt, you know," Tsubasa said plaintively.

                "Why you disguise like that?" Ling-Ling demanded.

                "I was waiting for somebody to come by."

                Lung-Lung relaxed a little more, and looked around.  A fair number of people had stopped walking, and were watching the exchange with interest.  "Silly girl.  Hide in disguise and attack from back is good tactic, but maybe should choose less crowded street.  Not want witnesses."

                "Th- that's not it at all!" Tsubasa said indignantly.  "I wasn't preparing for an attack!  I just wanted to surprise my dear, dear Ukyo!"

                Ling-Ling blinked.  "You say... dear dear Ukyo?" she queried.

                Tsubasa nodded eagerly.  "Do you know my darling Ukyo?"

                "Know someone with that name, but not same person you is talking about.  Ukyo we know is girl, not boy."

                Tsubasa giggled.  "That's right.  Ukyo Kuonji, the mistress of okonomiyaki... and my heart.  Do you know where I can find her?"

                Mechanically, Ling-Ling gave the address of Ukyo's Okonomiyaki.  Tsubasa thanked them breathlessly, dashed into a nearby flower shop, came back out again, and hurried off in the direction of Ukyo's.

                A long moment of silence was broken by Ling-Ling.  "Well, that was a lucky meeting for us, don't you think?"

                "What do you..." Slowly, Lung-Lung's bewildered expression shifted into a smile that mirrored her sister's.  "Right.  I think we need to talk to a certain perverted spatula girl about just who would make the best choice for Ryoga."

***************

                Today had been a bad day for Ukyo Kuonji.

                It had started off with mild disappointment--Ukyo had hoped Ryoga would get back the previous night.  She'd waited for him this morning, willing him to show up and walk with her to Furinkan, but had eventually been forced to give this up as a lost cause.  She'd then had to run full-tilt in order not to be late for class.  This in turn had left her a bit tired, and as a result she had been caught off-guard when yet another flare-up occurred between the chemistry and croquet cliques.  Ukyo hadn't actually been hurt, but she'd spent most of the day in the nurse's office waiting for the pretty colors to fade away after one of Koga's cocktails landed too near her.

                She had been on a slow boil already when school finally let out.  Watching Ranma go off with Kodachi and Shampoo, then walking back to her place alone hadn't made her any angrier, but it had sure mixed a fair amount of depression into her mood.  The loneliness had quickly vanished, however, on finding Tsubasa Kurenai waiting outside her place, dressed in the corniest disguise yet--a huge bouquet of flowers.

                "Has this been one miserable day or what," Ukyo muttered to herself as she polished the grill halfheartedly.  "Damn it all, I didn't think that jackass would find me here."  She sighed.  "At least Ryoga will be back soon.  Maybe if HE beats the snot out of Tsubasa, the idiot will get a clue and leave me alone."  Ukyo didn't have any real hope that the beating she'd administered this afternoon would have any lasting impact on her unwanted suitor.  After all, none of the previous pummelings had done any long-term good.

                The opening of the door drew her attention away from the grill and her thoughts.  Hoping it was Ryoga, sure at least that Tsubasa wouldn't have regained consciousness yet, the chef looked up with the beginning of a smile.  This quickly vanished at the sight of Ling-Ling, standing in the doorway with an expression that was half smirk, half sneer.

                "What do you want?" Ukyo demanded.

                "Want talk to spatula pervert.  No can do now... Lung-Lung need be there too, but is off on delivery.  Meet in park in fifteen minute."  Ling-Ling turned to go, then clarified, "Park closest to here," and strode out.

                There was silence in the restaurant for several minutes, except for the sound of Ukyo's teeth grinding together, and the barely audible hiss as her battle aura singed the wood of the countertop.  At last she muttered, "Kiss of Death or no Kiss of Death, this time I'm not gonna take any crap from them."

***************

                It wasn't the same park as before.  Even if it had been, the scene wouldn't have been identical to the last time... the wear and tear of Nerima life had necessitated a great deal of landscaping in that park since Ukyo's previous confrontation with the twins.  So while there was a good bit of similarity now between that time and the current scene, with the chef and the Amazons facing off against each other in a clearing in a park, there were also significant differences.

                For one thing, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had learned some battles are better won with words rather than swords.  And the twins figured they now knew just what buttons to push to force their opponent off-balance and out of the race.  It shouldn't be too hard now to make HER angry enough to attack THEM.  And that would only make Ryoga feel sorry for them and dislike the spatula girl, right?

                It should go without saying that they hadn't submitted this plan to Cologne for approval before putting it into action.

                Ukyo glared at the twins, wondering why they didn't have any weapons visible.  Not that that meant anything in particular, as she distinctly remembered seeing them produce polearms out of nowhere during their previous fight.  "I'm here.  What do you want now?!"

                "We have interesting meeting today," Ling-Ling began.

                "Sickening, too," Lung-Lung chimed in.

                "Meet girl who hide in fake streetlight, wait for love of her life come by, so could surprise her."

                "Girl say she wait for dear dear Ukyo.  Ask if we know."

                "Ling-Ling say no, only Ukyo we know is girl, not boy."

                "That when pervert disguise girl say she talk about girl Ukyo, not boy."

                "She say you 'mistress of okonomiyaki and her heart'."

                Ukyo's hands clenched until the knuckles whitened.  Then she whipped her combat spatula off her back.  "Then it was you two little..." with an effort she swallowed the word she'd been about to say, substituting 'Amazons', "... who told Tsubasa where to find me?!"

                "That right.  We not want stand in way of true love."

                "Even if is sick, twisted, perverted true love."

                "I don't believe this," Ukyo muttered, as her anger began to be subsumed by a sense of unreality.  She reholstered the spatula, leaving both hands free to massage her temples.

                "Better believe it!"  Ling-Ling wasn't sure why the chef's temper suddenly seemed to be dying down.  Weren't they being insulting enough?!  Hmmm.  Time to pull out the big guns, so to speak.  She forced as much disgust into her voice as she could.  "Ryoga deserve someone what appreciate what good man he is.  Not twisted pervert what like mans and womans both.  So we tell you now, leave Ryoga alone or he find out just what kind sick person you really is."  There--that should be enough to put their opponent into a blind rage.

                It was odd, Ukyo thought.  The anger seemed to be completely gone now.  All that was left was a sort of tiredness.  "You two really are pathetic, you know that?" she asked in a conversational tone of voice.  "How can anyone so short be such big hypocrites?"

                Lung-Lung's eyes narrowed at the height remark, but she let it slide for the moment.  "What you mean hypocrite?" she hissed.

                "What do you think I mean?" Ukyo asked, still in a reasonable tone of voice.  "You say that somebody who likes girls as well as guys isn't good enough for Ryoga?  Then where do you two think you get off going after him?

                "Oh, but let's get something straight first.  I don't love Tsubasa.  I don't like Tsubasa.  If Tsubasa were to be run over by a cement truck tomorrow, I wouldn't shed one tear.  That jerk is nobody I want in my life.  'She' comes on to me just like Mousse came on to Shampoo--without any encouragement, and ignoring the times I've flattened 'her' with my spatula.  But you just assume right off the bat that 'she' is telling you the truth.  You can't wait to believe something bad about me, so you jump right on it when Tsubasa gives you a chance.  That's pretty pathetic, you know.

                "And that brings me back to you two."  Suddenly the reasonable tone was lost in a new flare of temper.  "You dared to call ME sick for something I wasn't even going to do?!  When the TWO of you... _SISTERS_... are planning to go to bed with Ryoga _AT THE SAME TIME_?!  That's the most DISGUSTING thing I've heard in--"

                Ukyo didn't finish the sentence.  This didn't happen easily--there was a LOT more she'd intended to say on this subject.  But the words suddenly weren't willing to come.

                Perhaps this was because the point of Lung-Lung's trident was now tickling the skin at the base of her throat.

                "You take back now," Lung-Lung half-choked, half-snarled.

                Ukyo gulped, then wished she hadn't.  It had brought home even further just what was currently pressing against her larynx.  She hadn't even seen the lime-haired girl move; Lung-Lung had produced her weapon and crossed five feet of distance in considerably less than the blink of an eye.  Ukyo's own eyes widened even further as she took a good, long look at how furious the other was.  The young Amazon was trembling, though her hands were steady, with a look of naked hatred writ plain across her face.  Her battle aura was dancing brightly, burning hot enough that Ukyo would have known its presence even if blindfolded.

                Ling-Ling didn't look much happier, though she had refrained from pulling out her weapon.  Then again, that could just be due to the fact that a staff has less intimidation power than the point of a trident.  Her face was flushed, matching her hair, her fists were clenched, and she was also sporting an intense battle aura.  "You hear her!  Take back NOW!!"

                Ukyo's vision shifted back from Ling-Ling to Lung-Lung.  She looked into the younger girl's eyes, and couldn't look away.  The mixture of hatred, rage, and bloodlust in the Amazon's stare held her gaze like a serpent's would a bird's.  That and the spear at her throat combined to hold Ukyo frozen in actual fear of her life, unable to respond.

                A long moment of silence dragged by.  Eventually Lung-Lung realized that the chef wasn't going to say anything, though the Amazon was too angry to perceive the reason for Ukyo's silence.  Her glare intensified even further, she gritted her teeth, and every muscle in her body tensed...

                ... and she pulled the trident back, spat on the ground at Ukyo's feet, turned, and walked away.

                Ukyo dazedly put one hand to her throat, and swallowed hard several times.  Ling-Ling gave her the kind of glare normally reserved for murderers, neo-Nazis, and people who cut in front of you on the freeway.  "You dare say that then not even apologize.  We never ever forgive you this, spatula girl."

                "So... you're saying that's NOT what you're planning to do?"  Ukyo's brain hadn't quite reestablished connection with her mouth yet.

                This time it was Ling-Ling's turn to have her anger simmer down into disgust.  "You is truly pathetic.  You say we bad for believe about you what other girl tell us?  But nobody tell you this about us.  You come up with by own self.  And if ask big sister Shampoo or Ranma or anybody, would have find out you wrong long time ago.

                "No, we not take Ryoga to bed together."  Ling-Ling's face grimaced in disgust at giving voice to the thought.  "We is sisters, we is close, but NOT like that!"

                "Then why the hell are you both chasing him?!" Ukyo demanded.  Apparently it was to be her day for stupid questions.

                Ling-Ling just gave her an incredulous stare.  "Ryoga good, strong, kind man like both us want have.  Lung-Lung love him.  I love him.  Why I mind share husband with own sister?  This way we keep close over years, not grow apart with separate family."  Her expression hardened again.  "Just because we want stay together, not mean we THAT together."

                "Whatever."  Ukyo did feel a bit ashamed now.  The vehemence of their reaction had convinced her that they weren't lying about this.  For a moment words of apology hung on her lips, but then the remembered sensations of helpless fear and a needle-sharp point against her throat combined to make her swallow them.  The little witches had more than gotten their own back with that, as far as she was concerned.  The chef turned and began walking away.

                "Spatula girl!"

                Ukyo stopped, counted to ten, and turned back to face Ling-Ling.  "Yes?" she gritted through her teeth.

                "This not over," Ling-Ling said quietly, with deadly menace.  "No do anything now, because Ryoga maybe not like.  But when he finally choose us and love us, we meet you again.  We beat you to inch of life for what you do here today."

                "When Ryoga-kun picks you two little kids over me?"  Ukyo laughed bitterly.  "Fine.  I'll look for you then, just as soon as hell freezes over."  Realizing that was the best exit line she could reasonably hope for, she turned again and strode away.  Ling-Ling stared murderously at her back, then walked off as well.

                Ryoga, concealed in some large bushes nearby, from which vantage point he'd witnessed almost all of the conversation, held his head in his hands and wondered feebly what he'd done to deserve such a complicated life.

***************

                Ukyo, the twins, and Ryoga weren't the only unhappy people in Nerima just then. 

                With the utmost of care, he eased his way from shadow to shadow, senses straining to make sure no one was watching.  A familiar taste of bitterness was in the back of his throat... it shouldn't be like this.  He should have been bounding along, without a care in the world, snatching his treasures with gleeful abandon, in the certain knowledge that if anyone DID see him they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.  Just like he'd done for so long.

                But that was then.  And this was now.  And Happosai crept along, forced to resort to stealth as he lifted women's undergarments from the clotheslines where they hung to dry.

                It shouldn't be like this.  The thought resounded through his mind each time he picked up a new silky darling, each time he tried and failed to draw more than the barest trickle of chi from it.  He was only just managing to draw in more chi than he was expending in this endeavor.  He couldn't even keep the poor little captives after liberating them, either, couldn't even spare the strength to carry the sackful of lingerie twice his own size that he should have had by now.

                He'd been at this for hours.  Slink along, make sure nobody saw him, drain as much chi as he could, move on to the next target.  And now, as the sun sank toward the horizon, Happosai's reserves were just about as full as they could get these days.  Just a little longer, to wait for the cover of darkness, and he'd make his move.

                The founder of Anything Goes had only recently come back to Nerima.  He'd been gone for a long time, searching the world for some way to recover from the damage that cutie of Ranma's had inadvertently done to him.  The ancient lecher winced as he remembered that day yet again.  His greatest humiliation, when he'd been brought low by a mere slip of a girl.  It wouldn't have been so bad, he grumbled to himself for roughly the four thousandth time, if she'd intended to take him down.  You didn't live more that three hundred years of the kind of life Happy had led without making a few mortal enemies.  But that sweet little girl hadn't even MEANT to hurt him.  The indignity of it still rankled.  If he'd been beaten by someone out for his blood who was better than him, or even just luckier, that would have been much more tolerable than this... _accident_.

                (Happosai told himself this, but it wouldn't really have made him feel any better if he had learned the truth... that in the dying end of a future that no longer would come to be, his eventual effortless defeat had been one of the Black Rose's main reasons for setting things up so that she'd end up a living chi-battery.) 

                That day had marked the single greatest obstacle he had ever had to overcome.  To have his mastery, built over centuries of dedicated, single-minded lechery, kicked down into ruins in one afternoon... it would have crushed a lesser man, he thought to himself with grim pride.  But not the Master of the Anything Goes school!  True, there had been a bad few days when he'd tried to exert his will over Soun and Genma like always, only to have those worms turn and thrash him like he'd always done to them.  And it had been really, really bad when he'd woken up from his near-coma and the first sight he'd seen had been Cologne's face.  That had almost sent him into a relapse.  But she'd tagged a few pressure points, forcing him to stay awake, and had shaken him down until she'd recovered ALL of the little mementos he'd taken with him from her village so long ago.

                Thinking back to those indignities, he swore again to himself that Soun, Genma, and Cologne would pay.  Nothing too harsh on the Matriarch, of course... he still had a soft spot in his heart for the first girl he'd loved.  If he were to be absolutely honest with himself, he'd admit she was the ONLY girl he'd ever truly loved.  But absolute self-honesty was something Happosai could afford about as well as a fish could afford an hour in a tanning bed.  So he just contented himself with the thought that he'd do something obnoxious and irritating to the old girl, but stop short of making any real trouble.  Soun and Genma, though, those two were going to pay and pay dearly.

                And Ranma... there was one little punk who was going to learn just who was the pupil and who was the Master.  Happosai wasn't about to let someone of that caliber slip by without leaving his mark on the boy's training.  He'd never be able to call himself a martial artist again if he did that.

                Yes, there was a lot Happosai still had to do... once he managed to restore himself to pre-Kodachi conditions.  And he hoped, oh, how he hoped, that he'd finally found a way to do that.

                The months he'd spent in his search flashed back through his mind.  He'd traveled all over the world, trying to find something, anything that would repair the damage that sweet little girl had unwittingly done.  Trail after trail had come to a dead end.  He'd followed rumor after rumor.  Most had turned out to have some basis in fact, but hadn't had the power to help him.  He'd located a legendary fountain of curing, but it had turned out that its waters' enchantment was for the removal of curses only.  As much as this might have meant to Ranma, to Happosai it was so much wasted effort.

                Most of the other trails had ended like this as well, though a few of the ones that had sounded most promising had turned out to be nothing more than hot air.  The worst disappointment of all had been the most recent one, rumors of a mythical pair of sacred panties that were supposedly set in the forehead of an idol in the deepest jungles of Brazil... on hearing that tale, Happosai had been sure that one touch of those babies would restore him to top form.  But the tale had eventually turned to be just a vicious lie (in fact, it was a story that Cologne had spread, to help keep him away from Nerima, but Happosai didn't know this).

                When that one had let him down, the ancient lecher had begun to feel the first creeping threads of despair sliding into his resolve.  But then word had come back from Japan, from his old buddy Chingensai, and he'd felt hope blossom again within him.

                Ironically enough, his friend had found the source of this hope in Nerima.  Somehow Happosai wasn't surprised that after trotting all over the globe, he might find what he needed right where he'd started out.  A mystical brassiere, worn by a woman who'd been a powerful sorceress, held prisoner (at least, to Happosai's way of thinking) in a local antique shop.  Those were all the details Chingensai had had for him, but it was enough.  Surely just a few seconds with that baby would put him back at the top of his game!  At least, he hoped so.  Hoped with all his perverted little heart.

                There was still some time before he could safely act.  Though waiting was torture, Happosai forced himself to hold off.  He didn't dare make his move on the antique shop until full night had fallen.  And so he took a deep breath and set off again, continuing along the railings and balconies of the streets of Nerima, paying his version of respect to the silky darlings that danced in the evening breeze.  He might not be able to pull in any more chi, but he could still touch them and dream.  And this would keep him occupied until it was safe to get down to the real business of the evening.

***************

                Genma inhaled deeply, an expression of rapture on his face.  "Ahhh, Tendo, I don't think anyone can cook as well as Kasumi can."

                "Indeed," Soun replied gravely.  "Truly she is a blessing to us all."

                "And I think that sukiyaki is the dish she does best," Genma continued solemnly, then inhaled with even more gusto.  Soun's moustache and hair stirred slightly in the breeze.  "I can't wait to get started."

                "Well, Saotome, it'll still be cooking for a little while longer, and besides we need to wait for Nabiki to get back before we eat."

                "Too true, Tendo, too true.  What on earth is keeping that girl anyway?  Doesn't she KNOW we're having sukiyaki tonight?"

                Akane spoke up.  "I think she was going to go somewhere with Kuno after school was over.  Wouldn't surprise me if she called and said they'd decided to get dinner together."

                "Really?" Genma asked eagerly.  Akane could almost see the thought, 'More for me!' dancing through his mind.  She frowned a little.  He was a good martial artist, and she could respect him for that, and she was grateful for how he'd helped her improve, but once you'd said that you'd said just about everything positive she knew to say about Genma Saotome.

                Well, that and he'd raised a boy like Ranma.  Akane traced a melancholy finger in circles along the floor, then willed the moodiness away.  One missed opportunity was NOT the end of the world, she reminded herself.

The youngest Tendo returned her attention to the world around her.  Genma was still going on about how great Kasumi's cooking was, she noticed with another small frown.  Considering the accident she'd had in Home Ec today, this wasn't really something she wanted to hear just now.  Now how could she get a small measure of revenge?

                "I'll go see if Kasumi needs any help with the sukiyaki," Akane chirped.

                Genma paled in quite a gratifying manner.  "N- n- no!  You mustn't!!"

                "Why not?"

                "Umm... well..."  Genma thought frantically.  "As your sensei, I forbid it!  True mastery in the Art can only come when the Art is your true focus!  Cooking would distract you from your pursuit of mastery, Akane, and so I must say that your place is NOT in the kitchen!!"

                "And besides, it would be more helpful if you went out and looked for Nabiki," Soun interjected.

                'Hey, that WOULD get me out of listening to Mr Saotome for a while.'  "Sure, Dad."

                However, even as the two men were wiping the sweat from their respective brows, the front door opened and Nabiki came strolling in.  "Hey, everybody."  She took a deep breath.  "Mmmm... sukiyaki by Kasumi.  A little piece of heaven on earth."

                "We were beginning to wonder if you were even going to be joining us," her father said.

                "As if I'd miss dinner tonight?" Nabiki asked ironically.  "Perish the thought.  But I did see something interesting on my way home.  That's why I'm a little late."

                "Really?  What was that?" Genma asked absently, most of his attention divided between the kitchen and Akane.  It wouldn't be long now; he just had to keep her out of there for a little longer.

                "The old lech, Happosai, sneaking around and molesting whatever bras and panties he could find hanging out in the open."

                Genma's head snapped around so quickly that only his martial arts training saved him from whiplash.  Soun was already looking at his daughter, which was a good thing... if he'd done the same thing, his hair might have caught fire due to air friction.  "The Master... is back?!"

                "That's right," Nabiki answered in a bored tone of voice.  "Slinking along and doing his best not to be seen, so I'm pretty sure he still hasn't recovered yet."

                "Nabiki, dear... where exactly did you see him?"  Nabiki gave the address of the street where she'd observed the diminutive pervert.  Soun thanked her, then turned to Genma.  "Well, old friend, I think you know what must be done now."

                "Mm-hm," Genma nodded, pushing his glasses into just the right position for the light of sunset to glance off them in a particularly determined gleam.  "Let's go, Tendo."

                Akane blinked.  Hard.  She would have thought Mr Saotome would've agonized at least a little before abandoning the sukiyaki.

***************

                "Me and my big mouth," Nabiki grumbled forty-five minutes later.  The two men hadn't made it back yet, and the odor emanating from Kasumi's kitchen was causing her stomach to send near-continuous 'what's the hold-up?!' messages to her brain.  If she'd known she was in for a wait like this she'd have let Tachi buy her that third ice-cream sundae.

                "Kasumi, do we really have to wait any longer?!"  This was Akane.  "Dad and Mr Saotome could be gone for hours.  They wouldn't want us to wait that long!"

                Kasumi poked her head out of the kitchen.  "I'm terribly sorry, little sister, but it just wouldn't be right to start without them.  They could be in the lane outside right now, and how would Father feel if he came in five minutes after we stopped waiting for him?"

                "At worst he'd burst into a flood of tears, and I think by now we can all cope with that," Nabiki muttered under her breath.  Coming to a decision, she stood up.  "I'm going to go find them, and ask Daddy if it's okay if we start without him.  Coming, Akane?"

                "Huh?  Why should I...?"  Before she could finish the question, it dawned on Akane that her only other alternative was to stay in the house and be slowly driven crazy by the odor of sukiyaki that she couldn't get at.  "Right you are, Nabiki.  Let's go."

                Kasumi waited until she heard the front door close behind her sisters, then quickly 'taste-tested' a small bowlful of the main dish.  After all, it simply wouldn't do to let dinner overcook.

***************

                Meanwhile, Ryoga was nearly back at the Kuno mansion.  He'd stayed in the park for quite a long time, wondering what, if anything, he should do in response to this afternoon's events.  Inspiration had not been forthcoming, though, and hunger had eventually sent him moving toward home again.

                He encountered Tatewaki in the lane outside the mansion.  "Ah.  Good day, Ryoga.  I'm afraid you, I, and the servants are the only ones here this evening.  Everyone else had plans to go to a new five-star restaurant that just opened in central Tokyo."

                Ryoga thought back to the kind of table manners his former rival used to have, and imagined that Ranma in a five-star restaurant.  The mental picture was amusing enough to bring a smile to his face.  "No big deal.  I'm sure we can find something in one of the larders."

                "Well, you can, if you like.  I'm not very hungry right now," Kuno admitted.

                Perhaps eagerness to take his mind off his own life's complications made Ryoga pay more attention to the other.  Tatewaki seemed to be in rather a bad mood.  His mouth was twisted in what looked like disgust to the former lost boy.  "Hard day?" he asked sympathetically, as the two of them entered the house.

                "Not... exactly," the kendoist responded.  He hesitated, then, his thought processes bearing a remarkable similarity to Ranma's of a few days prior, he decided that he might as well tell Ryoga himself, now.  "It was actually quite good, up until fairly late in the afternoon.  There was something I wanted to do, something I had planned to do... but I am afraid I 'chickened out'."

                "What was that?" Ryoga asked sympathetically.

                Instead of answering verbally, Tatewaki responded by removing a small box from one pocket.  Ryoga looked curiously at it.  "So, what is it?"

                Tatewaki gave him an odd glance, then reminded himself that Ryoga had grown up with even less exposure to civilization than had Ranma.  With a wry look, he lifted the lid of the box.

                Ryoga's jaw dropped at the sight of the ring inside.  "HOLY..."  His eyes tripled their size.  "You were gonna propose to Nabiki?!"

                "That was the plan," Kuno growled, clearly disgusted at himself.  "But I was unable to screw my courage to the sticking place."  He sighed.  "And I really wanted to do it today, too... this is the one-year anniversary of the day I first realized my feelings for her."

                "Well, the day's not over yet," Ryoga said, more out of a sense that he ought to say something rather than as a serious suggestion that Tatewaki should really go find Nabiki again at this late hour.

                "Rather late, though, don't you think?"  Tatewaki responded.  "No, this day's excitement is over and done."

***************

                Happosai paused, letting his eyes adjust to the dimness.  The interior of the antique shop was quite cluttered, and lit only by moonlight.  Still, it didn't take long for his trained senses to pick out his target.  It was a plain, unadorned box on a table some distance away, but the vibrations coming from that baby made it clear to him that there was silky treasure inside.

                Almost shaking with eagerness, the ancient lecher made his way over to the table.  Just as he reached for the box, though, the lights came on.  Blinking to clear the stars from his eyes, Happosai whirled to face a most unpleasant sight.

                His two ungrateful pupils, Soun and Genma, were standing in the door of the shop, and their expressions... Happosai thought he'd never seen such unpleasant mixtures of malice, grim anticipation, and the promise of pain.  Actually, this was true... _he'd_ never seen such looks before.  But Soun and Genma had.  And it sure did feel good to direct a stare at Happosai that they'd received from him too many times to count.

                A long moment of silence was broken as Genma cracked his knuckles.  "Well, well, Tendo.  It looks like we've caught a burglar."

                Soun nodded gravely.  "As public-spirited citizens and martial artists, it is our duty to punish such miscreants."

                Happosai rallied his courage, hopping backward to rest one hand on the box.  "Stay back!" he snarled.  "Do you know what this is?!  It's a bra, a very special bra that was worn by a great sorceress!  One touch of this baby and I'll be back again, as good as I ever was!  And then you boys will really find out what happens when you cross your Master!"

                Soun and Genma paused, clearly taken aback.  They turned to face each other, seeming to hold a long conversation in just a few changes of facial expression.  Then...

                "Forgive us, Master!!"

                Happosai blinked as the two prostrated themselves on the ground before him, employing a modified version of Genma's Crouch of the Wild Tiger.  "You two really are pathetic," he muttered, wiping sweat off his brow.  Still, no need to look a heaven-sent gift horse in the mouth.  He turned, reaching for the lock on the box...

                And his two former pupils sprang, their not-at-all-submissive expressions no longer hidden by their posture.

***************

                "Nabiki, next time you see Happosai, how about you wait until AFTER dinner to tell Daddy?" Akane grumbled.  They'd been looking for the two fathers for twenty minutes now with no luck.

                "I was thinking the same thing," Nabiki replied.  "Listen, Akane, what would you think about going back home, telling Kasumi we found Daddy and he said it was okay to eat without him, then just leaving a note on the front door so that when he comes in he knows not to say anything different?"

                Akane was giving this serious thought when the crash of breaking glass drew their attention.  Before they could take off running, a small blur desperately clutching a box shot past them, trailing slivers of window-pane.  "Sorry, girls, can't stop now!" Happosai shouted in passing.

                Before he could get out of sight, Genma and Soun came into view, hot on his trail and running at top speed.  Both Tendo girls blinked at the sight of their father with a battle aura.  "Come back, Master!  We haven't finished showing you our appreciation for training us!!"

                Akane and Nabiki blinked again as the two older martial artists blazed past them, then took off running in their wake.

***************

                Ukyo smiled at the last customers as they left.  It was still a little earlier than she liked to close, but the chance that Ryoga might have made it back to the Kuno place had decided her.  She picked up her mega-spatula and set off.

***************

                As Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung neared the Kuno mansion, they hid their weapons, pulled out their flutes, and began the Dance of the Hidden Chameleon.  Perhaps it would have been quicker to simply call on the phone, ask to speak to Shampoo, then find out from her whether Ryoga was back yet, but this way was more fun.

***************

                Kodachi gave Ranma an odd glance.  Just what was so interesting about that waiter two tables over who was serving crepes flambés?  Granted, the first time anyone saw that dish presented it was a trifle unsettling, what with the open flames and all, but that didn't explain anything... Ranma-sama was quite familiar with this dessert already.  For pity's sake, she'd even prepared it for him once!  So why was he staring so intently?

                Shampoo waved one hand in front of Ranma's face.  "Airen?  What is wrong?"

                Ranma blinked, then, as the flames were extinguished, he looked away sheepishly.  "Um... well... it's gonna sound nuts, but I've been getting the strongest feeling that something crazy is about to happen.  I was worried that guy might trip and spill that, or something."

                Kodachi patted him on the shoulder.  "Well, I'm glad he didn't.  You can be a hero some other time, Ranma-kun.  For now, I'd just like a peaceful dinner."

                "Yeah, me too, but you know how it is with our lives.  Crazy stuff happens whether we want it or not."

                "Is so, but most in Nerima, yes?  And we is not there now.  Ranma need to relax."

                With an effort, the Saotome heir did so.  Still, he couldn't help but wonder whether the fact that they weren't in Nerima was really going to make that much of a difference.

***************

                With a tremendous effort of will, Happosai engaged his Dimensional Warp technique.  It was a desperate move, since it used up all the rest of the strength he had to spare, but it bought him enough time to hide in a shrubbery.

                'Blast those ingrates!' he thought bitterly.  They'd not been shaken from his trail... it had been all he could do to stay ahead of them long enough to make it to this park.   But he'd succeeded--here there were enough hiding places to keep Soun and Genma from finding him for the few critical seconds he needed.

                Forcing himself to calmness, Happosai carefully manipulated the tumblers of the box's lock, blocking out the nearby sounds of Genma and Soun checking trees and other potential places of concealment.

***************

                A prickling along the backs of their necks roused them from their search.  Instinctively they turned and looked straight at Happosai's bolt-hole.  Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped as the glowing figure of a beautiful woman in a kimono suddenly reared up, floating in the air above the bushes.  Happosai's neck was clenched in one spectral hand, and she was regarding him with an expression that was most unpleasant.

                Soun and Genma gaped.  Happosai choked.  The apparition gritted her teeth.  Eventually the last named broke the silence.  "I suppose I owe you some small debt for awakening me, you miserable little troll.  So, for that, I'll let you live.  But I don't think I want to see any more of you tonight."  Winding up like a pitcher on the mound, which was interesting considering that she had died before the invention of baseball, the sorceress threw Happosai as hard as she could.  He vanished into the night sky, and she turned back to face the two men, wiping her hands as if trying to shed some unpleasant residue.

                "Oh... oh my!" she whispered, raising one hand to her mouth as she got a good look at them.  Or rather, at one of them.

                With the prospect of vengeance against Happosai denied, replaced by the prospect of facing a supernatural entity, especially a supernatural entity that was giving him THAT sort of look, Genma suddenly realized that he and Soun ought to be at home eating sukiyaki right now, not rambling around in a park.  "Well, thank you kindly ma'am, for disposing of that pest.  Come on Tendo, let's go home.  You too, girls."  This last said absently to Akane and Nabiki, who'd finally caught up just now.

                The spectre gave a laugh that managed to be both alluring and frightening at the same time.  "You always did play hard to get, my love.  But no more of these games.  It's been a long, lonely time since we last met."

                As she began to float nearer to him, Genma's brain was split between trying to find a way to escape and trying to figure out just what this delusional creature meant.  Since he had no way of knowing that he was almost the spitting image of a distant ancestor of his, who'd had quite a passionate romance with the lady in question, the latter of his two goals was pretty much unattainable.

                The sight of a fountain broke Genma's mental deadlock.  Of course!  Turn into a panda, and she'd want nothing more to do with him.  At least, not unless she was really, really kinky... Pushing that thought from his mind with a shudder of disgust, Genma turned and ran toward the water.

                He'd managed only three steps when a kimono sleeve snaked out, wrapped around him, and dragged him back.  "Now, now, is that any way to greet your little Yokehi, darling?" she asked him seductively.

                "Please!  You've got the wrong person!  I've never seen you before in my life!!" Genma protested.  It was just his bad luck that Tenma, his ancestor, had often used that very line in one of the games he'd played with Yokehi.

                She smiled and supplied her corresponding line.  " 'Well, then, it seems I need to refresh your memory!' "  This followed by a very energetic kiss.

                It was too much for Genma (who had, after all, been away from his wife for ten years, and anyway where do you think Ranma got his nervousness around women?).  He passed out.  About a minute later, Yokehi noticed and broke the clinch.  "Oh, fie.  I should have known all those years apart would have drained some of your stamina.  Well, we'll just have to remedy that with some... one-on-one training."

                Soun frowned.  "Madam, I must ask you to unhand my friend.  You have mistaken him for someone else."

                Yokehi ignored him, lifting Genma into a fireman's carry and beginning to glide off.  Soun's frown deepened and he purposefully walked over and stopped in front of her.  "Madam, I _said_..."

                Both Akane and Nabiki clearly saw the ghost's eyes shimmer, becoming something inhuman for just a second.  She hissed, then lashed out with a sleeve of her kimono, catching Soun completely by surprise and knocking him backwards into a tree.  He slumped to the ground, out cold.

                "DAD!"  Akane raced over to her fallen father.  A quick check reassured her that he wasn't seriously hurt.  That taken care of, she turned to face Yokehi.  "How dare you hurt my father and try to kidnap Mr Saotome?!  I'm not going to let you get away with that!"

                Yokehi gave her a disdainful look, ignoring the other girl racing off at top speed.  She turned her attention to her passenger, and with a mild sense of disappointment realized that there was no way he'd be waking up again anytime soon.  Oh well.  At least it meant she could afford time to play with this annoying little child.

***************

                Nabiki ran.  "Akane," pant, "has got to stop," gasp, "tangling with," pant, "supernatural evil."  As during the last time in which her younger sister's fate was on the line, her destination was the Kuno mansion.  Although this time she didn't run over anyone on her way there.  "At least today," gasp, "the Kuno parents", wheeze, "aren't away", pant, "on some trip."

                Tatewaki had just put the ring box back into his pocket when Nabiki blasted through the door behind him.  He and Ryoga both jumped.  'I've heard of feminine intuition, but this is ridiculous!' Ryoga marvelled.

"'Biki-chan?!  What is it?" Kuno managed to get out.

                "Akane.  In park.  Fighting ghost."  Nabiki took a deep breath.  "Does your father have any ghost-busting stuff?"

                "I'm not sure.  And he and Mother are in Tokyo, eating dinner with Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo," Kuno said.  A look of sheer disbelief flooded Nabiki's face.  Before that could shift into something more unpleasant, he quickly added, "But Ryoga and I should be able to handle a ghost, particularly with your sister's help.  Let's go, Ryoga."  He grabbed a bokken from a nearby stand.

                The three of them turned, and headed back outside quickly.  A little too quickly, in fact--Nabiki ran headlong into Ukyo.  "Ouch!"  The chef rubbed her forehead, while Tatewaki helped his girlfriend back to her feet.  "Where are you guys going in such a hurry, Ryoga-kun?"

                "There's a ghost fighting my sister, and we don't really have time for small talk!" Nabiki interjected.  "Come on, we need to get moving!"

                "Okay, count me in too!"  Not only was Ryoga back, but now she had an opportunity to stand by his side in battle!  'This day might have sucked up til now, but things are definitely looking up!' Ukyo thought cheerfully.

                "We help too!"  "That right!  No let innocent girl get hurt!"

                As everyone else spun around and stared to find Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung behind them, putting away their flutes and pulling out their weapons, Ukyo just held her head in her hands.  'Dammit, I knew better than to say something like that out loud, but can't I even THINK it?!'

***************

                Akane dodged frantically, skipping to one side so that the lash of Yokehi's unnaturally-elongated kimono sleeve just missed her.  With a loud kiai, she launched herself forward in a flying kick.  This attack didn't work any better than the last one she'd tried; Yokehi simply fazed into immateriality and allowed Akane to pass harmlessly through her.  Fighting a ghost sucked, the youngest Tendo thought.  So far, the match had been a stand-off.  Akane's skill was enough to keep Yokehi from connecting with any attacks, but the witch's ability to fade was rendering Akane's offensives just as fruitless.

                Yokehi was becoming more and more irate.  True, she could simply grab her man and levitate away, and her opponent wouldn't be able to do anything about it, but by now she was too upset.  How DARE this child evade her best attacks!  Yokehi gritted her teeth and unleashed a furious combo of strikes with her sleeves.

                Akane desperately spun and twisted, dodging sometimes by only the barest of margins, unable to get the time to launch a counterattack of her own.  But Yokehi couldn't quite manage to pin her down.  Eventually the barrage ended, leaving one extremely winded sorceress panting for air.

                "You're going to regret attacking my father!" Akane announced boldly, doing her best to hide her internal worries.  The newest move she'd learned from Mr Saotome might be enough to end this, _if_ she could get it to work properly.  Since he'd only showed it to her two days ago, though, that was a pretty big 'if'.

                The ghost stared murderously at Akane as she moved into a new stance.  Martial arts weren't really Yokehi's strong suit, but it seemed like the girl had deliberately just discarded all her possibilities for defense.  "Oh, please.  That old fool is just stunned.  He'll wake up in a few hours with nothing more than a headache."  Yokehi's eyes narrowed.  "And the same goes for you!!"  She struck hard and fast, directly at Akane.

                Akane braced herself, hoping like crazy that this would work.  As the sleeve lashed out at her, she punched forward in her own attack.  "CLOTHRAZOR FIST!"

                To Yokehi's stunned horror, the end of her sleeve exploded into a cloud of loose thread as Akane's strike connected, shattering the ghost's attack completely.  The destruction didn't stop there, either... the cloth of her kimono's sleeve continued unraveling.  By the time Yokehi was able to focus her power and stop the process, her right arm was bare to the shoulder.

                "Take that!" Akane shouted, almost glowing with pride.  So what if the original form of the move had been developed by Happosai as a way of lifting women's undergarments without bothering to remove their outer clothing?  As far as she was concerned Mr Saotome had redeemed it when he made this modified version.  Although it would be a long time before Akane was strong enough to use it as Genma had said it was intended, to destroy an opponent's light body armor... the silk of a kimono was all she could manage with just two days of practice under her belt.

                Yokehi stared down at her newly-bare arm in shock, which slowly gave way to fury.  She turned back to face Akane, and held her arm up as if in a salute.

                Akane blinked.  That was one realistic-looking tattoo of a snake that covered most of the witch's arm, but surely she was imagining things when she thought she'd seen it... move?!

                This time there was no room for doubt.  The image of a snake coiled around Yokehi's arm slithered and twisted... and the sorceress's human form melted away.

***************

                As the assorted martial artists neared the park where Nabiki had left her sister, a loud scream of terror split the air.  The group managed to pour on a little more speed, racing through the trees to a clear area.  At which point they stopped dead, needing a few seconds to adjust to the sight of the serpentine ghost hanging menacingly in the air above Akane.

                The youngest Tendo was backed against a tree, too scared even to dodge to either side.  Akane had always been frightened by supernatural horrors.   This time around, thanks to the encounter with Ryoga-Oni, her fear had grown until it could almost be classified a phobia.  There hadn't been any problem as long as Yokehi seemed human, but Akane had become terrified almost beyond coherent thought once the sorceress had grown fangs, scales, and a tail.

                The screeching sound as the newcomers ground to a halt drew Yokehi's attention.  She turned to face them.  Once Akane's vision was no longer filled with that terrifying visage, she felt herself unfreeze.  Looking over to see what had attracted the ghost's attention, seeing that the cavalry had arrived, lifted Akane's heart in a surge of hope.  With a desperate burst of speed, she pushed away from the tree and raced past the transformed Yokehi to stand with the rest of the teenagers.  And if the position she took up was behind Tatewaki, well, Akane had already fought valiantly this evening and her reserves were frankly beginning to run low.

                Tatewaki braced himself as he took in the scene...  an inhuman horror hanging in the air... Akane showing a great deal of pure terror... her father and Ranma's both on the ground, unmoving, some distance away (too far away for him to make out the fact that they were both still breathing easily)... his face hardened like stone.  "Vile spawn of hell, we shall send you back from whence you came!!"

                Yokehi gave a theatrical yawn.  "This routine is getting pretty dull.  I've already been threatened tonight by someone who couldn't back up her promises.  I think..." her eyes glowed, and she smiled as she made eye-contact with first Tatewaki, then Ryoga, "... I think I'm ready for a different sort of entertainment now."

                Their steadfast expressions faded into blank looks.  Tatewaki's and Ryoga's attack postures relaxed, and they each began walking casually toward Yokehi.

                "Hey, Ryoga, what do you think you're doing?!" Ukyo demanded.  Already the two had crossed half the distance between the rest of the group and their target.  At that, they stopped, and turned back to face the girls, assuming fighting stances once again at Yokehi's silent command.  The ghost in question floated higher into the air, coiling up on top of a tree and conjuring up a bucket of popcorn.  

                "Make it an interesting fight, boys!" she called out, then began to munch.

                Nabiki froze like a deer caught in the headlights as Tatewaki shot forward in an attack.  She just had the barest moment to realize that, as she was the closest to her boyfriend, SHE was the one toward whom Tachi was racing with bokken upraised...

                Then the moment was gone as the kendoist flinched, his attack trajectory curving toward Ukyo instead.  Nabiki stood and shook for a few seconds as a general melee broke out, quickly developing into two running battles:  Kuno vs Ukyo and Akane, and, by default, Ryoga against the twins.  Then, coming to her senses again, Nabiki examined her options.  Let's see, she could 1) try to get involved in the fight, and get squashed by Ryoga, or 2) try to confront Yokehi herself and get squashed by the sorceress.

                The middle Tendo didn't need much time to consider before taking option 3:  run like a rabbit.

***************

                With a sigh of satisfaction, Ranma leaned back in his chair, the last bites of dessert now gone from his plate.  "Well, Dachi, looks like my feeling was wrong.  Was this evening nice and peaceful enough for ya?"

                "Indeed," the White Rose answered with a smile.  "If only they all were this tranquil."

***************

                By the time Yokehi had worked her way to the bottom of her tub of popcorn, the battle was all but resolved.  The short girl with green hair had been the first to fall; from the poor showing she put forth, either she wasn't very skilled with that trident, or she was unwilling to go all out with it against her opponent.  In any case, it had only taken a minute for that heavily-muscled young man to break through her defense, ignoring the staff strikes of a girl with red hair who had to be the other's sister, and knock the green-haired girl unconscious.  Without support from her sister, the red-haired girl had been forced totally on the defensive.  She'd held out longer than the sorceress had expected, but eventually made the mistake of blocking when she should have dodged.  Yokehi's slave's fist had punched straight through her staff and kept on going to send her after her sister, into unconsciousness.

                The other half of the battle had been a much closer match--the girl with the odd weapon was very, very good.  She and Yokehi's former opponent had worked together well, the weapon-user blocking or redirecting the bokken strikes with her giant spatula while the other girl attacked whenever she could find an opening.  The young man had taken several hits this way, but since the girl who was handling the offensive side of things was running low on energy he was still in good shape.  Still, Yokehi thought the battle could easily go either way... if it weren't for the fact that her other new plaything was now free to join in the fun.

                A glimpse of motion drew her attention away from the now-desperate defensive action being fought by the girls against her puppets.  Once again the short-haired girl had come running back... but this time she wasn't followed by any further reinforcements.  Yokehi frowned.  The girl was carrying a bulging sack.  The witch paused, unsure what was happening, then sent the quicker of her two slaves a mental imperative to shift his target to the new arrival.  Her mouth dropped open in surprise when he completely ignored the command.

***************

                Nabiki gasped and panted for breath, but forced herself to keep moving.  She reached into the sack, grabbed hold of its contents, and withdrew the Orb of Amalthea.

***************

                A blast of rainbow light filled the clearing.  Then, just as suddenly, it was gone, and Kuno and Ryoga stood blinking, their minds their own again.

                Neither Akane nor Ukyo had seen the Orb in action before, so they were even more stunned than the two boys.  This was a good thing, for if the girls had recovered more quickly, Tatewaki and Ryoga might have been knocked unconscious before they could make it clear that they were no longer under Yokehi's yoke.

                Ryoga whirled back to face the scaly sorceress.  "You'll pay for this!" he snarled, and began to move forward.

                A hand on his shoulder stopped him.  He looked back, impatient.  "What is it, Kuno?!" he growled.

                "This thing is too dangerous an opponent for us to just rush in blindly," the kendoist replied.  "Remember what happened when we fought your Oni side?"

                Ryoga could have done without the reminder, but conceded that the other had a point.  "Then what do you think we should do?"

                Kuno's expression shifted, becoming a fearful sight indeed.  "I'll finish this.  Once and for all.  Get back!"

                The tone of command sent Ryoga back to the others without even pausing for thought.  Kuno took a deep breath, and drew himself into absolute focus.  'Biki-chan, Akane, Ryoga, the two older men (he hoped fervently that they yet lived), Ukyo, the unconscious twins--all designated as allies.  "Prepare yourself," tensing his legs and touching the tip of his bokken to the ground below, "this is it!"

                He leaped, rising like an angel departing the earth,

                "HEAVEN"

                his bokken traversing a one-eighty degree arc, ending with the point high above his head,

                "AND"

                and now he was falling again, his weapon glowing as it tore through the air,

                "EARTH"

                the arc reversed, the blade stabbing back into the ground as he landed,

                "CUT!"

                and the world went white.

***************

                It was the most awesome and awful event Ryoga had yet experienced in a lifetime filled with strangeness.  The glare of pure chi, so concentrated as to be visible, filled his eyes.  Energy screamed over, around, and even under him in a storm of power.  At any second he expected to be blown away like a gnat in the flame of a blowtorch, but somehow that second never came.  The tempest roared past him, yet left him untouched.

                And then, it was over.  Ryoga blinked, more than a little surprised to still be alive.  Glancing around, it seemed everyone was all right.  Difficult to believe with the magnitude of the force that had just been unleashed.  But there were Nabiki, Ukyo, and Akane, dazed but unharmed, and the twins, groaning and sitting up now.

                Of Yokehi, there was no sign at all.

                Ryoga turned his attention back to Tatewaki.  "What... How did..."  His half-formed questions faded away as Kuno's knees buckled.  Ryoga barely managed to catch the taller boy.

"Thank you," Tatewaki mumbled.  "Attack... very draining..."

                Recovering her presence of mind, Nabiki hurried over to his side.  "Tachi?  Are you okay?!" she asked in a voice that was trying hard not to be choked with dread.

                "Fine, 'Biki-chan," he reassured her, speaking into her hair as she grabbed him in a tight hug.  "Just a little worn out."

                With an effort, Akane managed to force her mouth closed.  "Next time Mr Saotome tells me using weapons is for weaklings I'm going to ask him to spar with Kuno," she muttered.

                Meanwhile, Ukyo had hurried over to the two bodies that yet lay prone on the ground.  To her great relief, and great disappointment, she found they were both basically in good shape.  The larger of the two was even snoring enthusiastically.  She resisted the urge to squash him flat again.  "Maybe a sleep spell?" she muttered, then raised her voice.  "Hey, Ryoga, give me a hand over here!"

                Ryoga began walking over to her, but stopped as a touch fell simultaneously on each of his shoulders.  He turned, to find Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung regarding him with triumphant expressions.

                He could have run.  He could have protested.  But something, some sense that this was inevitable and had been for a long time now, held him still as first Lung-Lung, then Ling-Ling stepped forward and gave him the Kiss of Marriage.

***************

                Nabiki and Tatewaki walked along in companionable silence.  Akane had gone on ahead to fetch a wagon or something that would enable her to drag the two unconscious men back to the Tendo home; Ryoga, his self-proclaimed new wives, and Ukyo had left for the Nekohanten.  It was just the two of them now, walking slowly along under the stars, pausing often.

                "I wanted to thank you for not splitting me in half back there, Tachi," Nabiki finally said playfully during the latest rest break.

                Her boyfriend flinched at the reminder.  "Please, don't speak of such things.  It was terrible, 'Biki-chan.  I was like a passenger in the back seat of my own mind, with that thing's will driving me along.  Only when its desires put you in danger did I have the strength to overpower them."

                "And it was one of the sweetest things I've seen in a long time," she said, stepping in front of him.  She gave him her best smile, then leaned in for a kiss.

                An uncertain amount of time later, they both came up for air.  Nabiki eyed her boyfriend closely.  He'd recovered at least a little from the drain of his finishing attack, but he still looked pretty close to exhaustion.  Better not risk another kiss like that... it just might send him the rest of the way into unconsciousness.

                Kuno's knees were feeling rather weak again.  Glancing around, he located a bench and seated himself.  Nabiki joined him, and gave a long, drawn-out stretch.  "This has been one long day."

                "It has, yes," he agreed absently, seeming to look for words.  After a pause, he continued.  "Ironically enough, earlier this evening I made some remark to Ryoga about how the significant events of the day were already over and done with."

                Nabiki laughed.  "Well, obviously you don't have the gift of prophecy, Tachi.  What were you talking about with Ryoga when you made that oh-so-insightful remark?"

                Tatewaki smiled, recognizing the cue line.  "He told me that the day wasn't over yet, after I informed him that there was something I had really wanted to do this afternoon."  In his pocket, his hand closed over a small, velvet-lined box.

***************

                Ranma sat on the rooftop of the Kuno mansion, alternately looking up into the stars and down at the street below.  He'd been doing this for quite a while now, and was beginning to wonder if his vigil was going to be for nothing.

                Just as he was almost ready to give up, he caught sight of Ryoga, turning the corner of the lane and walking slowly toward the mansion.  Ranma prepared to call out to the other, but then it became unnecessary.  As if by instinct, Ryoga looked up and caught sight of the pigtailed martial artist on the rooftop.  The former lost boy hesitated for a second, then took a running jump, landing lightly next to his comrade in arms.

                "Hey, Ryoga.  You look like you've had better days," Ranma said sympathetically.

                Ryoga laughed faintly.  "Oh, yeah.  You could say that.  Do you know, I actually hurried yesterday and this morning, so that I'd get back into Nerima today.  I could've taken my time, gotten here tomorrow instead, and my life would be a WHOLE lot simpler right now."  The former lost boy then gave Ranma a puzzled glance.  "Um... I guess you heard from Tatewaki what happened, right?"

                "No, he's not back yet," Ranma answered.  "But Shampoo got a phone call from the twins earlier this evening, sayin' you'd beaten them in combat and gotten the Kiss of Marriage."  He frowned.  "So what's the whole story there?  Why'd you fight them?  You had to know what would happen."

                "Yeah, well, I didn't have much choice.  I was under the control of a ghost at the time."  Ryoga went on to give a more complete account of the evening.

                Ranma smacked his fist into his palm.  "So THAT'S why I kept feelin' like something crazy was about to happen during dinner!  Boy, what a relief.  I thought my danger sense was turning unreliable or something."

                "Well, gee, Ranma, I'm glad I could take that load off your mind," Ryoga said sarcastically.

                "Oh, um, sorry about that."  Ranma paused.  "But hey, if you weren't in control of your actions, I'd say you've got some wiggle room to get out of the Kiss."

                "Guess again," Ryoga answered.  "We went to the Nekohanten and talked to the Matriarch.  That's what Ukyo said, and Cologne just shot her down flat."

                "Huh?  She did?!"

                "Yeah.  Said that even if I had been mind-controlled, it was still my strength and skill that defeated Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, so the Kiss was valid."

                Ranma's brow wrinkled.  "When she said that... did she say it was her judgement as the Matriarch?  Did she bring her authority into it at all, or did she just say, 'No, the Kiss stands'?"

                "What does that have to do with anything?"

                "Well, it seems to me like this is a question of tribal law.  For her to make an official decision, she'd have to SAY it was an official decision.  And I bet she didn't do anything like that, did she?"

                Ryoga considered.  "No, she didn't," he said at last.

                Ranma completely missed the way that this hadn't made Ryoga seem even slightly relieved.  "Great!  Okay, it may be a little unfair to the twins, but tomorrow I'll go with ya and talk to her about getting you off the hook..."  At this point, Ranma was surprised to see Ryoga shaking his head in negation.  "What's wrong?"

                "It's too late for that."  Ryoga looked up into the stars.  "I guess maybe you're right, and she was pulling a fast one on me, Ranma.  I don't know, though, maybe she didn't look at it like that.  Anyway, after a lot of... discussion... mostly between the twins and Ukyo, she took me to a room off all by myself.  No Ukyo, no Ling-Ling or Lung-Lung.  Just her and me.  And she asked me to tell the truth, on all my honor, whether I cared at all about the twins, or if I was absolutely sure I could never make a life with them."

                After a long moment of silence, Ranma responded, "So what did you say?"

                "The truth."

                Although he had a pretty good idea now of where this was going, Ranma asked sharply, "Which was?"

                Ryoga sighed.  "Yes, and no, in that order.  She just nodded, like she knew what I was gonna say even before she asked the question.  She told me they already knew about my little visit to Jusenkyo, that she'd told them as soon as she found out who they were going after, and it didn't matter to them--they still wanted me, curse or no curse.

                "Then she offered me a deal.  I take this next year, give Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung an honest chance, date them and get to know them, and see if I don't come to love them.  At the end of the year, if I've done my best and it doesn't look like anything's ever gonna grow between us, then she'll give me the same chance she gave Tatewaki, and set me some kind of quest to prove myself above the marriage laws."

                Ranma gave a long, low whistle.  After a while, he asked, "And what about Ucchan?"

                "Damn it, Ranma!"  Ryoga lost his temper for the second time tonight.  Of course, the first time had been against Yokehi, so it didn't really count.  "Don't I even get a choice?!  That's all I want, not for different people to keep pushing me at whatever girl they think I should go after!  I don't KNOW, okay?!  Maybe I'll date her too, if she still wants to after this.  I never have done that yet, and maybe now I won't even get the chance.  It sure didn't feel good to see how hurt she was tonight!"  In fact, it had felt like someone was slowly tearing his heart.  Ryoga's sudden flare of temper died down.  "I just don't know."

                "Well, okay, I can understand that," Ranma said dryly.  "Of course, what I was _asking_ was how she reacted to all this stuff."

                "Oh."  Ryoga gulped a few times.  "Um, sorry."

                "No problem, buddy.  I know you're under a lot of stress right now."  Ranma thought back to the aftermath of Mousse's marriage challenge to Shampoo.  "Boy, do I ever."

                "Yeah, I guess you would at that," Ryoga said, with a grim smile.

                There was silence for some little while, before Ryoga spoke again.  "Ranma, like I said before, Tatewaki ended up taking out that monster with one shot.  How the heck did he learn such a powerful technique?!"

                Ranma grinned.  "Don't tell Dachi I told you this, okay?"  Ryoga nodded his assent.  "It started back when they were thirteen and fourteen years old.  Dachi was just beginning to get really good at focusing chi into weapons and stuff, and after she cut through one of Tatewaki's bokkens with her ribbon he started learning too."

                "Yeah, I can see where that might be some incentive," Ryoga commented dryly.

                "Well, there was this one video game Tatewaki had, called Grandia.  One of those fantasy adventure type games where the characters get stronger an' learn new stuff as the game goes on.  One of the girls in the game had this one move where she basically set her whip on fire for an extra-strong attack.  When Dachi saw that, she decided it looked pretty cool, and she worked and worked until she figured out how to do the same thing with her ribbon."

                "Whoah.  How come I've never seen her use that attack?"

                "Cause it basically turns her target into a little pile of charcoal," Ranma answered.  "Anyway, once she'd mastered it, she rubbed it in her brother's face for weeks, teased him and told him he could never take a made-up technique and make it real like that."

                "I think I see where this is going," Ryoga said.

                "Probably so.  The Heaven and Earth Cut was the strongest attack of the strongest character in the game... it took Tatewaki almost a year to figure out how to emulate it."  Ranma gave a grin that mixed his own wry amusement with embarrassment borrowed from someone else's memories.  "And when he finally did, Dachi was stuck doing his chores for two solid months 'cause she bet he was just pullin' her leg when he told her."

                Ryoga laughed.  "So how does it work?"

                Ranma paused, wondering where to begin.  "Well, you know that just about everything in nature radiates chi, but different types of it?"

                "Of course I do."

                "And it's not all neat and tidy, either, the different kinds of chi sort of cling together in graduated layers, but not parallel or nothin'."  Ranma brightened as a good analogy occurred to him.  "Think of a deck of cards that's been dropped on the floor, then picked up and just kinda haphazardly shoved back together.  That's what the different layers of chi are like, especially in the air above us.  There's wind-based chi, and chi from sunlight, and rain, and residual from lightning even if there hasn't been a thunderstorm in a while, and some other kinds too.

                "Anyway, the Heaven and Earth Cut works by channeling your own life energy into a sword, drawing chi up from the earth into it, then jumping up and using the charge you've already collected to force the different planes of chi in the air to line up.  Like if the cards suddenly straightened out into a neat and tidy deck again.  Pulling them into a more efficient form frees up a HUGE amount of power, which comes trailing back after you as you come down from the jump.  It explodes out through your sword or whatever as soon as the tip touches the ground again.  Because you're still focusing your own strength into the sword, you can direct the energy, change it to a form that won't harm inanimate objects, an' also make sure it doesn't hurt anybody you don't want it to hurt.  But whoever takes the full force of the attack is basically not coming back."

                Ryoga wiped some sweat from his brow.  "I wonder why he didn't use that attack when we fought... when we rescued Akane a couple of months ago."

                "The attack takes a lot of strength and really, REALLY intense concentration.  And we'd had a ten-hour hike to get to Akane.  No way could he have been in good enough shape to pull off a Heaven and Earth Cut after just a couple hours of rest," Ranma said.  Then he frowned.  "And he's gotta be just about worn out now.  What the heck's keeping him?"

***************

                Nabiki's suspicion had proven accurate--one more kiss HAD been enough to knock her boyfr... _fiancé_ unconscious.

*********************************************************

                Author's notes

                I'd like to take a moment to talk about the twins' confrontation with Ukyo.  Specifically, some of the remarks they made to her.  Did you think them offensive?  You should... the twins were trying their absolute best to BE offensive.  They were attacking where they thought they saw a vulnerability in their opponent, sure that Ukyo would react in a rage and do something she'd later regret.  That being said, the READERS should NOT be offended by that conversation.  Unless you've grown really fond of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, and are now indignant to see me having them stoop to this level, I suppose... but remember--they're only fourteen years old.  Maybe more mature in some ways than the typical fourteen-year-old, but they still have a lot of growing up to do.

                Did you think that the last half of this chapter was too hard on Ukyo?  Maybe she should have asked herself whether there might still be Rakshasa alive on other worlds before she discounted the warning not to talk about her family's tasks prior to their completion...  And speaking of that, did anybody have trouble swallowing the idea that the canonical Ukyo might have such a secret background?  If she was willing to tell Ryoga in this story, wouldn't she have originally told her Ranma honey?  Not necessarily--the reason she was willing to open up about this to Ryoga was to indirectly console him with the fact that he isn't the only one with a weird family history.  Ranma's situation is completely different, so she uses different tactics when she's going after him *cough*freefood*cough*.

                Speaking of people acting differently from canon, is anybody having trouble believing Ryoga would ever act this thoughtful?  Canonical Ryoga wouldn't.  I freely admit that.  But, using the framework I've developed for this story, canonical Ryoga still has an Oni soul chained to his humanity.  So you should expect radical differences in my version of Ryoga, since the Oni has been expunged.

                Concerning a statement Ukyo made to Ryoga after the departure of Gourry and Zelgadis, that if Ranma had been there they probably would have wanted to fight him... don't think that I've been chronicling all the crazy stuff that goes on in this world.  Ranma has still had his fair share of unwanted challengers (like Copycat Ken, who was MUCH less of an annoyance this time around), but I just haven't been detailing those encounters.  Yet.

                Anybody out there wonder why Zelgadis was using a spell to track down somebody who knew Lina, rather than just trying to look for her directly?  Well, the REAL reason was so I could have a funny moment with Ryoga learning why it's best not to say something like "This is more like it.  A nice peaceful day, with none of the craziness we'd have to put up with if we were back at Furinkan."  But if you want a justification, I guess at some point after all the events of the Slayers series, but before the accident that tossed her from her world into the Ranmaverse, Lina was experimenting with a new spell and it misfired, altering her aura and leaving her undetectable to magic.  So Zelgadis has to resort to looking for people who know Lina.

                While we're on the subject of Lina, credit must go to Bruce Munro for his idea that she helped her daughters develop the Dance of the Great Fire Dragon, and for pointing out that although Cologne said the Dance had been around for many hundreds of years, boomboxes haven't.  Thanks, Bruce!

                And another thing about secret Amazon techniques... in the original series, Shampoo's use of the Xi Fang Gao blocked Akane's intellectual memory of Ranma but NOT her emotional memory.  So where do I get off using it for the exact opposite in this chapter?  Well, I think I'll go with saying the Xi Fang Gao can block any one type of memory at a time--you just have to hit the shiatsu points on the scalp in a different order, if you'd rather seal emotional memory.  By the way, it was Cologne who suggested that Ranma take this tactic with Mousse.  See, she did eventually come through with that help she promised in chapter 8.

                Speaking of special techniques in general, don't think I'm giving Genma too much credit when I say he developed something like the Clothrazor Fist.  If you haven't ever heard of the Umisenken or Yamasenken, you don't really understand Genma's talent for martial arts.  I've read a lot of fics that downplay his skill, and it's easy to see where the authors got their ideas (Crouch of the Wild Tiger, the 'techniques' Ranma used when trying to cure Ryoga of his power tattoo).  But in all honesty, the panda is GOOD.  Remember that Ranma wasn't the only one who swam from Japan to China.  All that being said, I do feel that I should mention that the REAL use of the Clothrazor Fist was NOT what Genma told Akane.  He developed it to be used when fighting a dangerous opponent while there are women present.  One successful strike and your foe will be forced to hide or run for the nearest change of clothing, while you make your getaway.

                Anyone who hasn't seen the third season of the anime is probably wondering just what the deal is with Tsubasa.  I could explain here, but these Author's notes are already too long.  Go watch the 'Dharma Chameleon' episode. ^_^

                One last rambling word of explanation... in the teaser section of last chapter's Author's Notes, I said that this chapter could have had a Dragonlance title.  Perhaps some of you who are familiar with Weis and Hickman's novels have already made the connection, but for everyone else:  the first novel in their Legends trilogy has the title 'Time of the Twins'.  But I decided instead to go with a title that was a little more representative of the fact that, in this chapter, things run pretty smoothly for Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, Nabiki, and Tatewaki, but are rather more bittersweet for Ryoga, Ukyo, the twins, and Mousse.

For this, the longest chapter yet, I had the help of several prereaders.   Thanks go to Jim Bader, Gregg Sharpe, Larry F, Wade Tritschler, and Kevin Smith.  Next time:  the remains of the year.


	12. Cherry Blossom Blues

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  

*********************************************************

                Chapter 11:  Cherry Blossom Blues

***************

                One of life's few constants is change.  This is true as one moves through time or space, or both; things that are a simple, unremarkable fact of everyday life in Zimbabwe are so far outside the scope of a typical day in Manitoba, Canada, that in many ways those two locales might as well be separated by a worldwall.  Similarly, an inhabitant of New York in 1812 would not likely fit in well if suddenly shifted into the New York of 2012.

                And yet, even with change so prevalent, there remain some underlying themes, deep thrummings of a common pulse, which unite people in small but pervasive ways.  One such theme applies to students the world over--namely, upon receiving a summons to the principal's office, the youth, whether boy or girl, whether Asian or Caucasian, will feel a quick thrill of dread, and will walk slowly and reluctantly to their destination, either wracking the brain in an attempt to fathom just WHY this has happened or (for those who know darn well why) mentally polishing the alibi.

                "Why are you walking so slowly, Ranma-kun?" Kodachi asked curiously.  She knew very well that it took much more to scare her man than a measly little summons to the principal's office.

                Okay, so there's an exception to every rule.

                Ranma gave her a wry grin.  "You mean you're in a hurry to get back to class?  Gee, Dachi-chan, maybe I SHOULD speed up.  We wouldn't want to miss any more of that lecture on the history of Greek philosophical thought than we have to."  Kodachi giggled as he deliberately slowed his pace even further.

                Shampoo glanced from Ranma to Kodachi, then back again.  She frowned slightly at their carelessness.  "Is both you not bothered by meet with Principal Fujima?"

                Ranma shrugged.  "Nope.  What's to be worried about?"  Looking at Shampoo and invoking the empathic link between them, he was surprised to find the purple-haired one actually was feeling a bit of anxiety.  "Come on, Shampoo, don't tell me you really ARE nervous?!"

                She gave a reluctant nod.  "Even as boring as last class was, I rather be there than get called to Principal Fujima."

                Kodachi blinked in mild surprise.  She wouldn't have expected Shampoo of all people to be intimidated by a visit to the principal's office.  Especially considering the only real reason the Amazon was at Furinkan at all was to be with her Airen and sworn sister.  "Don't worry, Shampoo.  It isn't as if we've done anything to get us in trouble, after all."

                "And besides, the only reason this school is still standing is cause the Kunos donate so much yen to it.  Ain't no way they're gonna come down hard on Dachi, Tatewaki, or anybody important to either of them."  Ranma gave the Amazon a reassuring smile.  "So you don't have to worry."

                Shampoo gave the both of them strange stares.  "What is you talking about?"

                It was Ranma's turn to blink.  "We were sayin' there's no reason to worry--there's no way we're in serious trouble."

                "Silly Ranma.  You think that why I not want see Principal Fujima?  Shampoo could not care less about stupid school rules.  Besides, I already know what you say, why they not really give us hard time anyway."

                "Then why were you feeling anxious?" Kodachi asked.

                The Amazon shrugged.  "Is just... Principal Fujima always gives Shampoo the creeps.  He looks like he look straight through you, see all of what is inside you.  Makes me uneasy."  She gave Ranma a seductive smile.  "There only one man Shampoo want have no secrets from, after all."

                This statement did what ten visits to the principal wouldn't have been able to do, causing Ranma's heart to lurch in a sudden surge of nerves.  Nonetheless, he gave her a smile back, while thinking privately that it was unfair--he'd finally gotten over most of his shyness around Kodachi, and that OUGHT to mean he wouldn't be nervous with Shampoo EITHER!  Too bad emotions don't always respond to logic.

                The White Rose glanced swiftly up and down the hall, and was reassured to find that they were still the only ones present.  It wouldn't take much of Shampoo acting like that while others were watching before a certain secret would be secret no more.  She took Ranma's arm.  "Well, I can't say I've ever noticed anything particularly disquieting about the man, but I'm sure we can rely on Ranma to protect us."  She looked up at Ranma through lowered eyelashes.  "Right, Ranma-sama?"

                Shampoo sighed.  "Kodachi, I is proud warrior of Joketsuzoku.  To hide behind man is not Amazon way."  Then she grinned.  "Of course, we not in Amazon lands right now..."  That said, she latched onto Ranma's other arm.

                Needless to say, the upcoming meeting was rather far from everyone's minds for the remainder of the walk.  They reached their destination, fortunately without any inconvenient witnesses.  A little regretfully, each girl let go.  Then Kodachi quickly grabbed Ranma again when it looked like he was about to fall over.

                Ranma wiped the sweat from his brow with one shaky hand.  "Look, guys, it ain't like I didn't enjoy that, but if we wanna keep this secret we better not do that kinda stuff here."

                "Oh, all right, Airen," Shampoo pouted.  "You take Shampoo to date soon to make up for having to keep my distance at school?"

                "Sure," he responded.  Gathering the rest of his composure, Ranma opened the door and the three went into the principal's secretary's room.  She buzzed her superior on the intercom, sending the news that the students whose presence he'd requested had finally shown up.

***************

                Principal Fujima sat at his desk, staring down at three pieces of paper.  His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was rumpled.  He'd not gotten much sleep the night before, waking up at two in the morning and spending the interval until dawn mulling over the dream that had aroused him.  This accounted for his red eyes and for the general aura of weariness that hung over him.  As for his hair, it pretty much always looked like that.

                He'd been staring at the papers for quite a long time, though not really seeing them.  They were remarkably similar, each a letter stating that a particular student was transferring to another school.  They all seemed perfectly legitimate.  Fujima had had no reason to doubt their veracity.

                After all, the Sakuras had shown up at the same time, had been assigned to the same class, had formed a fast friendship with one another.  If circumstances had so arranged themselves that one of the girls had to leave, Fujima would have expected the other two to follow her if at all possible.  So when the letters came, and the Sakura triplets (as everybody thought of them, no matter how they complained that they WEREN'T related to each other) didn't show up, Fujima thought no more of the matter.

                Until eight hours past, when one of his rare precognitive dreams roused him from slumber in the dead of night, with the certain knowledge that they hadn't left... they'd been taken.

                "Whoever said ignorance is bliss knew what he was talking about," Fujima muttered sourly.  And the worst thing of all was knowing just enough to know how little you knew.  His dream had been annoyingly short on helpful details.  It was all well and good to know that the girls weren't in actual physical danger, but he would have far rather known just where they were being held against their will, or who was doing it.

                But dreams come as they may, the principal thought with a long-familiar sense of irritation.  All he knew was the three girls and their families were being held captive somewhere in Tokyo, and they weren't in any danger, though there was a plan to exploit them in some way.  Another person might have thrown his hands up in despair at the difficulty of making any sort of difference with such scanty information, but Fujima liked to think that his tour of duty as the principal of Furinkan High School had made him a better problem-solver than that.

                His intercom buzzed, and his secretary announced the arrival of Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo.  Fujima allowed himself a long, grim smile before schooling his features back to sternness and asking that the three be sent in.

***************

                Kodachi noted, with a bit of puzzlement, that the principal's office had seen a few changes since the last time she was here.  When she'd arranged for the transfer of Shampoo, Ryoga, and herself to Furinkan, there had been only one extra chair in the room, a fairly comfortable one seated away from the desk at a bit of an angle.  The setup seemed designed to help put whoever sat there at ease, since the principal would be subtly letting go of some of his authority by not having the desk act as so much of a barrier between himself and the visitor.  Kodachi had also noted that while the chair was old, it didn't seem very worn, and had speculated (correctly) that most students called to the principal's office were not invited to take a seat.

                This time, though, there were three chairs, sitting side by side in front of the principal's desk.  As he directed them to sit down, she began to feel even more curious than before.  Just why had they been called here?  If they were in trouble, they ought to be standing, not sitting in chairs that must have been brought in just for them.  But if they weren't here for any sort of disciplinary action, why was Principal Fujima regarding them with such a stony look?

                After a moment of silence, which he spent eyeing the three students, Fujima spoke up.  "Not even a second's worth of hesitation.  You, Ranma, take your seat in the middle chair, Kodachi on your right, Shampoo on your left."

                "Uh... is there something wrong with that?  I mean, you did tell us to sit down," Ranma said, reasonably enough, or so he thought.

                "Wrong?  Well, I don't know, Saotome.  Why don't YOU tell ME whether it wouldn't have seemed more natural for you... a young man with a steady girlfriend... to take one of the end seats, with Miss Kuno next to you in the middle seat, and Shampoo at the other end."

                "...Goodness, sir, was this supposed to be some sort of psychological test?" Kodachi asked, doing her best to make it sound as if the idea were absurd.  What actually happened was that the question came out sounding remarkably guilty.

                "No, not a test.  Just an illustration."  The principal leaned forward, forming a steeple of his fingers as he placed his hands together.  "I'm going to put all my cards on the table.  Even if there's only a month left in the school year, I seriously doubt you three are going to be able to keep a lid on your little secret for that long.  Walking down the hall with both of them holding onto you, Ranma... could you possibly have been less discreet?"

                "Hey!  I check to make sure nobody watching before I take Ranma's arm..." Shampoo's protest dwindled away into sheepish silence as it occurred to her that, unless the principal really was a mind-reader, there must have been at least one witness.

                "Look, I don't see what business it is of yours!" Ranma protested.  Off-balance he might have been, but his fighting instincts were still functioning.  Switching tactics quickly was a basic tenet of Anything Goes, after all.  If denial won't work, use some other method.  "It ain't like we're in violation of school rules or nothin'!"

                Principal Fujima whipped out a copy of the student handbook, opened it to a page near the back, and passed it to Ranma.  A huge drop of sweat appeared on his forehead as he read, " 'In the interest of maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships, a student with a steady girlfriend or boyfriend may not date other individuals at the same time.'  What the heck kinda nutty rule is this?!"

                'One I put in the rulebook a few weeks ago, just in case I ever needed leverage over the three of you,' Fujima didn't say.

                With some effort, Kodachi forced her jaw to do something other than gape in disbelief.  "Sir, with all due respect, don't you think you might better spend your time by targeting those students whose conduct actually causes problems here?  I'm certain our friends Ryoga and Ukyo would appreciate some intervention in their classroom.  Why focus on us when we aren't causing any harm?"

                Fujima chuckled, though he didn't sound particularly amused.  "Miss Kuno, you are one of the brightest students at this school.  But perhaps in this case you're a little too close to the situation to view it clearly.  So let me invite you to consider, just for a moment, what will likely happen once the general female populace of this school learns that just because you and Ranma are an item doesn't prevent him from dating other girls as well."

                "Hold on there!" Ranma protested.  "Ain't no WAY anybody else is welcome to come butting in on us!"

                "You're a two-woman kind of guy, is that it?" Fujima replied, laying the sarcasm on extra thickly.  "Do you seriously expect anyone to believe that?  Without at least hoping they might have a chance too, or trying to find out for themselves?"

                Ranma didn't say anything; his silence was response enough.  The principal continued.  "And that's not even the worst of it.  Once word leaks out that in Shampoo's culture it's acceptable for a man to have multiple wives, do you have any IDEA how much pressure the boys are going to mount in order to get a student exchange program going between Furinkan and the Chinese Amazons?"

                "Then you get some of Shampoo's sisters here, weak boys hit on them, they pound weak boys into ground, boys not cause no more trouble.  Problem solved," Shampoo said.

                "As if that approach ever worked for Miss Tendo?"  Fujima sighed.  "No, I think we'd do better to find another solution to this problem."

                "Then what do you suggest?" Kodachi queried, maintaining a measure of skeptical reserve.  She hoped she wouldn't have to hold the matter of her family's regular donations to the school over the principal's head in order to get him off their backs.

                "What would you say, if I proposed that instead of spending this last month attending classes, the three of you work on a special project?  Then you wouldn't be around for any inconvenient secrets to leak out to the student body.  And this way you could work together, on your own schedule, doing something that I think will interest all of you.  If you succeed, you all receive top marks for this year."

                Kodachi's skeptical reserve melted like a snowdrift in the Sahara.  She should have known he wouldn't really get tough with her.  "What sort of special project?!"

                Ranma held onto a bit of wariness.  In his life, only a very few things that seemed too good to be true hadn't turned out to have some hidden price tag.  On the other hand, those few things had ALL come since his arrival in Nerima, so he allowed himself to be guardedly optimistic about this offer.

                Fujima opened a desk drawer, withdrew three pieces of paper, and passed one of them to each teenager.  "Read these."  They complied, then looked back at him with questioning expressions.

                "They seem perfectly legitimate, don't they?" Fujima asked quietly.  "I certainly didn't suspect otherwise, when I received them."  After a moment's pause, he continued.  "But those letters weren't written by the parents of the girls in question, and the story they tell is an outright lie.  The Sakura triplets and their families have been taken somewhere and are being held against their will.  And I want you three to find them."

                Kodachi was the first to find her voice.  "Is this some sort of joke, sir?"

                "No, Miss Kuno, I'm quite serious."

                "Really."  Ranma packed a week's supply of skepticism into the word.  "There's been a mass kidnapping, and instead of reporting it to the police, you come and ask for our help.  Oh yeah, that makes perfect sense.  Sir."

                Fujima sighed.  "Saotome, I've already told you everything I know about what's happened.  I don't know where they are, I don't know who's taken them or why, I don't have even a shred of evidence that could be taken to the authorities.  As absurd as it sounds, you three are the best hope I have of rescuing those girls."

                "Perhaps we might be a little more willing to believe this if you told us how you learned of the girls' plight," Kodachi suggested.

                He'd been hoping nobody would ask that, but Fujima had known it wasn't a very realistic hope.  "I'm sorry, but I can't do that.  All I can say is that the source of my information can't offer any more than I've already told you.  Except for one thing I didn't mention--the girls aren't in immediate danger.  You can take the time you need to locate and free them."

                Ranma gave Kodachi a glance.  She clearly understood the message:  'You're the one whose family keeps this place from going under, YOU tell him that's not good enough.'  Returning her attention to the principal, the White Rose frowned.  "Principal Fujima, that simply isn't good enough.  You need to do a lot better than that if you want us to take this seriously."

                "Very well, I will.  Here are two reasons for you to accept what I'm telling you is true," Fujima snapped back.  "First, how can you take the chance that it isn't?  You are the only hope for those girls, the only ones I have any influence with who are talented and resourceful enough to possibly rescue them.  If you turn your backs on them now, whatever happens... however they are exploited and abused... is on your heads.

                "And, if that reasoning isn't enough to convince you that I'm serious about this..."  Fujima took a deep breath, then said, "Miss Kuno, your family's donations have made a huge difference to this institution.  Furinkan owes the Kuno clan an immense debt of gratitude, which I doubt we'll ever be able to repay.

                "That being said... if you turn down the task I've set before you, I will expel the three of you."

                A long moment of silence was broken by Shampoo.  "That convince me.  What about you two?"

***************

                Elsewhere, another meeting was taking place.  Instead of an office, the setting was a conference room.  A number of comfortable chairs were seated around a large, circular mahogany table.  The carpeting was thick and luxurious, and the walls were tasteful paneled oak.  The overall impression of the room was that of power and influence, though there were two jarring notes.  The first was that several of the attendees were clearly not full-blooded Japanese.  The second was that the figures seated at the table were dressed in casual, comfortable clothes rather than formal business attire.

                However, the second of these seemingly incongruous facts had a simple explanation.  Namely, the whole POINT of this secret society was to make the world a more enjoyable place for those seated at the table.  As far as they were concerned, there was no room for three piece suits or neckties in their personal vision of the future.  Most of the room's inhabitants had to maintain legitimate jobs as a smokescreen, and they wore the usual sort of garb required then, but for these meetings there was only one person clad in something even slightly professional.

                And that was just because it was a very comfortable lab coat.

                The man wearing that coat, one Dr Yoshimitsu, cleared his throat and called the meeting to order.  "Gentlemen, I am pleased to report that we have had a breakthrough, far sooner than the most optimistic models predicted."

                "What, already?!"

                "It's been less than a month!"

                "Are you sure?"

                "Which of them was it?"

                As the hubbub died down, Dr Yoshimitsu continued.  "It was the Fourth Child.  Granted, it was an involuntary act rather than a conscious one.  She doesn't even remember it.  But I believe we can safely say that the new program will bring results much, much more quickly than the years we had to invest in the First Child."

                One of the others at the table frowned slightly.  "Personally, Yoshimitsu, I'm glad it wasn't a conscious act.  Let's not lose sight of what could happen if the development of the newly-acquired girls' abilities outpaces the controls the First Child is putting in place on them."

                Dr Yoshimitsu refrained from rolling his eyes with a mighty effort of will.  "Klewang?  Did you even read the memo I sent to everyone, describing the process the girls would be undergoing?"

                "That so-called 'memo' was two hundred pages thick!  Some of us have to keep up our outside jobs to provide funding for this operation, you know!"

                "I'll take that as a 'no'.  Regarding your concern, don't worry.  ALL the controls are already in place.  The First Child saw to that before we even began the process of awakening their psionic potential."

                "Oh, really?  But if the controls are fully entrenched, how did one of the girls take an unconscious action?  Aren't uncontrolled abilities potentially as dangerous as abilities that WE aren't the ones controlling?"

                "That brings me to my next point... the nature of the breakthrough.  As you know..."  Dr Yoshimitsu blinked as a thought occurred to him.  "Um, gentlemen, when I prepared these remarks, it was with the impression that you all had read my memo and were familiar with the details of the approach we were taking.  How many of you actually did read it?"

                A roomful of averted eyes and embarrassed coughs answered his question.  "Right," he sighed, "I guess this talk is going to run a little longer than I had expected.

                "As you know, sixteen years ago the Project successfully generated seven viable infant clones of the original subject.  We have recently re-acquired three of them, and one we raised ourselves... the First Child.  Most of what we now know, we learned from watching her and helping her develop her potential.  In particular, we learned that the additional children will be able to surpass the First Child in specific areas, but only if we encourage growth in those areas rather than a general development.  Our goal is to create a team where the First Child is the ringleader, the generalist with a full spectrum of abilities, with the others having limited but finely-honed powers.

                "For this purpose, we need to know what each girl's natural strengths are.  The First Child has therefore placed the controls, as I already stated, and is monitoring the others while using her own abilities to encourage the development of her sisters' potential.  And you are quite right, Klewang, many of the powers we would like to see them develop are not ones that should be encouraged to run wild.  The controls are in place and will prevent this; they will NOT prevent the First Child from sensing the psionic surge and understanding what would have happened.  We can then adjust the appropriate girl's training program accordingly.

                "But there are certain effects that we don't mind happening at random.  The controls don't block these, and in fact we wouldn't want them to.  It was an ability like this that the Fourth Child demonstrated.  To be specific, she had a precognitive dream.  One far sharper and clearer than any the First Child has ever had, which only proves the point I made earlier about specialization along one's natural strengths as opposed to generalization."

                "A precognitive dream?"  Just about everyone at the table had brightened considerably at this news.  That had been one of the main talents they had been hoping for, especially if the girl could learn to consciously control her ability.  "I don't suppose she got a glimpse of the state of the international stock exchange one month from today?"

                At this, Dr Yoshimitsu's expression became rather more grave.  "I'm afraid not, but she DID see something quite crucial to the success of our project."

                His tone and the look on his face caused the celebratory mood to lose a lot of its energy.  "And what was this?" the man seated next to Dr Yoshimitsu asked.

                Instead of answering directly, the scientist opened a folder and laid three drawings on the table in front of him.  Sketches done in charcoal, each of a different teenager.

                Dr Yoshimitsu opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a groan from the one who'd been responsible for acquiring the three new girls.  "Doctor, I recognize those kids.  Hate to break it to you, but one of our new girls has a massive crush on that boy.  I'm sure she does have some, ahem, intense dreams about him, but I doubt they qualify as precognitive."

                "It's the Second Child, not the Fourth, with the crush you mentioned," Dr Yoshimitsu responded.  "And anyway, the only reason we know about this was the First Child was monitoring the girl.  She stated unequivocally that this was a true instance of psionic activity, and drew these from the images she saw in the other's dream."

                "So what do Ranma Saotome, Kodachi Kuno, and the Amazon Shampoo have to do with us?"

                The doctor looked slowly around the room, making sure he had everyone's undivided attention, before responding.  "If we don't do something to distract them, they will eventually uncover our operation and destroy it."

                A man seated across the table, who hadn't yet spoken, now gave Yoshimitsu a curious look.  "Why do you say 'distract'?" he asked coldly.  "If these children really pose a threat to us, don't you think we might do better to consider a more reliable means of keeping them out of the picture?"

                Just about everyone at the table stared at him incredulously.  "What?!  Don't tell me you're ALL too squeamish to..."  Suddenly he blinked, as certain names that had been previously mentioned finally registered.  "Wait a minute... did you say that's... _Ranma Saotome_ and _Kodachi Kuno_?!"  A round of nods.  "So!  What kind of distraction do you have in mind, Dr Yoshimitsu?" he asked briskly.

                Another two drawings joined the three already on the table.  "These individuals were also present in the Fourth Child's dream.  Both of them have grudges against Saotome, and would be only too glad to fight him again.  The First Child suggested we engage them for that very purpose, and even volunteered to work as our liaison to make sure they never get an idea of what's really going on here.

                "From what she saw in the dream, she guaranteed that she'll be able to ensure these two keep Saotome and the girls from causing any trouble for us."

***************

                There was undeniably an extra spring in Shampoo's step as she, Ranma, and Kodachi left Furinkan and began walking back toward the Kuno mansion.  No more boring classes, no more need to keep up a 'just friends' façade that had been proving harder and harder, and the chance to have an adventure!  Today was turning out far better than most Mondays, Shampoo thought to herself.

                "Anybody have a suggestion about what we oughta do now?" Ranma asked, frowning pensively.  "I can't say I got any bright ideas myself."

                "Well, is too early for lunch," Shampoo remarked, giving Ranma a playful smile.  "So Shampoo think is best we get started right away on looking for captured girls."

                Ranma stuck his tongue out at her.  "Gee, Shampoo, good call.  But I don't suppose you could say just HOW we're supposed to do that?  I mean, there's an awful lot of room in Tokyo for them to be hidden in."

                The Amazon grinned.  "Just like there was lot of room in Japan, for Ryoga's Oni soul to hide Akane in?  That make no difference to us.  We go to Nekohanten, borrow Eye of Bastet from Great-Grandmother, find lost girls with that.  Maybe even get this whole mess wrap up today, and have rest of month for own selves."

                "That sounds like a good idea to me," Kodachi agreed.  The three shifted their course, making for the restaurant.

                When they arrived, however, they found that only Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were there.  "Where is Great-Grandmother?"

                "She take day off, to train new Sailor Moon girl," Ling-Ling answered absently, paying most of her attention to the ramen bubbling on the stove in front of her.

                "Wait a minute... I thought the reason Usagi wasn't in class was that she was sick today," Kodachi said.

                "No, yesterday Great-Grandmother ask if she serious about training, test her and say if she is, need to prove by skip school today to get extra practice in.  Rabbit girl show up bright and early this morning, and leave with Great-Grandmother."

                "Do you know what time she'll be back?" Ranma asked.

                "Ling-Ling think late evening... Great-Grandmother say we not going to open restaurant today."

                "Then why are ya cooking up some ramen this early in the day?"

                "We trying master new recipe.  Want to have just right for lunch with Airen," Lung-Lung said.  The tone of self-satisfied happiness with which she'd spoken the last word might well have sparked a fight if Ukyo had been within earshot.

                "Oh well, we not really need Great-Grandmother for this anyway."  With that, Shampoo led the other two up the stairs to the sleeping quarters.  The twins stared in shock at them, the ramen completely forgotten.

                Oblivious to the rather large misunderstanding that was currently taking place one floor below them, the three made their way into Cologne's room.  As Shampoo knelt down in front of the Matriarch's chest of treasures, Ranma spoke up.  "Wait a minute, Shampoo, we know there's no trap on the chest, but shouldn't we still wait for your great-grandmother to get back?  Last time you used that jewel it basically wiped you out."

                Shampoo paused with one hand on the lid of the trunk, and looked back over her shoulder.  "No need, Airen.  Great-Grandmother tell me secret of using jewel right way not long ago.  No danger this time of using up all my strength.  Is no reason wait for her to get back before we do this."

                With that, the Amazon turned back to the chest, and lifted the lid.  There was an audible *click*.  Simultaneously, a dart shot out and buried its tip in her shoulder.  Shampoo stared in shock, then muttered, "Shampoo really wish Great-Grandmother would make up her mind..." before collapsing into a heap on the ground.

                Ranma's panicked cry of "Shampoo!!" brought the younger Amazons racing up the stairs at breakneck speed.  As Ling-Ling reached the door of the room, though, it suddenly occurred to her that the pig-tailed boy might just have been caught off-guard when their cousin made her move on him.  The cherry-haired girl tried to come to a screeching halt, but Lung-Lung, who was behind her and not expecting this, slammed into her at full speed.  The two ended up tumbling into the room in a tangled heap.

                Ling-Ling groaned and shook her head, then took in the scene in front of her.  She didn't know whether to be relieved or not that it wasn't what she'd expected.  "What happen to big sister Shampoo?!"

                "She opened the Matriarch's chest and was hit by a poisoned dart!" Kodachi said, while desperately checking Shampoo's vital signs.  They seemed stable, but who knew how long that would last?!  "Get out of the way!  We need to get her to medical attention as soon as possible!"

                "No, not worry.  Trap not fatal one," Lung-Lung said, breathing a sigh of relief.  "You say she open Great-Grandmother's chest without ask?  Why she do stupid thing like that?"  Ling-Ling glared and smacked Lung-Lung on the head, who just grinned unrepentantly back at her.

                "Are you sure she ain't in any danger?" Ranma asked desperately.

                "Ask Ling-Ling," Lung-Lung said with a smirk that earned her another swat.

                "Is so," the cherry-haired Amazon grumbled.  "Trap just use sleeping potion, make whoever hit by dart sleep for many many hours.  Big sister Shampoo wake up tomorrow by noon."

                "Maybe sooner," Lung-Lung chimed in.  "That how long it take for effect to wear off Ling-Ling when SHE try open chest, but big sister Shampoo is stronger, maybe throw off effects faster."

                'Well, that's a relief,' Kodachi thought, wiping sweat from her brow.  'But I suppose that just blew away any chance of making a difference today in the matter of our unfortunate classmates.'

***************

                The red light of sunset was glimmering outside when she sensed their approach.  Sakura gulped.  Clairvoyant abilities notwithstanding, she hadn't foreseen that she would be anywhere near this nervous.  She took a deep breath, reaching for calmness, blocking out the thought that these two were part of the mysterious and terrifying outside world she'd never so much as touched.  She focused instead on the images of herself interacting with them that she'd seen in her sister's dream.  'Just stick to what you remember seeing yourself do, and it'll be okay,' she thought.

                A knock at the door threatened to shatter her fragile composure, but she forced away the new surge of anxiety.  "Come in," she called, mildly surprised that her voice didn't crack.

                The door opened, and in stepped two young men.  Sakura regarded them closely.  Her stare was open enough that a normal person might have considered it rude, but neither of these two could remotely be considered normal, and both were accustomed to receiving looks like that.

                As well they might be.  One was tall for a Japanese, though not exceptionally so.  He had black hair, which was about the most normal element of his appearance.  His green eyes were much less usual.  Above the waist, he was clad in a loose, paint-spattered garment.  It was an artist's smock, though Sakura didn't have enough experience to recognize it as such.  Below this he wore trousers, also stained, though only with black ink rather than the multicolored pigments that adorned his shirt.  He wore a beret at a slightly rakish angle.  His mouth was framed by a small waxed moustache and a scraggly goatee.  Slung along his back were a number of bundles, as well as a gigantic paintbrush almost as long as he was tall.

                The other didn't catch the eye nearly as emphatically as his companion.  In fact, at first glance he seemed rather nondescript.  The only thing obviously unusual about him was his hair; it was grey, rather than black or brown, even though the young man appeared to be in his mid-to-late teens.  His eyes were grey as well, and his clothing was as drab as the other's was colorful.

                On a closer examination, though, there was an air of secrecy about him, a sense of things hidden beneath layers of concealment.  A normal person, on being around him for any length of time, would become more and more uneasy, torn between a desire to get away and a morbid curiosity as to just what was causing this feeling of unease.  He'd become quite familiar with this reaction by now, and even derived a measure of bitter amusement at watching for the precise moment that it dawned on whomever was currently near him that he wasn't casting a shadow.

                Both young men saw nothing unusual in the intense scrutiny with which Sakura regarded them.  Neither thought it remotely likely that she would seem reassured by the results, yet this was what happened.  They were just like she'd seen in her sister's dream, Sakura thought with a sense of relief.  And so, since she'd already seen this meeting play out, it wasn't so hard now to relax a little and let things proceed.

                "Good evening, mademoiselle," the boy with the beret spoke.  "I received a telephone call this afternoon.  Someone who declined to identify himself stated that an old enemy of mine was causing trouble for him, and asked for my help.  I was to come here for further details."

                The other boy stirred restlessly and gave him an odd glance.   "With a getup like that, shouldn't you be using an annoying French accent?"

                "Yes, but I never could get the hang of that," the first speaker confessed.  "My attempts at a French accent make me sound like a buffoon."

                The grey-haired boy gave him a frankly incredulous look, as if wondering how the other could miss the fact that his choice of clothing made him LOOK like a buffoon, but decided not to pursue the subject.  He turned back to Sakura.  "Same thing here.  Somebody called me, told me Ranma Saotome was causing a lot of trouble for him, and said he really needed my help."  He broke his eye-contact with Sakura to give one last sidelong glance at the other boy, then returned his gaze to her.  She made a much more attractive sight, after all.  "Although they didn't say anything about someone else getting involved.  Care to fill in the holes?"

                "I... there's only so much I can tell you," Sakura replied quietly.  She looked down at her hands, fingers twisted together in her lap, not realizing just how shy and vulnerable her posture made her appear.  "My employers are engaged in an operation which is being threatened by Ranma and two friends of his.  One, Kodachi Kuno, you have both met.  The other is a Chinese girl named Shampoo.  You'll know her when you see her because she has red eyes and lavender hair that reaches below her waist.  Plus, she's always with the other two.

                "The three of them are a serious threat to a business project of ours.  That's why you were contacted.  Both of you have suffered at Ranma's hands in the past.  We want to ask you to fight him again, to distract him from threatening us.  But please, I beg you, whether or not you decide to help us, don't tell Ranma about this meeting.  He'd beat our location out of you without a moment's hesitation if he could."

                Sakura fell silent then.  Both young men regarded her in contemplative silence.  As the quiet stretched on and on, she began to worry.  Had it really taken this long for them to respond, in the dream she'd witnessed?  Surely they should have said something by now.  Had she somehow botched her part?  Had she... had she already missed her chance to make the future take the branch she so desperately needed?

                Just as Sakura felt like the silence would shatter her heart, the shorter boy spoke.  "All right.  I'll help you."

                "As will I," the other was quick to add.  "Please, tell us more of what you need us to do."

***************

                The last fading light of sunset had not yet vanished from the sky.  The two young men were now walking slowly through the streets of Tokyo.  The grey-haired one was the first to break the silence.  "If we're going to work together, there's something I'd like to ask you."

                "What would that be?"

                Grey eyes met green in a challenging stare.  "Just why did you agree?  That had to be the vaguest story I've heard in my life.  Doesn't it bother you to think you might've just signed up for a tour of duty with the Yakuza?"

                The taller boy drew himself to his full height in a huff.  "Insolent cur!  How dare you accuse that lovely young lady of such heinous associations?!  I will admit that I could wish for more complete information regarding her employers, or this mysterious agenda which Saotome apparently threatens, but I am fully prepared to stake my life and my honor on the virtue of that gentle girl!"

                "Gee, then it must've bothered you when she asked me to be the one who reports our progress to her," the grey-haired boy said bitingly.

                Curiously enough, the other deflated at this, rather than becoming more insulted.  "No, actually that was for the best.  Such a fragile, delicate flower she was, a shy and demure angel, one utterly unfit for the harsh realities of this world.  At least, so she seemed to me.  And I cannot afford to repeatedly expose myself to that picture of innocent beauty.  My heart is for another, who is not yet free to return my affection.  I must not waver in my devotion to her."

                They walked on quietly for a few more minutes, while the shorter boy tried to decide whether he'd be able to depend on this overly-romantic dreamer at all.  Before he could come to any conclusions, the other spoke again.  "What of you?  Have you no poetry in your soul, that you would suspect that fair girl of such darkness?  And if not, have you no honor, that you would still be willing to ally yourself with Yakuza or the like?"

                "In case you forgot, we aren't getting paid for this," he snapped.  "So don't cop an attitude, like I'm selling myself or something.  Like she said, Ranma and I fought before.  I owe him for a lot, and I intend to settle the debt.  And just for your information, I'm quite sure that Sakura girl doesn't mean us any harm."  Fujima himself couldn't have been any more certain, though the principal would have been able to discern a lot more than just that the girl hadn't been concealing any ill-intent.  "That doesn't mean her employers are so innocent."

                "Well, be that way if you wish.  I prefer to see beauty and truth in the world around me."

                "You do that then," the grey boy replied softly, and sadly.  "At least one of us won't be so busy staring into the light that he forgets what kind of stuff hides in the darkness."

***************

                Even as Lung-Lung had suggested might happen, Shampoo threw off the dart's effects much more quickly than Ling-Ling had.  If the younger Amazon had been there when her cousin awakened, she would have been more than a little annoyed... the lavender-haired girl woke up feeling quite refreshed and alert, with none of the grogginess from which Ling-Ling had suffered.  On the other hand, this happened at one-thirty in the morning, so Shampoo didn't get off completely free from inconvenience.

                Finding herself in her own familiar bed at the Kuno mansion was a welcome experience.  She had fallen into the blackness of unconsciousness with an unpleasant worry that the dart might have been laced with something worse than a sleeping potion.  She was more than happy to find those worries had been groundless... there were many things she still wanted to do in her life.

                Shampoo tossed and turned for a few minutes, but quickly realized it was a wasted effort.  There was no way she'd get back to sleep tonight; she was feeling much too alert.  What to do now?  The idea of heading back to the Nekohanten and taking another crack at the Matriarch's chest flitted idly through her mind, but was quickly discarded.  She wasn't that desperate for sleep, thank you very much.

                Another idea, that of making her way to Ranma's room, waking him up, and seeing where things went from there, was discarded almost as quickly, if a great deal more reluctantly.  She knew he wasn't ready for that yet, at least not with her.  Besides, first dibs most definitely belonged to Kodachi, and the Amazon was certain her sister hadn't claimed them yet.

                That left exercise of a different sort.  Shampoo changed into some training clothes, picked up her bonbori, and slipped out into the hall.

                This wasn't her first late-night training session.  She'd been in Japan long enough to become used to the place, by and large, but there were still times when she woke up in the middle of the night, tense with the sensation of being in some place where she didn't really fit.  The sheer luxury of the Kuno mansion didn't help either, contrasting so sharply with the spartan conditions Shampoo had known for almost all of her life.  Her face still flushed whenever she remembered first waking up to the buzzing of an alarm clock.  The Kunos could afford to replace the clock, the nightstand on which it had stood, and the door through which she'd smashed both of them, but still...

                The late-night episodes of sleeplessness weren't very frequent, but when they occurred Shampoo had found that a good, strenuous workout would put her back at ease.  This time, as she sneaked through the darkened halls toward the nearest training room, she was a good bit more relaxed than she had been the first time she'd done this.  Back then, she'd been as nervous as a cat, more than halfway expecting to have someone discover her, assume she was trying to sneak into Tatewaki's room, and throw her out for good.

                Those days of uncertainty were gone now, and though the Amazon used every bit of skill she had to creep along soundlessly, it was just out of consideration, to avoid waking anyone else up.  She'd covered about half the distance to her destination when that stealth paid off in an unexpected way.

                Hearing a faint sound where there should have been only quiet, Shampoo suddenly froze.  She listened intently for a few seconds, then ducked back into a side corridor.  Without a doubt, there was somebody sneaking down the very hallway she'd been moving through seconds before.  Her grip tightened around the hafts of her bonbori.  This was one burglar who was going to rue the day he targeted her hosts!  The barely audible steps drew nearer and nearer.  Shampoo tensed, preparing to spring...

                ... then remained frozen motionless for quite a long time after Ryoga had passed on his way.

                Eventually the Amazon shook herself out of her shock.  It was unbelievable!  Barely a week had elapsed since Ryoga had beaten her cousins and received the Kiss of Marriage.  She would have been prepared to wager every material possession she'd gained since coming to Japan that it would take her cousins a lot longer than this to work through his shyness.  But apparently she'd been wrong.  Where else could he be sneaking off this late at night?  She was certain she'd heard the opening and closing of the front door, which ruled out the possibility that he might just be making a raid on one of the larders.

                Shampoo sighed a little.  It was true she was happy for her cousins, but she couldn't help but wish things had turned out better for Ucchan.  At least with the way things were it wouldn't be too hard for Ryoga to let the other girl down easily.  He pretty much had no choice but to date Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, and Ukyo knew this.  He could start by pretending not to enjoy it, then slowly let his true feelings come out.  It wouldn't be one massive crushing blow that way, but it would be just as effective.  Surely Ukyo would give up long before the year was out, the Amazon thought.  Or better yet, maybe the chef would make peace with her cousins, so Ryoga wouldn't have to forsake anybody.

                There's just something about the small hours of the morning.  Even if one is wide awake rather than half-asleep, the most ridiculous thoughts seem credible then.

                Eventually Shampoo remembered that she had been meaning to get in some training.  She set out again, her mind still dwelling on Ryoga's unexpected boldness.  And truth be told, there was more than a hint of jealousy there too.  Her cousins were two years younger than her.  It didn't seem fair that she had to wait this long when they got to be with their husband right away.  And really, if Kodachi would just go ahead and break Ranma in, surely that would increase her Airen's boldness with her too.

                The Amazon turned that thought over in her mind for a few moments before giving a devilish grin.  She turned on her heel and made her way back along the way she'd come, though headed for a different destination than her own room.

***************

                Normally it took quite a lot to wake Ranma up.  Being doused with a pail of cold water could do it, although that had never happened in his stay at the Kuno place.  The smell of breakfast cooking would rouse him without fail.  Threats and attacks, however, were more likely to be ignored and avoided with a subconscious roll to the side.

                Introducing a subtle change into his environment had just about no chance of waking Ranma suddenly.  But slowly, gradually, his subconscious mind became aware that something just wasn't right.  At three-thirty in the morning, Ranma blearily opened his eyes and sat up, wondering just what had awakened him.

                At least, that was his intention.  The warm weight snuggled across his chest prevented him from carrying out the second of the agenda items.

                Ranma's gaze focused.  His mouth instantly went as dry as the Gobi desert.  His higher-order thought processes, which had just begun to come on-line, shut right back down.  His heart gave such a thunderous crash that by rights it ought to have awakened Kodachi as well, but she just murmured softly and snuggled a bit closer.

                That was the only discernable motion in the room for quite some time.  Eventually, however, Ranma felt his heart resume beating.  His eyes shrunk almost back to normal size, and he regained the ability to blink.  Anything beyond that, though, was still beyond his reach.  Especially he was incapable of looking away.

                The moon was hanging low in the sky, and its light was shining freely through the window.  Ranma knew he didn't have any words of his own that could possibly do justice to the wonder of the sight before him.  Kodachi was wearing a fairly modest nightgown, which was probably the only reason he was still conscious.  But this did nothing to hide her face, or the long, slender arm that was stretched out to leave her hand resting less than a fingerswidth from caressing his face.  Her skin seemed to glow from within, with a beauty that would make alabaster and ivory seem dull.  Her hair was a limpid cloud of moonlight.  As if of its own volition, one of his hands reached out and gently stroked her unbound tresses.  She murmured again, too softly for him to make out whatever it was she'd said over the pounding of his own heart.

                Ranma never was certain how much time slipped by like this.  Nothing lasts forever, of course, and eventually a cloud passed over the moon.  The change in light levels was extreme enough that for just a second, he couldn't see anything.  Acting on instinct, he shut his eyes, and tried to take deep calming breaths.  The 'deep' part worked okay, but since each one was making him more and more aware that his girlfriend was sleeping with his chest as her pillow, 'calming' was a total bust.

                The moon had come back out now... the reflection of its glow from Kodachi was obvious even through his tightly-closed eyelids.  He felt tempted, so tempted, to open them again and look once more, but his instincts were screaming that if he did whatever happened next would depend on her self-control, not his.  And one of her last memories prior to the Heart Link informed him that if she woke up now, she'd probably think she was still dreaming, and self-control wouldn't even enter into the picture.

                'No,' Ranma thought to himself with every shred of determination he could muster, 'I won't take advantage of her like that.  Bad enough I already sleepwalked inta her bedroom or something.'  Forcing himself to think about that wasn't very pleasant, but at least the guilt helped him focus.  Slowly, and with a flexibility that many a ballet dancer would have envied, he managed to slide out from under Kodachi and then out of the bed without waking her.  She did mutter what sounded like a slight protest, but Ranma held firm in his resolve.  No way was he gonna compromise Dachi-chan's honor!  He breathed a deep sigh of relief (at least, he told himself it was relief) as he slipped through the door into the hallway.  Now he just had to sneak back to his room, tie himself to one of the bedposts, and toss and turn for the rest of the night.

                Right about then he realized he'd just come out of his own room, not Kodachi's.

                His only reaction at first was just to whimper.  How many shocks was he supposed to endure tonight?!  He didn't think he could take much more of this.

                Ranma considered his options.  1)  Go somewhere else for the rest of the night.  Let Kodachi wake up by herself in his bedroom... that one was quickly discarded.  2)  Go back in there, wake her up in such a way that she knew she wasn't dreaming, and let her make her own way back to her bedroom... he considered that for a minute before reluctantly concluding he didn't have the finesse to pull it off.  "Hey, Dachi-chan, wake up.  You're in my bed, and I can't sleep."  No, that option wouldn't work either.  3)  Go back in, pick her up as gently as he knew how, and hope like crazy he could get her back to her own bed without waking her or passing out himself from stress.  4)  Since he could sense that Shampoo was awake now, he could go get her, tell her what had happened, and ask her to help.

                "Right.  Plan number three it is," Ranma muttered grimly, summoning up all the fortitude he had remaining.  It might be risky, but it was his best option.  Shampoo's idea of help in a situation like this would probably be to toss him back in the room and barricade the door behind him.

***************

                At the breakfast table the next morning, Shampoo noticed that Ranma seemed quite tired, although Kodachi didn't.  That was one thing she really, really envied the other girl, the Amazon thought.  It must be nice to be able to go completely without sleep if you needed to.

                Keeping quiet until they were out of the house was rather a challenge, but Shampoo managed it.  She didn't say anything until they were walking toward the Nekohanten.  "Ranma look exhausted.  What is the matter?  Not get enough sleep last night?" she asked innocently.

                Ranma jumped like the sidewalk had suddenly become red-hot.  "Ahh... well, actually... No!  I had a really hard time falling asleep last night.  I was, y'know, worried about you.  Even if the twins said that dart was harmless, it still felt really bad seein' how still you looked."  This was even the truth, as far as it went.

                'Nice try,' Shampoo thought to herself.  She cast a sidelong glance at Kodachi, and blinked.  Hard.  The White Rose wasn't blushing at all, or giving any indications that something had changed.  Granted, Shampoo didn't know her quite as thoroughly as she knew Ranma, but the Amazon was certain that if what should have happened had happened, Kodachi would be showing obvious signs of it.

                So what had gone wrong?  There was no way Ranma could possibly have done what she did, and carried Kodachi the distance between their rooms without waking her.  Shampoo had hit a series of sleep pressure points on Kodachi, repeating the strike every half minute so the effect wouldn't wear off too soon, but before she left Ranma's room she had tagged a different set of points, which would bolster Kodachi's natural resistance to shiatsu manipulation.  Given the White Rose's already formidable resistance, that effect probably hadn't worn off even now.  It was completely unbelievable that Ranma could possibly have taken her back to her room without waking her up.

                "Ranma-kun, are you forgetting the sleep wards in your bathroom's medicine cabinet?" Kodachi chided her boyfriend gently.  "My father went to a great deal of trouble to make enough for everyone to have an adequate supply.  Magical sleep is a lot safer than using drugs, after all.  Next time you can't drop off, just use one of those.  That's what I did last night."

                "Oh, yeah, I did forget all about them."  A thought occurred to Ranma.  "Uh, they don't have any... side-effects or nothin', right?"

                "Like what?"

                "Um, well, sleepwalking, or weird dreams, or not being able to get to sleep the next night, or sleepwalking," Ranma answered.

                "No, they'll just give you a peaceful eight hours of unbroken slumber," Kodachi reassured him.

                "No suppose father has ward what cure headache?" Shampoo asked grumpily.  Blast it all, she should have barricaded the door!

                "I'm afraid not.  Why were you banging your head against that wall anyway?"

***************

                This time, the twins weren't the only ones to greet them when they reached the Nekohanten.  The Matriarch was also there.  "Well now, Shampoo, did you learn a lesson about patience yesterday?"

                Shampoo's jaw dropped.  How in the world could Great-Grandmother possibly know about her attempt to speed things up between Ranma and Kodachi?!

                Cologne frowned in puzzlement at the unexpected reaction.  "I'm referring to your opening my chest without asking... again."

                "Oh, Shampoo wondered what you meant, Great-Grandmother."  Her great-granddaughter wiped sweat off her brow.  "Why you no tell me you put trap on chest after I open before?"

                "Because I thought that this would serve as a better lesson.  'A burned child fears the fire', after all.  When you need something from my private collection, ASK first."

                "No worry, Great-Grandmother, I learn lesson now."  'If need something of Great-Grandmother's, and she not around, get Kodachi to open chest.'

                "Anyway, could you please fetch the Eye of Bastet for us?" Ranma asked.  "There's kinda a lot riding on us and we really need it."

                Cologne gave a mysterious smile and opened one wrinkled hand.  In her palm was the jewel in question.  Kodachi blinked.  "Um, Ranma-kun?  Did you mention to either of the twins that that was what we came for yesterday?"

                "I was just going to ask you the same thing, Dachi."  He turned back to the Matriarch.  "Do I even want to know how you knew that was what we wanted?"

                Cologne just maintained the mysterious smile.  "Never mind, son-in-law.  I have my ways.  Let's just leave it at that."

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung decided it was in their best interests not to spoil the moment.  Therefore, they kept quiet about the fact that just before Ranma and the others had come in, Cologne had been using the Eye to try to locate their Airen's parents.

                The ancient one passed the jewel to Shampoo, then continued speaking.  "But I would like to know just what you need it for.  Why don't you tell me while my great-granddaughter makes use of it."

***************

                Shampoo settled down into a meditative position.  Although she'd learned the secret of using the Eye properly from the Matriarch, she hadn't actually practiced with it.  Her reassurances of the day before to Ranma notwithstanding, she was a little nervous now that the time came to act.  Still, there was no reason for this, she told herself.  Great-Grandmother would pull her out of the trance if something started to go wrong.

                She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing her awareness on the jewel in her hands.  The amber cloud formed again in her mind, with flashes of energy far off in every direction.  This time, though, Shampoo knew what to do.  It wasn't time yet to try to find the ones she was looking for.  Instead, she picked what seemed to be the closest arc of energy, and concentrated on it.  Even as the Matriarch had described, the flow strengthened, stabilized, and began moving toward her apparent position.  It continued to grow as it drew nearer to her.  The others began moving in as well, drawn by the gravity (for want of a better word) of the largest.

                By now, Shampoo had forgotten her earlier nervousness.  This was as easy as Great-Grandmother had said!  At least, once you knew what you were doing.  The energy flares were all around her now, and with ridiculous ease she stopped their advance and began weaving them together into a seamless screen of brilliance.  Once it completely encapsulated her, she withdrew her will from the energy.  Shampoo didn't have a body just now, so she couldn't give a big grin.  But she felt like doing so; the power didn't even flicker, but held perfectly stable, ready to show her the ones she needed to find.  She pictured the Sakura triplets in her mind's eye, then sent forth her wish that she be shown their current whereabouts.

                And nothing whatsoever happened.

                Not having a body at the moment also meant she couldn't blink in surprise.  She had to settle for a moment of blank noncomprehension.  Perhaps she hadn't been clear enough in picturing the girls?  Shampoo didn't know the triplets all that well, after all.  She ignored the nagging voice that whispered she had managed to find Akane, with whom she'd been much less familiar, and concentrated on building a crystal-clear mental image of the three girls.  When she was satisfied that it was as good as she could possibly manage, she sent it out again into the viewing matrix.  Again, nothing.  The energy still hung there,  perfectly stable, perfectly unresponsive.

                Now Shampoo was beginning to get angry.  What was wrong with this stupid thing?!  Great-Grandmother had said that this was the easiest part of all.  Once the matrix was formed, just send out a desire to see whomever you were looking for.  Why wouldn't it work?!  Perhaps she'd made some subtle mistake that created a defective viewing window.  Or maybe the girls were screened against scrying magic.

                Shampoo considered that.  If it were the case, how would she know?  Maybe she should try looking for someone else.  If that worked, then she'd know she hadn't made a mistake, and would just have to ask Great-Grandmother what was going wrong.  Let's see... whom should she look for?

***************

                "... He told us they weren't in any real danger, and we could take the time we needed, but of course we don't want to leave them in captivity any longer than we have to," Kodachi said, finishing up their explanation of why they needed the Eye.

                "Interesting.  Is there something special about these three classmates of yours, that someone would go to such trouble to abduct them in secrecy?"

                "Well, they're supposedly not related to each other, but they look absolutely identical.  Like triplets separated at birth, which is basically what everybody at school thinks happened.  Don't know why that would make anybody want to kidnap them, though," Ranma answered.

                Cologne was wondering how best to gently break it to him that there were those who'd pay a fortune for three well-trained identical 'servant' girls when the import of what he'd just said got through to her.  She sighed, and turned back to rouse her great-granddaughter from her trance.

                Before she could do this, however, Shampoo's eyes shot wide open in shock.  She let out an earsplitting "AIYAH!!" that made everybody jump.  As if by magic, the water from Lung-Lung's glass shot halfway across the room to drench Ranma, though not a droplet landed on anybody else.

                "Shampoo!  Is something wrong?!" Ranma-chan asked anxiously.  "Did you find the girls?  Are they in trouble?!"

                The Amazon shook her head in negation.  Kodachi noticed that she seemed quite dazed.  "No, Shampoo could no find Sakuras, Ranma.  Jewel would not show them to me.  So Shampoo wonder if she make mistake, try to find someone else to see if using magic the right way.  That time it work just fine."  She gulped.  "Shampoo just not prepared for what she see."

                "What that?" Ling-Ling asked, curious even though she knew it might be someone she'd never met or even heard of.

                "Was..."  Shampoo paused, pinched herself hard, reassuring herself that this was actually happening, then spoke again, "... was Mousse.  Want make sure he not throw off Xi Fang Gao or come back to Japan."  She laughed, the kind of laugh that comes when you absolutely do NOT believe what you've just seen.  "For sure we no need worry about that anymore.  When I see Mousse, he in bed with cousin Xiao Yu."

                Lung-Lung really should have known better than to pour herself another glass of ice water.  When she heard her cousin's statement, she facefaulted, as did her sister and Ranma-chan.  Once again, water flew through the air.  Once again, it unerringly targeted the only person present with a Jusenkyo curse.

                Kodachi looked around in surprise.  "I don't understand why everyone is reacting like this.  If Mousse has forgotten all his love for you, why shouldn't he find someone else?"

                "Because Xiao Yu treat him coldly all the time.  She make fun of him for way he chase me, for glasses, for hairstyle, for fighting style, really for just about everything.  Is last person in whole world what Shampoo would think he end up with.  No, wait, next to last.  Was forgetting about own self."

                "Maybe Mousse use love potion on cousin?" Ling-Ling suggested faintly.  "Xi Fang Gao no make him forget what she do.  Could be this is revenge."

                Of those who actually knew Xiao Yu, only Cologne hadn't seemed surprised by Shampoo's revelation.  "Or it could be that now that he isn't chasing someone else and ignoring her, perhaps she felt like it was time to let her true feelings be known," the Matriarch suggested in a tone as dry as the desert sands.  "Shampoo, you know how very bitter she was toward you.  Did it never occur to you that it might have been over something other than not being able to beat you in combat?"

                Shampoo shook her head mutely, an expression of even greater shock in place now.  "So all this time, you say reason Xiao Yu so angry with Shampoo and Mousse is because Mousse chase Shampoo, not her?"  Cologne nodded.  Slowly, the lavender-haired girl's expression faded back to neutrality.  "Is strange to find out now, after so long.  So now cousin not have reason to be angry with me no more.  When I see her again," suddenly Shampoo's expression twisted into maniacal rage, "I BEAT HER TO DEATH WITH OWN LEG!!  She could have tell me truth long ago and I ECSTATIC to give Mousse to her!  But NO, stupid cousin have to keep truth to self and let EVERYBODY suffer!  When Shampoo get hands on her, she be too sore for MONTH to take Mousse to bed!!"

                Kodachi cleared her throat loudly.  "That's all well and good, but right now we need to concentrate on our classmates.  You said you were unable to find them?"

                "That right."  Shampoo heaved a deep sigh, attempting to calm down and focus on the more immediate concerns.  "Not sure why."

                "I'm afraid the Eye of Bastet isn't going to be any help to you," Cologne said regretfully.  "Its magic allows you to find any person, but you must focus on that one person in order to do this.  If these three girls are as identical as Ranma says, there's no way for the Eye to single one of them out.  I'm very sorry, but I don't think there's anything here that can help you find your classmates."

***************

                Ranma would have liked to remain at the Nekohanten to plot their next move.  He knew very well just how crafty Cologne was, and felt like they could use any help they could get now.  But since the restaurant had been closed the previous day, the Matriarch wanted to open early this morning.  The three of them left, Shampoo still looking a bit dazed from her unexpected discovery, and began rambling aimlessly through the streets of Nerima.

                Everyone was quiet for a while.  Eventually, hoping to distract herself from the morning's shock, Shampoo broke the silence.  "Well, since my idea to use Eye of Bastet no work, we need new plan.  Is Ranma's turn to come up with idea."

                "Huh?  Why me?!"

                'Because I'm still annoyed with you for not cooperating last night.'  "Because Shampoo say so," she answered with a smirk.

                Ranma rolled his eyes.  "Thanks, Shampoo, that made it perfectly clear."

                Kodachi giggled.  "Well, really, I think it's pretty obvious what we need to do now.  Principal Fujima said the reason he couldn't go to the authorities was that he didn't have any evidence.  So what we need to do is hire some private detectives and have them investigate.  If we're lucky, it won't take long to find a lead on the girls' location.  At the very least, no matter how well covered-up this kidnapping was, eventually they'll manage to turn up some evidence of wrongdoing.  We could take it to the police then."

                Ranma frowned slightly.  "Yeah, I guess that's our best bet," he said.  But his tone indicated he wasn't too happy about it.

                "Ranma-kun?  What's wrong?"

                "Well... it just doesn't seem right to sit back an' let other people do all the work like that.  Of course, I can't say I got any idea of how we could help, though..."  That admission made him even less happy.  Sitting on the sidelines was one of the things he was poorest at.

                Neither the White Rose nor the Amazon really knew what to say in response to this.  Both turned the thought over in their minds as they walked along, and realized they agreed with Ranma's assessment.  It just wouldn't feel right to goof off and take an extended vacation when the reason they'd been let out of school was to find some helpless, innocent captives.

                Shampoo brightened as an idea occurred to her.

                Kodachi smiled as a thought struck her mind.

                Ranma smacked his fist into his palm and gave a cocky grin.

                All three started to speak at once, causing a verbal traffic jam.  Just another of the minor quirks that come with having your soul directly connected to someone else's.

                Eventually Ranma claimed the floor.  "What I was thinkin' was that we don't just have to do nothin'.  Even if we don't really know where to start looking, Principal Fujima did say they were in Tokyo.  So maybe we oughta just start roamin' around at random.  Seems to me that with all the craziness that pops up in our life, there's a good chance we'll just stumble across those jerks that kidnapped the Sakuras.  May take awhile, but at least we'd be trying to make a difference.  And we'd get to explore Tokyo and do new stuff together.  If we stay far enough away from Nerima, we wouldn't have to worry about anybody who knows us seein' us and figuring out the truth about Shampoo."

                "That exactly what Shampoo was going to say."

                "And I as well.  Great minds think alike, it seems," Kodachi said.  Then another thought occurred to her.  It wasn't quite as pleasant, but now that she'd thought of it, she couldn't in good conscience keep silent.  "Perhaps we should invite Ryoga at least to come along in the afternoons.  It seems like he tends to draw trouble too.  Having him with us might increase our chances of stumbling onto these lawbreakers."

                Shampoo frowned slightly.  It would be much more fun if it were just them and Ranma, but she supposed her sister had a point.  And anyway, they'd still have the mornings for themselves.  Still, the Amazon would have preferred to have the afternoons as well.

                Ranma had just opened his mouth to say something when the sound of running caught his attention.  He and the girls turned to look, and stared.  A figure in a torn dress was racing at top speed along the lane.  Although this person was desperately trying to hold up the tattered top of the dress with one arm, enough of the torso still showed to make it painfully obvious that this was a guy, not a girl.  He had long flowing brown hair, which snapped and crackled behind in the wind of his passage.  Ravening behind him, bellowing roars of incoherent rage, glowing with an intense battle aura, came Ryoga.  The duo shot past Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo, continued down the lane, and passed out of sight.

                "Y'know, Dachi, that was a good idea, but I think Ryoga's already got enough on his plate.  Let's not give the poor guy anything more to worry about," Ranma said briskly.

***************

                Nobody had really expected their strategy to pay off immediately.  Especially not Ranma.  In his experience, things just didn't work that smoothly where he was concerned.  However, he also hadn't looked for a whole week to pass without anything odd happening while he and the girls were patrolling throughout Tokyo.  He hadn't even been randomly splashed more than a handful of times.  The pigtailed martial artist should have been grateful for the peace, but it was actually starting to fray his nerves.  Didn't it just figure that the one time they actually wanted to find some trouble, it completely avoided them.

                Kodachi was unusually out of sorts this morning as well.  This was due to an oversight on her part, which she'd discovered the previous day.  Since the White Rose was the most familiar with dealing with underlings, not to mention that it was her family's funds that would be paying their fees, it had fallen to her to deal with actually hiring the detectives.  She had thought she'd done a good job too.  Weeding out the people with talent from those who basically had no clue how to do anything other than check for burakumin ancestry, then negotiating reasonable fees (her allowance didn't stretch THAT far, after all) had left her with the satisfaction of a job well done.

                Unfortunately, she had made a slight error, and had neglected to inform any of the detectives that he wasn't the only one being hired for this job.  Yesterday she had finally discovered that the glowing leads each investigator had been reporting to her had come from getting wind of one or another of the others' interests in these families.  According to Kodachi's calculations, each detective was now thoroughly investigating one or more of his fellow investigators, and no attention was being paid to any real clues that might be out there.  Of course, it could still turn out that one of the people she'd hired had actually been involved in the kidnapping, but somehow the White Rose doubted it.

                Shampoo didn't quite have her usual air of sunny optimism today either.  She had woken up feeling impatient, eager to resolve matters quickly.  She'd tried to tell herself that there was no need to hurry, that they knew the Sakuras weren't in any danger, but that had brought an uncomfortable realization... namely, that they only had Fujima's word for that.  And when it came down to it, the Amazon had to admit to herself that she didn't really trust the man.  Quite aside from his refusal to reveal his source of information, there was just something about him that set her teeth on edge.

                The three were walking along in silence, Ranma trying to convince himself that it was crazy to be upset about a whole week of peace, Kodachi reflecting moodily that the yen she'd shelled out had so far been completely wasted, Shampoo wondering whether or not she ought to track down Fujima and shake him until he spilled his guts about the source of his information.  It was the first time since they'd started these patrols that none of them were thinking about their task, or hoping to stumble across someone involved in the crime.

                You know what that means, right?

                To the casual eye, Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo seemed to be the only people on the street.  Only the closest of scrutiny would have revealed the presence of one other person... a young man with grey hair and eyes, standing under the awning of a shop that hadn't yet opened for business.  Though he wasn't hiding behind any solid object, he seemed to disappear into the shadow cast by the overhang, fading like the night's dreams under the noonday sun.

                This wasn't the first time he'd watched these three.  He'd trailed them several times over the past few days.  It had frustrated him to no end that he'd not been able to get close enough to overhear them... whenever he'd tried, the girl with the purple hair had started to become uneasy, and he'd realized that if he got too close, she'd see him, shadows or no shadows.

                He'd concluded that he wasn't getting anywhere just following them, and would need to take a more direct approach soon.  And somehow, this moment seemed to be the perfect one.  He stepped out from under the awning, becoming completely visible, and waited for them to approach.

                The grey boy felt his pulse begin to race as Ranma drew nearer.  Of course the girls were there as well, but he frankly didn't much care about them.  It had been Ranma who defeated him so easily, Ranma who had brought him to where he was now, Ranma with whom he yearned to fight again, Ranma who would fall this time.

                Ranma who'd just walked right past him without paying him the slightest attention.

                The grey boy gaped for a moment, then recovered.  "Hey!  Saotome!  What do you think you're doing, walking past me like I'm not even there?!" he shouted.

                Ranma blinked at the cry of anger, then whirled around in a defensive stance.  Shampoo and Kodachi took up supporting positions at his sides.  A long moment of silence hung like crystal over the street.  A sudden breeze sprang up, ruffling the teenagers' hair.

                The silence was broken as Ranma's wary expression shifted into confusion.  "Do I know you?"

                "What?"  His challenger didn't seem to be expecting this.  "What do you mean, 'Do I know  you'?!  Take a good look, Saotome!"  Ranma did so.  "Do you know me now?"  Ranma shook his head in negation.  "I don't believe this!  You destroyed me and you don't even remember?!"  This was NOT how the meeting was supposed to go.

                Shampoo gave an exasperated sigh, then darted into a nearby café.  Kodachi's eyes followed her in a puzzled glance, then she returned her attention to the boy in front of them.  She concentrated, trying to find a scene from either her memories or Ranma's that would explain this boy's grudge.  He did seem vaguely familiar, now that she came to think of it.

                Her concentration was broken as Shampoo returned to the street, her arms full of bread.  "We no have time for silly boy with silly old grudge against Ranma.  Here, take this and go away."  She tossed the bread at the other boy, who reflexively caught it.  He was looking a lot less angry now.  Complete confusion does tend to have that effect.

                "Um, Shampoo, that didn't work when I tried it with Ryoga, and he's the only guy I ever had a bread feud with," Ranma pointed out.

                "Well, Shampoo thought it worth a shot."  The Amazon put on her best 'cute' look.  She gave the mystery challenger a big smile.  "You accept this as peace offering and not cause trouble, okay?"

                The grey boy gave one last incredulous look at the bread in his arms, then tossed the loaves off to one side.  They all landed unerringly in a garbage can.  "I don't have a clue what that was about, but it doesn't matter.  Ranma Saotome, I challenge you to a rematch!"

                "Rematch?!  I don't even remember you!!" Ranma shouted irately.  "Who the heck are ya anyway?!"

                A gasp from Kodachi.  "Copycat Ken?!  Is that you?"

                Ranma turned and gave her a strange glance.  "No, Dachi, of course it isn't.  That Ken guy didn't give off any aura at all, cause of that weird disguise trick he had.  This guy is definitely radiating fighting spirit."

                "But Ranma dear, look at his face.  It's just the same as Ken's was, other than when he was using all those disguises during your fight with him.  Except his eyes and hair weren't grey then."

                Ranma turned back and eyed the challenger closely.  "You sure, Dachi?  I know you got a better memory for detail like that than I do.  You really think this is Copycat Ken?"

                The other boy gritted his teeth.  "Let me settle the issue," he growled.  "Yes, I'm Ken.  Not Copycat, any longer.  Thanks to you, Saotome, I lost that part of myself forever."

                "What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked.

                Ken laughed bitterly.  "No, you didn't even know, did you?  For our match, I tried copying the most powerful fighters I'd encountered, I switched disguises five times, I even copied you!  But no matter what, I couldn't take you down, or even stop you from getting through my guard with your own attacks!"  As the memory rose up again, his anger began burning even hotter.  His battle aura began to grow as well, becoming visible as a faint grey haze, twisting and shifting around him.

                "Do you know what you did to me?!  Afterwards, I realized what I should have done in the first place.  I knew you wouldn't be able to go all out against the person you cared about most, so I used my family's heirloom kerchief to copy her instead!"  He pointed at Kodachi, who blinked in surprise, then blushed.  "But you must've done so much damage to it in our fight that it couldn't take another transformation.  It disintegrated!"  He was shouting now.  "That had been in our family for eight generations!  Do you know what it felt like to see it turn to dust?!"

                "Um, Ken, wait a minute."  Kodachi spoke up hesitantly.  "My brother told us about you, when you first sent that challenge to Ranma.  He said your modus operandi was to copy other martial artists' techniques and use those to defeat the very ones who relied on them.  He also told us you had something that helped you do this, that duplicated the potential and at least part of the skill of your target and lent it to you.  Is that the kerchief you're talking about?"

                "Yes, it is!"  Suddenly the anger drained away, to be replaced by sadness.  "It was.  Like I said, it was a family heirloom.  My father gave it to me, and someday I should have given it to my son.  But thanks to him," he directed a harsh glare at Ranma, "that'll never happen now."

                "Actually, Ken, I don't think it was Ranma's fault."  Kodachi took a deep breath, then began letting her own battle aura build.  "You attempted to copy me."  She was glowing noticeably now.  "Your kerchief would have tried to duplicate my potential."  They had to shield their eyes as the brilliance of her aura continued to increase.  "I rather doubt it could handle that level of power."  She noticed a faint smell of smoke, and realized that she had almost reached the point of igniting her own clothes.  With a mental twist, she drew her aura back in all at once.  The sudden, dramatic change made the perfect illustration as she finished quietly, "I am the reason your heirloom destroyed itself.  Not Ranma."

                Ken stared at her in blank shock.  If the thought of challenging her instead passed through his mind, it was quickly discarded.  Regaining a measure of composure, he spoke again.  "It doesn't matter.  This has gone far beyond the kerchief anyway.  That's nothing compared to the real reason I'm challenging him!"  He turned back to face the target of his ire.

                Shampoo heaved another exasperated sigh.  "Shampoo hope you not about to shout, 'Ranma, because of you I've seen hell!'  At least use original line."

                Ken, who had been about to say something quite like that, began to wish he'd picked a time to confront Ranma when he was by himself, not surrounded by these interfering girls.  Even if that _would_ have meant challenging him in the men's room.  "Look, stay out of this.  This is a man-to-man fight between the two of us!" he snapped in the general direction of Kodachi and Shampoo.

                "You think he half-Oni too?  Maybe Ryoga have cousin or something," Shampoo remarked to Kodachi.

                Ranma just rolled his eyes.  "Great, somebody else who's blamin' all his problems on me when it ain't my fault," he groaned.  Then his gaze snapped back.  He fixed Ken with a stare like a laser beam.  "You break Kodachi's arm and I'll rip your head off."

                Ken was now certain that he should have waited until Ranma was alone before asking for this rematch.  "Do you people realize just how much of this conversation hasn't made any sense at all?!  Why the hell would I break her arm?" he shouted.  "She's the only one who HASN'T been acting like a lunatic!!"

                "Is you including yourself in that statement?" Shampoo asked with a smirk.

                Ken just put his head in his hands and counted to ten.  Twice.  After this was finished, he spoke with a sort of frozen calm.  "Ranma, I challenged you to a fight.  Are you trying to win by talking me to death?  Or maybe getting my blood pressure so high that I keel over from a stroke?"

                "Look, if you want a fight, I'll give you a fight," Ranma said exasperatedly.  He moved into a ready stance in the middle of the street.  Ken took up a stance of his own, and the girls moved back to the sidelines.

                "This no should take long," Shampoo commented.

                "Indeed.  What can Ken possibly hope to accomplish?" Kodachi wondered.  "In the past, his fighting style depended on copying whatever technique his opponent relied upon.  I think that was partly why he fell so easily to Ranma-sama, who doesn't depend on any particular attack.  And if Ken can no longer even copy others to use their special moves, I doubt he'll last five minutes."

                "That's what you think, rosebud!" Ken called back.

                Ranma frowned, but didn't really see anything offensive in the appellation.  Now, if Ken had made some sort of albino joke, there'd already be blood on the street...  anyway, if this guy was so eager for a fight, he ought to BE fighting, not exchanging remarks with the spectators.  "Yo, I thought you were the one who wanted to quit talking and start fighting."

                Ken smiled grimly.  "Darn right.  I've been through a lot to get ready to face you again, Saotome.  Time to find out just which one of us is the better martial artist."

                Kodachi blinked.  "Is it just me, or is the ambient light level dropping?"

                It wasn't just her.  The brightness of the morning sunlight was indeed fading, falling into shadow.  Before Ranma could recover from his surprise, the lane had seemingly passed into dusk.  From the way Ken's aura was once again hissing and roiling with streamers of darkness, Ranma was fairly certain he knew who was causing this.  "Nice trick," he commented casually.  "It might even scare me, if I was six years old."

                Ken didn't respond, just stood there with a smirk on his face.  Ranma slowly began advancing toward him, wondering when the other shoe was going to drop.  As he got near enough, he suddenly dropped the cautious act and blazed forward at top speed.  Darting to one side of Ken, Ranma struck out with a blow to the other's solar plexus.  At the speed he was going, this would knock the wind and possibly even the fight out of his opponent.

                However, as his fist reached its target, the image of Ken dispersed.  Ranma, who'd expected there to be some resistance to his strike, was thrown off balance.  He stumbled, and a kick slammed into his lower back, sending him to the ground.  He rolled frantically and shot back to his feet, trying to locate his opponent.

                The dim light showed only an empty lane.  Ranma jumped, spinning through a three-sixty degree arc in midair, but the scan revealed no trace of his foe.  He landed, straining his senses to the maximum, trying to get warning of any incoming attack.

                A chuckle resounded through the lane.  "What's wrong, Ranma?" the disembodied voice of Ken whispered through the air.  Ranma couldn't tell where it was coming from.  "Can't figure out where I am?"  An image of Ken suddenly appeared twenty feet in front of him.  "Maybe I've already left, and I'm laughing at you for staying here by yourself."  Before Ranma could move, not that he'd been intending to charge forward anyway, it faded and another took its place ten feet away on Ranma's left side.  "Maybe I'm hiding, waiting for you to exhaust yourself punching at shadows before I take you down."  The new image faded as well.  "Or maybe..."

                "... Maybe I'm right behind you!"

                This shout had clearly come from directly behind him.  Ranma executed a back kick with every bit of speed he had in him.  Again, his attack struck only air.  Again, the same wasn't true of his opponent's strike.  This time, it was a punch that hit Ranma, smashing into his jaw from directly in front of him.

                Ranma stumbled back, fighting a moment's disorientation.  A random flash of empathy from the Heart Link distracted him further, allowing his opponent to connect with a few more strikes.

                He barely felt them.  The glimpse he'd received of the girls' emotions just then claimed most of his attention.  From Kodachi, a measure of anger, that this dog should fight so unfairly, mixed with an odd balance of concern and faith.  She fully expected him to pull out victory yet, but at the same time she was worried that he'd be hurt badly.  This didn't surprise Ranma even slightly... he knew just how fragile Kodachi thought the world was.  As if anybody but her would break into pieces from anything more than the slightest tap.

                Shampoo's emotions were less mixed, and much less expected.  There was a bit of worry there, but she wasn't nearly as concerned as Kodachi.  In fact, the Amazon was feeling almost pure disbelief.

                That hit him much harder than Kodachi's worry.  Had his performance really sucked that bad in this fight, that Shampoo couldn't even believe her eyes?  That was NOT acceptable!  He was Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts!  He had beaten every challenge he'd ever faced, and he wasn't about to lose this fight!

                Ranma's anger, determination, and rush of fighting spirit ignited his battle aura nearly to the maximum.  It wasn't as bright as Kodachi's blinding glory had been, but it would still have been enough to read by at midnight.

                And it was enough to pierce the shadows around Ken, who'd just circled in front of Ranma for another attack.

                For just a split second, Ken froze, his eyes wide in shock as he felt his protection dissipate.  The stunned expression that spread across his face was enough to clue Ranma in that this was no false image.  He closed the distance and unleashed a barrage of strikes at maximum speed.  The attacks unerringly smashed along a series of vulnerable spots on his opponent's torso, and ended with a spectacular kick to the head.  Ken crashed backward, out like a light.  The shadows fled, and once again the late morning sun shone brightly in the lane.

***************

                Some minutes later, a passerby would have seen the entertaining spectacle of Ranma complaining that he was fine while Kodachi and Shampoo ignored his protests and checked him thoroughly for injuries.  Ranma groaned, but he didn't object too strenuously.  Having both girls fuss over him like this was actually kinda nice.

                Shampoo gave one last look at the bruise on his jaw, then nodded her head, agreeing with his last statement that he was all right.  "Ranma do seem okay."  Her expression changed to irate.  "Airen, why you let him hit you like that?!  Was you trying to lull him into false sense of security or something?"

                Both Ranma and Kodachi gave her incredulous stares.  "What?   What Shampoo say?"

                "Shampoo, do you mean to say you could see Ken as he fought with Ranma?" Kodachi asked.

                Shampoo nodded in confusion.  "You could not?"

                "Nope, not me," Ranma answered.  "I'm guessing not you either, right, Dachi-chan?"

                "That's right.  As far as I could tell, he had disappeared completely into the shadows.  I wonder why Shampoo was unaffected by that technique," Kodachi said pensively.

                "I not have any idea," the Amazon replied.

                Ranma pondered for a moment, then let it go.  He walked over to Ken's still-unconscious form and gave him a quick once-over.  Satisfied that the other would be fine, he and the girls set off again.  After walking in silence for a few minutes, he gave a soft chuckle.  "Y'know, I actually feel better now.  I was starting to get really frustrated because nothing strange had been happening all this time."

                "This encounter certainly brought an end to that trend," Kodachi replied.  "But it's too bad we couldn't have run into someone connected with the Sakura triplets' kidnappers instead."

***************

                Sakura's eyes widened at the vision of suffering in front of her.  This meeting wasn't one of the ones she'd seen in her sister's dream, and she was completely unprepared for the sight before her.  It looked like it was taking all of Ken's remaining strength to keep from falling flat on his face.  He limped over from the doorway and collapsed into a chair near her.  "I'm here to make a progress report.  Went up against Ranma this morning."

                She couldn't even speak at first, still too stunned as she mentally added up his injuries.  Bruises all along his torso, a couple of really nasty ones on his head, a twisted ankle, a sprained wrist, and she was almost sure that was a hairline fracture in his right collarbone.  "R- Ranma... did _this_ to you?!" she whispered in a tone of horror.

                "Well, no," Ken admitted.  "Not exactly."  As the disorientation began to clear, he realized that it would have been a lot better to wait and make this report when he wasn't in such obviously bad shape.  That way he could have gotten away with omitting certain unimportant details.  Oh well, he could take a little humiliation.  He'd endured much worse, after all.

                "Like I said, I fought Ranma this morning.  I'm sure he doesn't suspect anything--I made it seem like I'd just caught up with him to have a rematch.  We fought, he caught me off-guard, I lost.  He knocked me out with a few good hits.   That's all, though, he didn't really do that much.  I woke up pretty quickly, so quickly I was still kinda dizzy from his last shot.  Should've waited until my head cleared, but I wanted to make my report right away."

                  "You shouldn't have done that," Sakura whispered, looking down in remorse.  "You should have gotten medical attention first.  As hurt as you are..."

                "Hey, like I was saying, I wasn't anywhere near this bad off after the fight with Saotome," Ken growled.  "Just wasn't paying enough attention to what was going on around me, and I got in an accident a couple of blocks later.  Nothing to say it wouldn't have happened anyway if I'd been heading toward a doctor's office instead."  He wasn't sure what to say, but felt the need to reassure the girl in front of him.  She'd looked like she was blaming herself for some reason.  That was absurd.  Coming here to make his report first was his choice, and had nothing to do with Sakura.  Ken completely ignored the little voice questioning whether the reason he'd hurried straight here from his fight with Ranma might be the hope that his battered condition would get him some sympathy from her.

                "What kind of accident?" Sakura asked.  Hearing that had made her feel a lot better.  An accident was far preferable to thinking she'd set him up to be half-killed by Ranma.

                Ken started to answer, then lost his nerve.  "If it's all right with you, I'd rather not say."

                Sakura blinked, unsure why the boy in front of her was suddenly radiating such a level of embarrassment.  Oh well, if it was important, she'd eventually find out.

                She realized that she was stalling.  There was something she needed to do, and lack of self-confidence notwithstanding, she needed to do it now.  Sakura took a deep breath and gathered her courage.  "You can make your report later.  Sit still."  Abruptly, she got up, walked around her desk and over to Ken, and knelt down beside him.

                "Excuse me?  What are you doing?" Ken asked, more than a little confused.  The girl was trembling, which was easy to tell since she'd just placed her hands along his right shoulder.  What did she think she... was...

                Cool numbness was replacing the pain, spreading out from Sakura's touch to wash over the rest of his body.  Ken didn't really have time to recover from his surprise before the anaesthetic effect spread completely through him, blanketing his thoughts with a fluffy pillow of blissful unconcern.

                An uncertain amount of time passed.  Eventually, Ken struggled back to awareness.  He was still in his chair, but Sakura was no longer kneeling next to him.  She was sitting in the chair she'd been in when he first staggered in.  Ken noticed faint traces of red around her mouth, and legends of vampires and their special powers surged into his mind.  He nearly began to panic.  He was still feeling weak, far too weak to defend himself, too weak even to raise a hand to his neck and check for damage.

                Sakura was still drained from stretching her psychokinetic healing abilities to the limit.  As a result, she didn't sense the fear rising in Ken.  In fact, she didn't even realize he had woken up yet.  Hopefully he wouldn't for another few minutes, she thought.  She hadn't realized at first just how much energy she'd used up.

                Ken blinked as the girl bent down.  He heard the sound of a desk drawer opening, then Sakura straightened up, holding a large dish.  She lifted the lid and transferred another massive serving of cherry cheesecake to the plate Ken hadn't even noticed in front of her.

                As she finished her second helping, Sakura noticed Ken shift in his seat.  She blushed.  "I'm sorry," she said.  "I know it's rude to eat in front of others, but using my healing ability that much leaves me with really low blood sugar.  I tried to finish before you woke up."

                Ken could feel his own strength returning now.  The relief at that, the realization that _he_ wasn't on the menu, and the pleasant discovery that he was no longer in the slightest pain, put him in a much more playful mood than was usual.  "That way you wouldn't have to offer me any, huh?  I understand."

                Sakura was far too inexperienced to realize he was joking.  She flinched, and said miserably, "Well, I only have one plate... and one fork..."

                "Hey, take it easy there.  I was kidding."  Ken sighed mentally.  It figured that as soon as he met somebody as different as he was, who might not be frightened by his altered state, he pushed her away with his personality instead.  "Thank you for healing me."

                "You're welcome," Sakura murmured, blushing now.

                A long moment of awkward silence fell.  Eventually Ken cleared his throat.  "Well, anyway, I suppose I should make my report.  I've been trailing Ranma over the past week.  I'd hoped I could get close enough to overhear him talking with his girlfriends, but whenever I tried that purple-haired girl got uneasy.  That's the first important thing I found out.  She's gotta be way more perceptive than a normal person."

                Sakura's brow wrinkled in puzzlement.  It sounded like Ken had said Ranma was romantically involved with both Shampoo and Kodachi.  That didn't fit at all with the memories she'd glimpsed from her sisters.  She must have just misunderstood him.

                "And the other chick, Kodachi..." Ken shook his head.  "She scares me," he admitted frankly.  "Before I fought Ranma, she let her own battle aura out.  It was too bright even to look at.  She's got more power than anybody has a right to have."

                "I don't understand what you're talking about," she said.  "What do you mean, battle aura?"

                "This."  Ken summoned his, noting that Sakura didn't even flinch at the sight of the shadows shifting and coiling around him.  She just seemed interested.  "It's a sign of a person's strength.  You can see it when somebody with a lot of power is really mad, or in the grip of some other intense emotion.  Skilled martial artists can summon it consciously, like Kodachi did.  Hers was radiating enough power to rip a hole all the way through this building."

                "Oh."  Sakura hesitated, then asked, "What about Ranma?"

                "Ah, yes.  Ranma."  Ken laughed mirthlessly.  "He's even faster than he was the first time we fought, which I wouldn't have believed possible.  He shrugged off several decent attacks like they were nothing.  He got through my guard for only a couple of seconds, but it was enough to take me out completely.  It's Paintbrush Boy's turn to go up against him next, and all I can say is I hope he doesn't go in thinking he's bound to win cause he's got righteousness and truth on his side."

                "DOES he have righteousness and truth on his side?" Sakura queried.

                "He thinks so."  Ken shrugged.  "Personally, I think he's in desperate need of a wake-up call."

***************

                The attack narrowly missed Ranma as he leaped straight up into the air.  Twisting in ways that made several onlookers wonder if this kid's skeleton was made of rubber, he shifted in midair from perpendicular to parallel with the street below him.  Kicking out against a nearby wall bought him enough velocity to shoot backward out of immediate danger.  Ranma landed, and tensely surveyed the scene before him.

                Kodachi and Shampoo looked down at themselves in shock.  This was the first time EVER that Ranma had managed to dodge incoming cold water and they hadn't.  The girls just stood, stunned, for nearly a minute.

                "Hey, you two just gonna stand there and let those kids keep using you for target practice?!  C'mon already!" Ranma called.  His words shook them out of their dazes.

                Kodachi gathered up the sodden remains of her dignity and whirred into a series of backflips, ending at Ranma's side.  Her maneuver had the additional bonus of flinging away most of her excess water, leaving her damp rather than drenched.  She glared at the children and their Super Soakers who'd ambushed the three of them, as if daring the little ragamuffins to advance.

                "Thanks, Dachi-chan," the love of her life commented dryly.  Ranma-chan's tone was the only thing dry about her, thanks to the water shed by the White Rose.

                Meanwhile, Shampoo produced her bonbori, put on the most hideous scowling expression she could muster, and began stalking forward.  Maybe it was too late to salvage her dignity, but at least she could scare the children into behaving better in the future.  She advanced like grim death, a specter that would haunt these kids for years.  Let them learn the consequences of turning their water weapons against a Chinese Amazon!

                The streams lessened, then ceased, as one by one the guns fell silent.  Shampoo stopped next to the gaggle of children, holding her bonbori in a menacing position.  "That was not very polite.  What you say now?" she demanded.

                What seemed to be the leader, a boy of perhaps ten, looked tremulously up at her.  His lower lip quivered as he gulped, and answered, "Ummm... how about... OPEN FIRE!!"

                Shampoo was caught totally off-guard as every child suddenly began blasting away again, with her as their sole target.  She stumbled back, dropping her weapons and falling gracelessly on her bottom.

                The children dashed away, giggling furiously.  Their target rose back to her feet, as bedraggled as a wet cat, and sent an intense glare after them.  For a moment she considered at least running down that snot-nosed little punk who'd given the order, and gifting him with the spanking of his life, but she let it go.

                Shampoo retrieved her bonbori and walked back to the others.  "Next time we see them, Shampoo do more than bluff," she growled.  Then she blinked.  "Airen?  I thought you dodge that water."

                "Chalk it up to friendly fire," Ranma-chan groaned.

                Kodachi punched her playfully on the arm.  "Now, Ranma-kun, if we have to get wet, so should you.  Share and share alike."

                Ranma-chan gave the White Rose a deceptively innocent smile.  "I'll keep that in mind the next time I get splashed and you guys dodge," she promised cheerfully.

                A quick side-trip to a nearby shop got them reasonably dry and put Ranma back in his natural form.  The three diligently resumed their patrol through the streets of Tokyo.  They were intent on their task.  They were determined to see justice done.  They were as focused as hawks, watching for the slightest clue that might mean the difference between victory and defeat.

                "I still can't believe you managed to dodge that water and we didn't, Ranma-kun.  It's always been the other way around."

                They were completely ignoring the author's attempts to set a mood.

                "Yeah, I know, Dachi," Ranma answered.  "Only thing I can think of is, I've pretty much been on edge for the last couple of days now.  It's been a week since that Ken guy showed up, and nothing crazy has happened in all that time.  I've been keeping myself as alert as possible, tryin' to be aware of everything around me."  He sighed.  "We still got time, but I wanted this to be finished already."

                "I too."  Shampoo frowned slightly.  "Like you say, is surprising we not have more crazy things happen while we're searching like this.  Only run-in with shadow boy.  Shampoo wonder if that meeting use up all our... um... allowance of strangeness."

                "If that's so, he's gonna have a lot to answer for.  Maybe if he hadn't been there, we would've run into something instead that woulda actually helped us find the girls," Ranma growled.

                "Perhaps so."  Kodachi made a dissatisfied face.  "I still can't believe that none of our detectives have turned up any leads yet.  At least when they were investigating each other there was the illusion of progress.  I really do hope it doesn't end up all falling on our shoulders."  She sighed.  "Especially since things are going so slowly.  It's almost gotten to the point where I'd be glad to have some ridiculous coincidence happen, just to reassure myself that they still do.  That there is a chance our current course of action might eventually succeed."

                The three turned the corner even as she said this, and nearly ran into Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  Only an adroit zig by Ling-Ling, counterpointed with a timely zag by Ranma, prevented a massive pile-up.  Had either twin been carrying a glass of water, collision would have been unavoidable.

                "Well, Dachi, ask and ye shall receive," Ranma commented.  He turned to the twins.  "What're you two doing out here?  This is way too far out for the restaurant to deliver, isn't it?"

                "We just exploring," Ling-Ling said quickly.  Too quickly.  "Great-Grandmother give us day off."

                Shampoo frowned.  Something was definitely wrong with that reply.  "Really?  Why she do that?  Shampoo understand if you get day off to train, but that not look like what you do to me."

                Ling-Ling grimaced, obviously trying to decide what to say in response.  Shampoo began tapping her foot impatiently, and frowning.  Her cousins could say it was none of her business if they wanted to, but they'd better not lie to her!

                Lung-Lung looked down.  "Is her idea of way to cheer us up, because things go so slow with Airen," she muttered.  "We know need to take it easy, but it hurt he not even comfortable with give us hug yet."

                Shampoo's irritation crumbled, leaving her feeling terrible.  Not only had she obviously jumped to a really ridiculous conclusion awhile back, now she'd gone and brought up a painful subject, hurting her cousins when they were trying to cheer themselves up.  This day wasn't turning out very well, the Amazon thought sadly.  Hopefully it wouldn't get any worse.

                "You're lucky to have an Airen who's not afraid to care for you, big sister.  Is Ranma a good kisser?" Ling-Ling asked.

                "H- Hey!  What kinda question is that?!" Ranma sputtered.

                Ling-Ling did a double-take.  "Oh, sorry, Ling-Ling forgot Ranma speak our language."

                Shampoo managed to recover her composure, at least mostly.  "That not matter to discuss out in middle of street," she said.  "Ask Shampoo later."

                Lung-Lung eyed her closely.  "Big sister Shampoo, what wrong?  You no look happy."

                "Is nothing," Shampoo replied, casting desperately around for something to change the subject.

                But it wasn't nothing.  It hurt that Ranma hadn't offered that to her yet.  She knew she could initiate, and he would go along with it, but this one thing she needed her Airen to give her because he wanted it.  Wanted it enough to make the first move.

                Like Lung-Lung, Ranma could also see the look in Shampoo's eyes which branded her answer a lie.  A quick glimpse through the Heart Link laid her feelings bare to his perception.  Ranma felt his own heart clench as he understood something he hadn't before.

                'Dammit, there's no excuse for this!  I know better than anybody else how affectionate Shampoo is.  I shoulda realized how she felt before now.  Shoulda been doing a better job of showing her how I felt.  I gotta make it right.'  Ranma paled and began to tremble, but resolution stiffened his spine.  "Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, we need privacy.  Now."

                The twins gave him a confused look.  The intensity of his gaze quickly got them moving.  'Two down,' Ranma thought without much satisfaction as they vanished into the flow of traffic.  Not much he could do about all the other people walking along on the street.

                Steeling himself, and focusing on Shampoo's questioning expression, Ranma spoke hesitantly.  "Shampoo...  I... I'm sorry.  I haven't been giving you as much affection as you need.  I haven't given you as much as you deserve."  He gulped.  "Heck, I haven't given you as much as I have for you, and that's really stupid.  But you know me, feelings and stuff ain't the easiest thing to deal with, and I can be an idiot sometimes, but at least I hope you're okay with that cause you're gonna have to live with it the rest of your life, and..."

                That last statement actually helped galvanize him.  As the realization of what he'd just said dawned on Ranma, it completely washed away the thought that he was in the middle of the street, in full view of numerous passersby.  It demolished his fear of what he was about to do as well... his most basic instincts took over, as some portion of him realized that speaking was getting him deeper in trouble than anything else he could possibly do.  Far better to use his lips for something else.

                Kodachi smiled as she watched Ranma desperately grab Shampoo in a grip of iron and kiss her with everything he had.  "Right in the middle of the street, too," she murmured appreciatively.  "Don't think I'm ever going to let you get out of showing public affection after this, Ranma-sama."

                To Shampoo, it felt like the moment would last forever, as if time itself had stopped.  She could feel Ranma through their link, feel tenderness and affection and concern and remorse and a deep desire to please her and make her feel loved.  All this and more (a little fear, but not too much, and it quickly vanished) radiating out from his heart to hers.  She lost herself in that as much as the kiss and embrace.

                After an eternity, all too soon, it ended.  Ranma pulled back a little, though he still kept his arms around her.  "I shoulda done that a long time ago."

                Shampoo nodded solemnly, though her smile could NOT have been wider.  "Is so.  But Ranma do now."  She blinked tears out of her eyes.  "Thank you, Airen."  He pulled her close again, though this time limiting himself to the embrace.

                "Well, that answer question for sure," Ling-Ling commented from her position behind Kodachi.

                The White Rose jumped, and spun around.  "I thought you two left," she said inanely.

                "Ranma say go away, he want privacy."  Lung-Lung shrugged.  "If he say to whole street instead of just us, maybe we even listen."

                "Probably not, though," Ling-Ling admitted.  "But we no would have let him see we still here."

                Kodachi snorted.  "Well, anyway, what question were you talking about?"

                "Ling-Ling ask big sister Shampoo whether Ranma good kisser.  From what we see, question answered no doubt."

                "Hey!"  After letting go of Shampoo, a little reluctantly on both their parts, Ranma had noticed the twins.  "I thought you guys left."

                "So Ranma make mistake.  Happen to best of us," Lung-Lung said.

                Ranma growled.  Kodachi laid a placating hand on his arm.  "Now Ranma-kun, if you wanted privacy you should at least have taken Shampoo down a side alley.  But you were brave enough to kiss her in full view of everybody.  I'm glad to see how happy you just made her.  I know you are as well, far more so than I."

                He blushed, but nodded.  "And I'm proud of you for not worrying about the petty opinions of others," Kodachi continued.  "Very proud.  So proud I almost can't find any words at all.  But there is one other thing I did want to say."  She paused, and the gleam in her eyes was very bright.  "MY turn!!"

                Shampoo gave an appreciative whistle as her sworn sister grabbed their man in an embrace every bit as passionate as the one the Amazon had just enjoyed.  The twins walked up next to her.  "Big sister Shampoo, was that you first kiss from Ranma?" Lung-Lung queried.

                Shampoo nodded, still a little breathless.  "Yes.  Remember what Shampoo tell you awhile back, about good things worth waiting for?"  The twins nodded.  "Shampoo can definitely say from first-hand experience is true."

                "Still, you shouldn't have had to wait so long.  I'm glad I could help get him moving a little faster," Ling-Ling said thoughtfully.  Then she grinned.  "When Ranma's paying attention again and can hear me say it, do you want me to ask how good a lover he is?"

                Not everybody who had witnessed the beginning of these antics had stopped to watch.  But enough people did that the flow of traffic was slowed down, which had caused sufficient of a crowd to form that others were now drifting over to see what everyone else was looking at.  Shampoo didn't notice, being too caught up in the thoughts Ling-Ling had just sparked.  Neither did Ranma nor Kodachi, for obvious reasons.

                The twins did, and momentarily considered trying to get everybody moving again, but quickly realized the crowd had already grown too large.  The only way they could scatter this many people would be to use the Dance of the Screaming Lemur, and that would affect Ranma, Kodachi, and big sister Shampoo as well.  Plus they'd left that cassette in the Nekohanten anyway.

                Lung-Lung frowned.  She'd be the first to admit she still didn't understand the Japanese, but she'd learned enough to suspect neither Ranma nor Kodachi would be happy, when they finally broke their kiss, to realize they'd attracted a crowd of this size.  It was just too bad there wasn't any way to disperse everyone before that happened.

                "RANMA SAOTOME, YOU BASE, VILE BETRAYER!!"

                The scream was still resonating in the air as a whirring began to sound.  The crowd gave a collective shriek and dispersed, the former spectators running for cover as a sudden inkstorm began flinging ebony droplets all along the lane.  None came close to the Amazons, though this was just a fortunate accident.  There was really only one person here whom the speaker had been determined not to hit with his attack.

                Ranma and Kodachi broke the clinch, much sooner than either had wanted, and turned to face the source of the disturbance.  The street was mostly empty now (if you didn't count the ink-spots everywhere), and it was obvious who had cried out.

                Kodachi's expression shifted from outrage to pain as she got a good look at the speaker.  "Pierre.  Why did it have to be Pierre?"

                Ling-Ling gave the newcomer a frankly incredulous stare.  Taking in his ink-stained pants, his paint-smeared shirt, his beret, his facial hair, his giant paintbrush, and his expression of enraged disbelief.  "Big sister Shampoo, you know this clown?"

                "Sort of, yes.  I never meet him before, but know him from Ranma's memories in Heart Link."  Shampoo sighed.  "Is sad story, happen back when Shampoo was still chasing Tatewaki.  Kodachi put some of her paintings on display in museum."  The Amazon frowned, temporarily distracted as she remembered the name of the exhibit to which Kodachi had been asked to contribute was 'Martial Artists Aren't All Uncultured Barbarians.'  Neither her sister nor her Airen had been amused when they attended the opening and discovered this.

                "This boy also paint, and put his work in museum.  He good too, better overall than Kodachi even.  He met her and fell hard for her, saw her as perfect girl for him because they have much in common.  But she already loved Ranma and rather have him, like that not obvious.  He challenged Ranma to fight, which Airen win."

                "What paintbrush boy's name?" Ling-Ling asked.

                Shampoo shrugged helplessly.  "I no can pronounce."

                "It's Pierre.  Pierre DuMaupoissant, the self-proclaimed Master of Martial Art," Kodachi said sadly.  "After he lost the fight, he vowed he'd wait for me to come to my senses and realize he made a much better choice for me than Ranma-sama."

                "Sound like he one what need come to his senses," Lung-Lung commented.

                Kodachi nodded.  "At least he didn't stick around and make a continuing nuisance of himself.  I had hoped he'd gotten over this and moved on with his life."

                Meanwhile, Pierre and Ranma hadn't been standing idly by, waiting for the explanatory side dialogue to conclude before starting their own confrontation.  Pierre HAD paused for nearly a quarter of a minute, but that was because he was struggling to master the emotions that were raging within him.  At last, after attaining a tenuous grip on his temper, he spoke.  "Saotome, I'm not quite sure I can believe my eyes.  Correct me if I'm wrong, you enemy of women, but did I or did I not just see you kiss another girl and then sully the lovely Kodachi with your vile touch not a minute later?!"

                "Actually, I'm pretty sure more than a minute passed between the kisses, so, yeah, you're wrong," Ranma retorted.

                Pierre's knuckles whitened as his hands clenched more tightly around the haft of his weapon.  "You two-timing cur," he hissed, too angry to bother with the fact that it's supposed to be impossible to hiss a sentence without an 's' in it.  "You have someone like Kodachi and you dare seek the arms of another woman as well?!  Ranma Saotome, for this you die!!"

                Ranma opened his mouth to point out that the first kiss had taken place in full view of Kodachi, but Pierre had already moved forward in an attack.  Spinning his paintbrush like a bo, the Master of Martial Art charged forward.  Ranma blocked the initial flurry of swipes, recognizing the basic pattern of the attack from his last match against Pierre.  Three... two... one...

                As Pierre whipped his weapon into the final move of the sequence, Ranma dropped to his knees.  The blow to his head would have been easily blocked, but doing so would have caused the brush to shoot a load of ink directly into his face.  He'd had enough of that the first time he faced Pierre.  As the bristles of the brush passed harmlessly through the air, Ranma launched an attack of his own.

                Since the last blow was meant to be blocked, it hadn't been made with anywhere near Pierre's full strength.  Because he wasn't fully committed, the artist managed to shift the bottom of the paintbrush's handle to block Ranma's counterattack.  The speed of the pigtailed boy's straight punch was too much for his awkward defense, though, and Pierre lost his hold on his weapon.  It flew off to one side, too far away to be retrieved at the moment.  The Master of Martial Art backpedaled, knowing full well that he was at a distinct disadvantage in close-quarter combat.  He reached behind him, to one of the pouches slung on his back.

                Ranma tensed, recognizing an attack was imminent, wondering just how weird this one would be.  Judging by the number of different types of supplies Pierre carried, Ranma was all but certain he hadn't seen every technique in the artist's arsenal during their first battle.  And the ones he had experienced, like Still Life and Watercolor Wash, had been so bizarre that it was difficult to counter them.  Particularly Ranma hoped Pierre wasn't about to unleash his Abstract Expressionism technique.

                "Martial Art special attack:  Pointalism!!"  Pierre's hand whipped forward, launching a number of pen-shaped darts at Ranma, who heaved a quick sigh of relief.  Needle-sharp tips or no needle-sharp tips, this was nothing that was any trouble to him.  His hands became a blur as he caught them all, then dropped them to the pavement at his feet.

                Pierre blanched.  Nobody ought to be able to move that fast.

                Ranma glared at him.  It probably wouldn't stop the fight, but he ought at least to clue this moron in that he hadn't done anything Kodachi didn't approve of.  "Hey, Pierre, the reason you're fightin' me is cause you ain't happy about how things are going between me and Dachi-chan, right?"

                The other's face twisted in new fury.  "You dare to take that tone after what you've done?!  After how you've betrayed her?!"  A battle aura began swirling around him, multicolored rather than a uniform hue.  "You will pay for your crimes against Kodachi, you blackguard!"  He reached behind him again, pulling out a large empty painting frame, complete with hanging wire attached.  Pierre twisted it sharply, causing it to fold into an oversized pair of baroque nunchaku.  He began spinning them, watching for Ranma to focus on that motion.  As soon as that happened, he'd launch the real attack, and--

                Pierre's thoughts were cut off as a ribbon snaked out and sliced cleanly through the wire connecting the shafts of wood.  The one he hadn't been holding spun off to one side and shattered a storefront window.  The White Rose winced, then focused on more important things.  "Pierre, stop this at once!" she demanded.  "How dare you attempt to punish Ranma when there was no crime committed?"  She did her best not to let any of her sympathy for him slip into her voice.  Even though it might be more painful for him now, far better for her to do whatever it took to make him give up.

                At this, his fury at Ranma faltered, replaced by blank astonishment.  "N- no crime?  How can you say that?!  He admitted to kissing another girl right before he did the same to you!  Didn't you hear him?!"

                Kodachi gave him a puzzled look.  "I SAW it happen.  If you were watching, didn't you notice me?"

                "There... there must have been someone standing in the way, that prevented my seeing you then," he choked out.  He swallowed several times, trying to rid himself of the feeling of something hard and jagged in his throat, then asked, "How?  How can you be so calm about it?  He just betrayed you in full view of the world, and you shrug it off as if it doesn't even matter?!"

                Kodachi glared at him.  "It's hardly a betrayal if it was done with my full approval."  She sighed.  "Pierre, when you left, several months ago, you said you would wait for me to tire of Ranma and come to you.  I told you then not to waste your time like that, and I'm telling you again now."  She braced herself.  Even though it was for his own good, it was still hard for her to speak so harshly as this.  "It is none of your concern what Ranma does, with me or with another.  You are not part of my life.  Nor will you be.  Ranma is, now and FOREVER, a part of me as vital and intimate as my own heart.  That place is his, and will never be yielded to another.  If you wish to do something for me, then I ask only one thing of you:  forget me and move on with your own life."

                At first, she thought he wasn't going to respond at all.  He just stood there, head downcast, as still as a statue.  Then he began to tremble ever so slightly.  Looking up, his eyes met Kodachi's squarely.  The pain and desperation there made the White Rose feel even worse, but she steeled her soul and met his gaze unflinchingly, giving him nothing of what he'd hoped to find.

                After a full minute, something seemed to pass out of Pierre.  His shoulders sagged, and he broke eye contact.  Without a word, he walked over and retrieved his giant paintbrush, slinging it into its place at his back.  He began to walk away, but his steps slowed and then stopped before he could pass down the side alley he'd been aiming for.

                Pierre's hands clenched, and he turned around, looking not at Kodachi but rather to Ranma.  "Damn you," he choked.  "You have someone like her and you can't even stay faithful to her, and still she'd rather have you than someone who'd worship her for the masterpiece she is.  I'll never forgive you nor forget this, Ranma Saotome.  We will face each other again in combat, and may the gods have mercy on your soul then.  Because I won't."

***************

                The shadows were lengthening toward sunset as Ranma and Kodachi exited the Kuno mansion.  It was several days since Ranma's abortive battle with Pierre.  It was also the first day since the disappointment with the Eye of Bastet that they hadn't spent any time patrolling through greater Tokyo in search of the Sakuras.  When Cologne said it was time for Shampoo to spend a day training with her, none of the three had been foolhardy enough to protest.

                Kodachi sneaked a glance at Ranma as they walked along in companionable silence.  She could feel something was bothering him.  She almost asked him what the matter was, then decided to try something else.  The thought that eventually she would be able to use the Heart Link to speak mind-to-mind with Ranma had intrigued her ever since she learned of it, and now she chose to concentrate, focusing on the Link, attempting by empathy alone to determine just what was on Ranma's mind.

                This level of detail was still too much for her to handle... the Link wouldn't deepen to that extent for a few more years.  But Kodachi did manage to pull in one random thought, one crystal-clear memory.  It had nothing to do with why Ranma was feeling a bit depressed right now, but her achievement was pretty overwhelming nonetheless.

                Ranma started in surprise as Kodachi walked face-first into a telephone pole.  Unlike the White Rose, he took a more direct route to finding out just what had prompted her distraction.  "Dachi-chan?  What just happened?"

                Kodachi blinked her way back to reality.  Her eyes met Ranma's concerned gaze.  She blushed so furiously that for just a moment, the 'Red Rose' would have been more appropriate.  "N- nothing!" she squeaked, getting up hastily and brushing herself off.

                Her boyfriend frowned.  "Oh, really.  Do ya think you could possibly have been less convincing with that denial, Dachi?"

                She laughed nervously.  "Seriously, Ranma-sama, it's nothing important."

                "Okay, now I KNOW there's something goin' on.  You don't usually pull out the '-sama' unless I'm in trouble or I just managed to do something romantic."  Ranma made an elaborate show of looking around.  "Nope, no crazed challengers trying to smash me into the ground.  And I think I woulda noticed if I pulled off something mushy."

                Kodachi sighed, though a smile tugged at her lips.  "You asked for this.  I felt through the Heart Link that you were feeling downcast, and I thought I'd try and get an idea of the specific reason.  I don't think I managed to do that, but I did get a glimpse of a recent memory of yours."

                "What memory?" Ranma asked, ignoring the voice that whispered maybe he ought to quit while he was ahead.

                "Well, it was a dream," Kodachi responded, the blush rising again.  Though the memory had seemed surprisingly clear.  Still, it couldn't have really happened.  She was certain that she wouldn't have slept through Ranma waking up and finding her in his bed.

                On hearing that, Ranma froze and began babbling.  "Um... ahh... I didn't..."

                Seeing his embarrassment helped Kodachi ignore hers.  She reached out and patted his cheek.  "I know you didn't.  Really, Ranma-sama, it was a bit disappointing to see that you dream of finding me in your bed and then behaving like a perfect gentleman."

                This would have been the perfect time for Ranma to reveal that that had been no dream.  He might even have done so, if his vocal chords hadn't been temporarily frozen.  Along with the rest of his higher-order functions.

                'Well, I've certainly managed to distract him from whatever was bothering him,' Kodachi mused.  But that wasn't really what she'd intended to do.  At least not until she'd found out what the problem was.  She swallowed the next teasing remark that had risen to mind, and waited for Ranma to regain his composure.

                Eventually he did so, at least enough to speak again.  "Ah heh heh... listen, Dachi-chan... about that..."

                "It's all right, Ranma," she said, giving him a warm smile.  The White Rose barely choked back a reassurance that that was nothing compared to some of the dreams she'd had about him.  Something told her that wouldn't go very far in helping put him back at his ease.

                "But..." Ranma hesitated, trying to decide how best to explain that it hadn't been a dream.  Then something dawned on  him.  Namely, if he did reveal that, it would only complicate the situation further.  Ranma wisely shut his mouth.

                They walked in silence for another few minutes, then Kodachi spoke up.  "So what was bothering you, before?"

                He didn't answer right away.  Kodachi quickened her pace and moved in front of him, forcing him to stop.  "It's stupid," Ranma muttered, looking away.

                "Very well, I'm forewarned.  Now tell me," she said.  "Even if it is something ridiculous, it still matters to me that you're unhappy."  A thought crossed her mind, and she said hesitantly, "Is it Pierre?  All that nonsense he babbled about you 'betraying' me?  Because if it is..."

                "No, it's not that.  Believe you me, Dachi, when he started goin' off about that, I focused as hard on the Link as I could, and I couldn't feel any hurt or resentment in you."  Ranma gave her a smile.  "Thanks for that, by the way," he said awkwardly.

                She smiled back.  "You're welcome."

                A long moment of silence fell.  At last Ranma sighed, and spoke again.  "Dachi?  Where are we headed right now?"

                The White Rose gave him a puzzled look, then realized he was trying to ease his way into whatever he was going to tell her.  "To the Nekohanten, to meet up with Shampoo."

                "And why did she stay there the whole day?"

                "Because her great-grandmother wanted to spend the day training her."  Shampoo had received a great deal of shiatsu training from Cologne in the last couple of months.  Though in the past she had mainly focused on power-based attacks, with a few pressure-point techniques as backup, the Matriarch had convinced her to change that.  After all, Kodachi provided more than enough sheer power for Team Ranma.  The skills Shampoo was learning now would let her contribute a finesse that the other two didn't have.

                "That's... that's just it."  Ranma should have known this wouldn't make it any easier to come out with what was bothering him.  "Shampoo's off spending time with her great-grandmother, getting trained and learning cool new techniques."  His fists clenched, and a look of anger appeared on his face.  "And where's my old man?  Sittin' on his lazy butt at the Tendo place, not even caring anymore about how far I've come!"

                Kodachi blinked.  She hadn't expected this.  "Ranma?  Don't you think it's better that he stays out of your life?"

                He sighed.  "I dunno.  I mean, yeah, my life was hell before I got here and met you, Dachi.  Thanks to my old man, I never got to have a home or a long-term friend.  The only reason I can remember what my mother's face looked like is cause you painted that picture for me after the Heart Link.  All thanks to Pop and his training trip from hell.

                "But it did make me into a great martial artist.  My old man did manage to do that at least.  If he hadn't, if I didn't turn out so good at the Art, it'd be like all that was pointless.  All the crud I put up with woulda been for nothing."

                "But you did turn out as you did," Kodachi pointed out, not sure what Ranma was driving at.

                "That's right.  I may not have a lot to be proud of from my time with Pop, but I do have that.  He did manage to do something right."  Ranma's face hardened.  "But what did it mean to him?  Anything?  I've come a long way since I left the Tendos, and a lot of that's thanks to you, Dachi-chan.  I'm a lot better martial artist now than I was then.  Does it matter to him at all?  If he doesn't care, why the HELL did he drag me all over the place and subject me to that much torture-disguised-as-trainin' in the first place?  If he does care, where is he now?"

                Kodachi bit her lip, not wanting to give voice to the suspicion that rose up within her then.  Hearing it would only make Ranma more unhappy.

                "Was it all just so I could inherit the stupid Tendo dojo, and once I was good enough for that he didn't care anymore?!" Ranma continued.  "Was he just planning to do nothing and let me support him by running it?  Is he thinking now he can just sit back and eventually live the good life off the Kuno fortune, so who cares if I keep up with the Art or not?!"

                Obviously there hadn't been any point in keeping quiet about her suspicion, Kodachi thought.

                Ranma sighed morosely, not even realizing that he'd just made another accidental admission of lifelong commitment.  "I ain't saying I want him to show up and start tryin' to call all the shots in my life again.  But I do miss the old panda.  Just a little bit.  And it hurts to think he may not miss me."

                The White Rose found herself at a loss for words.  On the one hand, she wanted to comfort Ranma.  On the other, she felt like the situation most probably was as he'd just described.  She might wish otherwise, for Ranma's sake, but it wasn't like her wishes could change reality.

                Was there anything at all she could say to make him feel better?  It would do no good whatsoever to dream up some alternate explanation for Genma's behavior.  Ranma would feel the lack of conviction for sure.  Anything she said now had better be something she believed, or she would just be wasting her breath...

                Kodachi brightened.  "Actually, Ranma, I can think of at least one other possible explanation."

                Ranma gave her a skeptical look, but he could feel her sincerity.  "Really?  What's that?"

                "He's probably just too scared, after the beating we gave him over his treatment of Ucchan."

                Ranma considered that.  He knew good and darn well that his old man was a coward in many ways.  That was something he'd come to terms with a long time ago.  "Maybe that is it.  I'd rather it was."

                Kodachi mentally patted herself on the back.  Ranma was feeling better now.  Perhaps it would eventually turn out that their first guess was the correct one, but she'd worry about that when it happened.  At least, even if worst came to worst, Ranma wouldn't have to face it alone.  She smiled warmly at him, then took his hand in her own.

                They walked along in silence again.  A few minutes later, they turned the final corner and came in sight of the Nekohanten.  Both paused for a moment, taking in the sight before them.  It wasn't like they hadn't seen the lane in front of the restaurant many times before, but the scene was a bit different this time.  Specifically, a portly man with a blonde beard styled in ringlets, wearing nothing but a barrel on his body and a gloomy expression on his face, was trudging slowly away.  A gaggle of children followed behind, pelting him with eggs.

                Ranma and Kodachi exchanged glances, then the former shrugged.  "Same ol' Nerima," he said as the two entered the restaurant.

***************

                By now, most of the fun had gone out of patrolling Tokyo.  The sense of time slipping by was weighing heavily on all three of them.  Each teenager was grimly conscious that their grace period might have already expired.  Fujima had only said the triplets were in no _immediate_ danger, after all, and that had been three weeks ago now.

                Their investigators were still scratching away at the blank wall that was the disappearance of the Sakuras and their families.  Kodachi couldn't decide which was worse... hearing nothing but silence, which was the case now, or receiving regular reports of no progress, which had been the case until she told the detectives not to seek her out again unless they had something positive to tell her.  Neither was the least bit enjoyable.

                And still the three made their rounds, concentrating now on the less reputable sections of the city, hoping that would increase the odds of finding their quarry.  On the other hand, Ranma thought sourly, it would also probably increase the chance of running into somebody else from his past with a score to settle.

                They'd been silent for most of this morning.  Only a few words had been spoken, mostly when they were debating which route to take.  Eventually Kodachi decided to try to lighten the mood.  "Well, it's been another week since the last vengeance-driven blast from the past showed up.  Tell me, Ranma-kun, who do you think will be challenging you today?"

                Ranma groaned.  "Don't say that, please.  That ain't the kinda ridiculous coincidence we need.  If something crazy is gonna happen, at least let it be something that helps us stumble onto the Sakuras."

                "That what I hope too," Shampoo said.  "We is running out of time.  Only one more week before school lets out.  If we don't find triplet girls by then, will have to throw out own summer plans and instead stay here to keep looking."  Not a thought that was even slightly palatable to any of them.  The Amazon frowned thoughtfully.  "If we find nothing in next few days, I going to confront Fujima and ask him for more information."

                " 'Ask'? " Ranma queried with a half-hearted grin.

                Shampoo gave a smile of her own.  "With shiatsu points Great-Grandmother teach me this week, will not need to do more than that."  The Amazon sniffed.  "Though would be nice to get rid of some stress by pounding stupid secretive principal.  You is lucky, Ranma.  At least with shadow boy and paintbrush boy, you get to fight them and let off steam.  Shampoo feel like she sealed-up bottle with pressure build up and up, with no way to let out."

                "Do you think it would have been better, Shampoo, if both Pierre and Ken had attacked Ranma together?  That way you could have fought at his side, and worked off some of your stress in that manner," Kodachi said absently.

                "That would have been better, yes."  Shampoo gave Kodachi a questioning look.  "What about you, though?  You would not want to fight too?  Shampoo know you is frustrated also."

                "Yes," Kodachi admitted, "but in the circumstances I don't think I'll be able to get involved.  I feel too sorry for Pierre to actually fight against him.  Besides, the three of us against the two of them would be completely unfair.  It's best if you and Ranma-kun just handle this yourselves."

                The questioning look hadn't gone away, though it was present for a different reason now.  "Kodachi, I know my Japanese still not great, but it sure sound like you use wrong..." Shampoo struggled for the word, "... wrong tense there.  Like we actually about to have fight, not just hypothetical idea."

                The White Rose put on her best ironic expression and pointed down the street.

                And there they were, both Ken and Pierre, awaiting the approach of Ranma and the girls.  The two boys seemed equally tightly focused on the upcoming meeting, though it showed itself differently in their different stances.  Ken lounged against a wall, and only his eyes betrayed the tension that his languid posture denied.  Pierre stood ramrod straight, in the center of the lane, with cold fury evident in every inch of his bearing.

                Ranma froze, holding motionless for several heartbeats, then strode forward, his own anger fairly radiating off him.  Shampoo hurried to catch up.  Kodachi walked along more slowly, and seated herself at a convenient bench.  It should be far enough back to keep her outside the zone of the upcoming battle, but it was still close enough that she could nail Ken with a gymnastics club if she needed to.  No reason to let Shampoo have ALL the fun, after all.

                The heir to the Anything Goes school stopped when he was about five feet away from Ken.  "I'm only gonna say this once," he gritted out.  "Get out of here.  Now!  We got something important to do and I'm sick an' tired of you jerks running into us and keepin' us from it!"

                Ken's insouciant smirk just got a little wider, though his eyes stayed hard and focused.  "Something important?  Only thing I see is you skipping school to take your girlfriends on a tour of greater Tokyo.  Forgive me if I don't think that's quite as important as you do.  Or is there something I'm missing?"

                Ranma opened his mouth to respond, but Pierre beat him to the verbal punch.  "Don't bother," he snarled.  "There's no more need for words, you vermin.  I don't care what you're here for.  I don't care what you want.  Here and now, Saotome, is where you pay for your crimes."  His aura began to blaze, throwing different shafts of colors in different directions.  He pulled his weapon from its harness at his back, and moved into a ready position.  "This time, YOU learn what it feels like to lose!!"

                Kodachi had the oddest impression that, just for a minute, Ken was far angrier at his partner than at Ranma.  Why would that be, she wondered.  Was it just because Pierre's tirade had kept Ranma-sama from answering Ken's question?  But why should he care about their reasons for not being in school?  Perhaps the grey boy was simply allergic to other people's melodrama.

                "I don't think so," Ranma snorted as he moved into a defensive stance.  Shampoo took one of her own, facing Ken, who shot one last baleful glare at Pierre before stepping away from the wall.  Both duos began sidling around, each martial artist seeking a better position before the punches actually started to fly.  "You ain't got nothing to teach me, Picasso."

                "Picasso?  Not yet, Saotome.  You'll look like one of his versions of the human figure by the time I've finished with you, though," Pierre promised.  Ranma wondered just what the heck that was supposed to mean.  His only real familiarity with the fine arts came from Kodachi's memories, and while she knew the artist's name she wasn't at all familiar with Picasso's style.

                Pierre spared one instant for a glance to the side.  Good, they'd put enough distance between themselves and the other two soon-to-be-combatants that he wouldn't catch his semi-ally in the wake of this attack.  "Instead of Picasso, how about... Durer!  Martial Art special attack:  Woodcut!!"

                The Master of Martial Art slammed the point of his paintbrush into the ground, freeing his hands for the technique.  He reached behind him and began producing a seemingly-endless stream of sharp-edged wooden blocks, hurling them at Ranma as fast as he could bring them to hand.

                Ranma lashed out with his fists and feet, blurring into top speed in a credible impression of a blender.  He took several cuts on his hands before he realized just HOW sharp that wood was.  Shifting tactics with the speed that was such a part of Anything Goes, he grabbed the next two blocks out of midair, taking care not to grasp them along their edges, and used them instead of his flesh to counter the remaining projectiles.

                The Master of Martial Art almost faltered in his attack, dismayed again to see the extent of his foe's speed.  Then his resolve stiffened, as he realized Ranma's defense forced him to move with much greater velocity and precision than Pierre's attack required.  The artist just had to aim at Ranma's general body, but the pigtailed-boy had to precisely target each block.  Pierre could see that Ranma wasn't going to run out of stamina before he ran out of woodcuts, but the attack was bound to deplete his opponent's energy reserves much further than it would his own.

***************

                Shampoo regarded the boy in front of her.  She didn't expect this fight to be too hard... as soon as he tried his 'hide in shadows' trick on her, she'd have him right where she wanted him.  In fact, the Amazon realized, winning that way would be too easy.  She wanted a real fight.  Let's see... maybe if she insulted him enough, that would spur him into attacking straightforwardly.

                "Is pretty pathetic both of you gang up on Ranma at the same time," Shampoo said conversationally as she and Ken maneuvered their way away from Ranma and Pierre.  "If you no have courage to face stronger opponent by own self, you should no call yourself a martial artist.  Of course, that pretty much go without saying.  Is silly invisibility trick the only thing you got?"

                Ken just shrugged.  "Gee, I'm sooo sorry my technique didn't impress you.  And it wasn't like I was really fighting dirty today.  I was pretty sure one of you girls would jump in to help Ranma when I showed up with an 'ally'."  The arrogant smile he'd worn earlier returned to his face.  "Actually, I was afraid it would be Kodachi who I'd end up fighting.  Facing you instead is a big relief, let me tell you."

                Shampoo's face flushed beet red.  Knowing Kodachi was better than her was one thing.  She could even admit it with no problem.  But to have someone say the White Rose was the only one of Ranma's girls that made a credible opponent... her battle aura sprang up, and she whipped out her bonbori.  The Amazon dashed forward.  She was way too cute to really seem like a charging bull, but there was a little bit of a resemblance.

                Ken's smile had faded away like the morning dew when Shampoo produced the weapons.  _That_ he hadn't counted on.  Those things might look silly, but they also looked pretty darn heavy.  The plan, 'block Shampoo's attacks then strike through the holes that her anger would have left in her defense', was quickly amended to 'get the heck out of her way and think of something else.'

                A quick dash to one side left Shampoo's maces swinging through empty air.  Ken put enough distance between himself and the Amazon to be safe, then concentrated.  "Hey, Shampoo, since you don't think much of my 'silly invisibility trick', let's see how well you do against it!"  His battle aura sprang to life, and the lane fell quickly toward shadow.  "Now you see me... now you don't!"

                Kodachi did her best to keep a straight face.  Ken might have just dropped from her field of vision, but the same limitation didn't apply to Shampoo.  The poor fool would never know what hit him.

***************

                The sudden loss of light made it somewhat more difficult for Ranma to smash the remaining woodcuts out of the air.  However, as Pierre only had ten left at that point, it wasn't more than a minor inconvenience.

                The stream of missiles ended at last.  Ranma dropped the two he'd used, not even noticing that they, like all the other blocks, were engraved with an image of him lying on the ground in defeat.  "Is that the best you got, man?"

                "I'm just getting warmed up!" Pierre snarled, grabbing his brush and beginning to spin it.  He advanced on his opponent in an attack sequence that was becoming all too familiar to the Saotome heir.

                'I don't believe this loser!' Ranma thought as he blocked and dodged.  'Sure, this shoot-ink-into-the-other-guy's-face attack worked the first time he tried it on me, but I already showed him it wasn't gonna happen again.  I wouldn't've thought even Pierre would be stupid enough to try it another time...'

                The sequence had now progressed to the culminating move.  Ranma frowned, then disengaged, jumping backward instead of using the same tactic he'd employed before.  This proved to be a wise decision.  Even as Pierre whipped the brush toward where Ranma's head had been a scant second earlier, the artist pivoted with the swing and shot one leg out in a powerful kick.  A kick that no doubt would have been most unpleasant to someone who'd tried to duck the brush stroke instead of blocking it.

***************

                Shampoo put on her best frustrated face as the shadows fell over the lane.  In point of fact, she could see Ken perfectly clearly, but she didn't want him to know that.  Yet.

                "Still think this is a silly trick?"  The Amazon was mildly surprised... even though she knew where Ken was, it was still impossible to detect any direction in the echoing voice that spoke now.  Apparently whatever protection was over her eyes didn't extend to her ears.  "Don't think I'm going to go any easier on you just because you're a girl."  Ken was quite close now, approaching at an oblique angle, but his voice still seemed as far away as ever.

                "That insult to my Amazon ancestors!" Shampoo cried, no longer having to pretend to be annoyed.  She whipped her head around, ostensibly trying to catch a glimpse of her opponent, while letting her peripheral vision keep tabs on his progress.

                "Sorry.  I'm not the most polite guy around."  He was quite close now.  "I even hit girls!"

                That last cry hadn't been directionless.  It had seemed to come from right in front of her, which was ninety degrees away from Ken's current position.  With a smirk, Shampoo whirled to the attack, ignoring the distraction, spinning and driving straight for her opponent.

                He didn't even flinch, just dodged and lashed out in his own offensive.  Shampoo, who'd been sure she'd catch him off guard, was the one whose attack faltered.  She'd compensated for his expected moment of shock, and without that present, she left herself wide open.  There wasn't even a chance to raise her defenses before Ken's strikes landed.

                Ken jumped back, another insufferably irritating smirk on his face.  "Gotcha."  With a leaden *clunk*, the severed balls of her bonbori maces dropped to the ground.  Shampoo was left holding the splintered remains of the hafts.  She entertained a brief fantasy of impaling this boy on one of them, then chucked them to the side.

                The Amazon produced an evil smile of her own.  "You already know Shampoo can see you even in shadows, hmm?  Do good job of tricking me.  Too bad you waste your one chance for decisive blow.  You think without bonbori, I no can fight?"  She shook her head dismissively.  "Should have picked your target better, shadow boy.  You not deceive me like that again."

                He snorted, and suddenly the shadows dissipated, returning the area to its normal light level.  "Hey, Shampoo, you asked me a question earlier, and I never did answer."

                "What that?" Shampoo asked, tensing her legs for one of the aerial attacks she'd learned from Ranma.

                "About whether the Shadow Shroud was the only thing I had up my sleeve."  Ken's aura sprang to life again, appearing first as a light grey haze, then darkening quickly until he was encased in a solid ebony sheath.  "It's not."

***************

                "Nice try," Ranma said, then shifted onto the offensive.

                Pierre was forced back, spinning his primary weapon desperately as he attempted to block the furious hail of blows.  Some he was only able to deflect, and ended up taking the hits on his shoulders and in his lower ribs, but the partial blocks robbed Ranma's punches of much of their force.  The pigtailed marital artist realized this, and forced himself to move even faster.

                His opponent couldn't handle this new level of speed.  First one, then two, then half a dozen punches slipped completely through his guard.  Pierre could feel himself beginning to lose focus as Ranma's fist smashed his jaw.  With desperate strength, he concentrated on the injustice of all he'd lost to this vermin, the chance he should have had but never received.  The rush of fury snapped him back into full awareness of the fight, a surge of adrenaline temporarily blocking the pain.  If he was going to have any chance at all, he had to break out of this defensive stance...

                Ranma saw the new fire rise in his opponent's eyes.  He didn't let up, knowing that the fight could be won right here and now if he crushed this resurgence of Pierre's fighting spirit.  He poured a little more strength into his next punch, slamming it directly into a vulnerable spot on his enemy's upper torso, one he hadn't targeted yet.

                He distinctly felt something squash beneath the blow.  Crimson streams exploded out Pierre's chest, drenching Ranma's arm from fist to elbow, staining his shirt a darker red.  Ranma froze in stunned horror.  "No..." he whispered.

                For someone who'd just taken such a terrible injury, Pierre still seemed to be awfully energetic.  His counterattack slammed the base of his brush into Ranma's chin, then jabbed into the Saotome heir's gut in almost the same motion.  Two more devastating thrusts followed, one to each shoulder, and then came the long-awaited launch of ink from the brush's bristles into Ranma's face.

***************

                Shampoo let the tension ease out of her legs.  Aerial attacks were impressive, and she was pretty good at them, but she didn't want to commit to something like that until she had the measure of Ken's new trick.

                "What's the matter?  Afraid of the dark?"  She might not be able to see his face, but Ken's tone made Shampoo all but certain he was grinning that insufferable grin again.

                He was advancing on her now, not quickly, but not hesitantly either.  Shampoo frowned as she realized the deliberate pace was a deliberate attempt to psych her out.  "Hey Ken, Shampoo know how you train for that technique."

                That did stop him.  Ken froze in his tracks, and Shampoo was almost sure the darkness around him thinned a bit.  "Y- you do?!"

                "Mm-hm."  Shampoo lowered her voice, though she was all but certain Ranma wouldn't catch her next words even if she shouted.  Ken strained to hear her speak.  "Somebody tie you up and drop you into pit then close the lid.  Now YOU so scared of the dark you turn into it."

                Fortunately for Kodachi, she was paying far more attention to Ranma's battle than Shampoo's (naturally enough), and didn't hear this.  If she had, she would undoubtedly have facefaulted.  Just as Ken did.  Of course, even if the White Rose had done so, nobody would have dashed forward and used the Bakkusai Tenketsu right next to her prone form.

                Shampoo's opponent wasn't so fortunate.  The explosion tossed him almost his own height into the air.  He crashed back to the ground, skidded along for a bit, then came to rest against a streetlight.  Ken picked himself up and made an elaborate show of dusting himself off.  The process looked rather strange, since he was still just a featureless black shadow.

                "Not bad at all, Shampoo," he said.  "But not good enough, either."

***************

                The tide of battle can turn on small things.  In this case, it was the fact that Ranma's eyes were still closed reflexively after the blow to his stomach.  The ink didn't immediately get into them... if it had, chances were very slim that he would have been able to recover before Pierre got enough of his wind back to finish the fight.

                As it was, Ranma was still in pretty bad shape.  His shoulders were on fire, as was his stomach, and he'd nearly opened his eyes before realizing just what that feeling of liquid on his face meant.  He could hear Pierre panting, getting his strength back after that desperate offensive.  Ranma's own reserves were starting to get low, though he still had more than the Master of Martial Art.  That wouldn't make much of a difference if Pierre launched another all-out offensive like that last one while he was still blind, though.

                Taking a bit of a chance, the pigtailed martial artist leaped backward as high and hard as he could.  Unlike the battle with Mousse, this time he didn't need to worry about accidentally going out of bounds.  Ranma pulled off his shirt, ignoring the protests from his shoulders; they weren't hurting quite so badly anymore anyway.  He turned the garment inside out and wiped as much of the ink off his face as he could.  A small corner of his mind noted that whatever the red stuff on the outside was, it definitely didn't have the smell of blood.

                Ranma's visage was still quite black after that, but at least all the loose ink had been removed.  It would be safe to open his eyes again.  Good thing, too...  at that precise moment the arc of his desperate jump slammed him backward into the building behind him, which caused his eyes to bug out involuntarily.  Kodachi winced as she saw her boyfriend hang suspended against the wall for a few seconds, then slowly slide down it.  At least the impression he'd left at the point of impact wasn't nearly as deep as when he'd fought the Golden Pair.

***************

                Shampoo groaned mentally.  So the black stuff WAS some kind of armor.  She dashed forward, catching Ken off guard and slamming several punches and a kick into his torso.  Her attack knocked him backwards, but Shampoo didn't press the offensive.  Instead she paused to consider the results of her experiment.  The darkness had dramatically reduced the strength of her blows, but she had clearly felt the cloth of Ken's shirt beneath her fists... it was more like a protective layer of dense water than solid metal.

                Still, even if it wasn't solid, it had definitely absorbed almost all of the force from her blows.  She might have knocked Ken backward, but the Amazon knew she hadn't really hurt him.  The stupid shield covered him all over too, Shampoo thought sourly.  What she needed was some way to get through it... some method that wouldn't fail just because Ken's protection took away the force of the attack...

                Shiatsu would be perfect, except for one minor detail.  Shampoo was good, but she knew she wasn't good enough to hit a point when she couldn't even see her opponent through the shroud of darkness around him.  What else could she try?

                Her thoughts were interrupted as Ken attacked.  His style now was mostly offense, which only made sense.  Shampoo was relieved to find that his actual level of attacking prowess was a good bit below hers.  Blocking his attacks while still slipping in a few of her own wasn't that hard.  Hers connected, his didn't.  But for all that, both were having about the same effect on their opponent:  none at all.

                "You really are pretty good," Ken said seriously.  Apparently he'd decided to drop the taunts.  "But you can't win.  Not against my Dark Armor.  It doesn't draw on my own energy reserves.  In fact, it even lends me extra strength, more than just my natural physical limits.  You're a good fighter, but you're just going to wear yourself out.  And then, after Ranma finishes off Pierre, he'll have to face me."

                Ken's voice had hardened again as he spoke of her Airen, Shampoo noted.  She also noted that he'd been able to keep up the tempo of his attacks while saying all that, and yet it hadn't left him even slightly short of breath.  She shifted to pure defense for a moment.  "Why you" block an incoming palm strike "so angry" dodge the follow-up spinning kick "with Ranma?"

                "It's none of your business," Ken said, picking up the pace further.

                Suddenly an inspiration struck Shampoo like a bolt of lightning.  She grabbed Ken's incoming punch, twisted, and threw him hard over her shoulder.  He landed a good ten feet away, and bounced for another five, coming to rest right where Shampoo wanted him.  The Amazon smiled, then pivoted and kicked the fire hydrant next to her, her foot slicing through the metal with ease.  The resultant stream of water shot out to douse Ken completely.

***************

                "I'm touched that you were worried about me, Saotome," Pierre sneered, gesturing to the gory mess on his chest.  "But I think I can stand to lose a little red paint."

                He was putting on a good face, but the Master of Martial Art realized that the battle was not going to last much longer.  He was down to the last twenty percent of his reserves, at best.  He wasn't sure how much Ranma had left... he didn't like to admit it, but his foe had already shrugged off an amount of damage that would have left Pierre completely out of the fight.

                But there was no way in heaven or earth that he was just going to back down and concede.  Besides, Ranma could be on his last legs and just putting up a good front too.  Even if he wasn't, Pierre hoped one more serious onslaught would take out the pigtailed pig.

                It was time to toss the dice.

                Ranma tensed as Pierre's battle aura began swirling fiercely again.  "Should've known I wasn't gonna get outta this without him pulling off at least one of his kookier special techniques," Ranma grumbled to himself.  The Woodcut attack hadn't been nearly weird enough to meet that requirement.

                Pierre concentrated, calling on even more of his chi, shaping as much as he could spare into the desired configuration.  "Martial Art special technique..." his innate honesty about the art prevented him from calling it an attack "... CHIAROSCURO!!"

                To Ranma, it was as if a brilliant, blinding light mingled with absolute darkness suddenly burst forth.  All color disappeared, leaving only tone and shade.  Then even that was gone.  Where there was light, there was absolute white.  Where there was shadow, there was ebon darkness.

                Ranma took a step backward, wanting to get a bit more distance between himself and Pierre, trying to adapt to this bizarre new look.  He nearly fell over in sudden disorientation... as he moved, his perspective inevitably shifted a little, causing some shadows to fall out of view and new objects to become shaded.  The dramatic shifts of black and white were just too much to cope with.  He flinched and stumbled; the speed of his motion only made the shifting worse.  Ranma fell to his knees, closed his eyes, and tried not to heave up his breakfast.

***************

                Ken rolled out of the stream, still cloaked in darkness, and, as far as Shampoo could tell, still unchanged.  That seemed to deal a pretty big blow to her theory that, like Ryoga, he'd somehow wound up Jusenkyo-cursed and blaming Ranma for it.  Maybe he'd fallen into the Spring of Drowned Girl, though?

                Her opponent was staring at the ruined hydrant, though, due to the night that covered him black as the pit from pole to pole, this wasn't exactly obvious.  "Don't you people even care what you damage in your fights?" he demanded indignantly.  His voice was the same as before his immersion.  "What if there's a fire in one of these shops later on today?!"

                "What it take to put you down?!" Shampoo demanded angrily.

                "More than you've got, like I already said."  Ken began stalking toward her again.  Somehow, his matter-of-fact tone made it worse.  It was obvious that this was no taunt.  He was completely serious, absolutely confident that she didn't matter, that she couldn't even touch him.

                Shampoo felt a switch flip in her brain.  She began to glow with an intense battle aura.  "We see about that."  She leaped back and to the side, and picked up the hafts of her bonbori.  "We see..."  she began stalking toward Ken, matching his pace and gait exactly  "... right here..."  her battle aura had built to truly impressive strength now  "... and now!"  it shifted, wrapping around her no longer, instead splitting into two intense pulsing spheres of energy that sprang forth from the handles of her maces... 

                Ken faltered as he noticed the apparent resurrection of her weapons, and started to back away.  Too little, too late.  In another time and another place, Shampoo would have used this attack to punish Mon Lon, one of the Seven Lucky Gods martial artists, and a woman who'd dared to nearly kill her Airen.  Here and now, the stakes weren't quite so high, and the damage to her weapons made the technique a lot harder to use, but it was just as effective.

                With a furious scream, Shampoo brought the spheres together at an angle.  As they met, all the energy was released in one titanic wave.  It roared forward, slamming into Ken, shredding his shield like so much wet toilet paper, replacing that darkness with the black of unconsciousness.  Shampoo fell to her knees, exhausted but triumphant.

***************

                Ranma kept his eyes closed, a small part of his mind wondering why Pierre bothered to lob ink into his opponent's face if he had a technique like this.  He concentrated, trying to find his equilibrium again, trying to achieve the focus he would need if he was going to be fighting blind.

                Pierre swayed and nearly fell after the sudden expenditure of energy.  His technique created a field around Ranma that warped light, and would persist as long as Pierre was concentrating on it, but the initial chi drain from the move had taken most of what he had left.  He gritted his teeth, fought off the surge of weariness, and launched himself forward.  This would have been the perfect opportunity to stay back and nail Ranma with the Printing Press attack, but he just didn't have the strength to pull off another special technique.  His trusty main weapon would have to suffice.

                The sound of his opponent's approach set Ranma's pulse to racing.  It was obvious Pierre wasn't in the least discomfited by his own technique, not that Ranma had expected him to be.  He oriented on the sound.  One way or another, it would end here and now.

                Pierre was surprised to see Ranma rise up, eyes still closed, and charge to meet him.  He snarled, and began his attack.  Spinning the brush as quickly as he could, the Master of Martial Art launched a series of thrusts and jabs.

                His opponent heard the whistle of the brush as it streaked through the air.  He barely had time to brace himself before the end slammed into him.  Once, twice, a dozen times... but Pierre was nearly on the verge of exhaustion, and the strikes just weren't powerful enough to stop Ranma.  It hurt, but he fought through the pain.

                The pigtailed martial artist launched a kick of his own.  It didn't connect, but it did force Pierre to break the rhythm of his assault.  Ranma didn't give him a chance to recover; he pushed forward, hands reaching out blindly, grasping the weapon.  With a roaring cry of fury, the Saotome heir called on his own dwindling reserves.  In a burst of strength, he pivoted, whipping the paintbrush around.  The drag made it obvious that Pierre hadn't had time to let go.

                This suited Ranma just fine.  Another rotation, more energy expended, and then Ranma released his hold.  He couldn't see, but the whistle of Pierre's flight, stopping abruptly with a loud *crunch*, painted a pretty clear picture anyway.

                Ranma held himself tensely, listening as hard as he could.  After a quarter-minute of hearing no motion from his downed foe, he opened one eye just a bit.  The sight of normal light and color was very welcome then.  Almost as welcome as the sight of Pierre's unconscious body, sprawled out against a wall.

***************

                As soon as she was certain Pierre was down for the count, Kodachi zipped over to Ranma's side, pulling him gently but firmly into a reclining posture on the ground.  "Don't worry about me, Dach- mmmph!!"

                She gave him a mock glare.  "Machismo is all well and good in its place, Ranma-kun, but right now I am not willing to listen to any silly protests of yours.  You WILL lie back and let me make sure you haven't sustained any serious injuries."

                Ranma rolled his eyes, then fished out the handkerchief she'd stuffed in his mouth.  "What I was gonna SAY was, check Shampoo first.  I'm fi- mmmph!!"  Apparently Kodachi carried more than one handkerchief.

                "I don't think Ken even managed to land a blow on her, Ranma dear.  And right now she's walking up behind you, not looking battered or bruised at all.  Which is more than I can say for you.  Now lie still."

                He didn't comply, of course.  Discarding the second handkerchief, Ranma twisted until he could see Shampoo.  She did seem okay, but then again he knew she'd be about as reluctant as he was to show weakness after a fight.  Plus, Ranma's current position relative to her meant the only way he could see her was by turning his head until she appeared, upside down, in his field of vision.  It wasn't the best posture for determining whether she was okay or just faking it.  "Shampoo?  You okay?"

                Shampoo relieved his neck strain by walking around and kneeling down at his side, opposite Kodachi.  "Yes, Shampoo fine."  She swallowed hard as she got a good look at Ranma.  There was an awful lot of red...  "Airen?  Is... is you hands okay?" she choked out.

                "That's red paint, Shampoo," Kodachi said in a comforting tone of voice.  "Pierre had some sort of false blood packet strapped to his torso, to distract Ranma when it burst."

                Shampoo's jaw closed with an audible click.  She got up and strode over to Pierre's prone form, turned him onto his stomach, ripped the various pouches and then the very shirt off his back, and tagged a number of shiatsu points.  She walked back to Ranma's side, a vindictive grin on her face, though after that burst of irritated energy she was feeling even more weary.

                "What did you just do?" Ranma asked.

                "Use technique Great-Grandmother develop after trip to Central America."  The Amazon smirked even more broadly.  "Let's just say stupid paintbrush boy not spend much time far away from toilet for next week."

                Kodachi winced.  "I doubt Ken realized, as that massive blast of energy took him down, that he was getting off lightly."

                Ranma sat up at that.  "Massive blast of energy?  Wha- mmmph!!"

                Kodachi pushed him back down.  "I'm not through checking you out yet, Ranma dear."

                "I neither," Shampoo said innocently.  "Is lots more fun since Ranma lose shirt in battle, right, Kodachi?"

                "That's right," the White Rose agreed absentmindedly, then blushed.  "I mean..."

                "ANYway, what massive blast was Dachi talkin' about?" Ranma asked, wisely not attempting to sit up again.

                "You see any of Shampoo's fight with shadow boy, Airen?"  When Ranma shook his head in negation, Shampoo continued.  "He hide like when he fight you, but somehow he know Shampoo can see him anyway.  So when I attack and expect to catch him off-guard, he one what surprise me.  Break heads off bonbori.  Then he use new shadow trick, completely cover self with blackness that act like armor.  I can hit but not with any force."  She frowned as she remembered Ken's attitude.  "All through fight he act like I nobody worth respect as opponent.  Well, he learn different.  I use Paired Weapons Golden Bird Holy Flower Dragon Tooth Glory Strike to break shadow shield and knock him out."

                "How the heck did ya do that if he'd already broken your bonbori?" Ranma asked.

                "Had to focus power through handles only.  Take way more of Shampoo's strength that way, but at least it work."

                Kodachi decided she'd wait until later to ask for details about this Paired Weapons Golden Bird Holy Flower Dragon Tooth Glory Strike.  She was satisfied by now that there was nothing wrong with her boyfriend that a day of rest wouldn't cure.  Shampoo was putting up a good front, but Kodachi thought she looked pretty tired too.  It was time to head for home.

                Make that almost time, she thought as she noticed one of the downed boys begin to groan and stir.

                Ken sat up, holding his head in one hand, trying to blink away the dizziness.  "Hope Sakura can help me out again," he muttered.  Ranma and company were too far away to hear this, or things might have gone very differently.

                The White Rose strode forward, grabbed Ken by the front of his shirt, and lifted him until his eyes were level with hers.  "Ken, do you remember what Ranma said to you, before this little fracas began?  That we were engaged in something important?"

                "Yeah.  I figure he meant the three of you were getting in quality time together.  Somewhere nobody who knew you would catch on to the fact that the three of you weren't 'just friends'."  Ken was still a little too dazed to realize that he wasn't in a good position for smarting off.

                Another person might have slapped him around in this situation.  Kodachi settled for giving him a glare as cutting as the edge of her namesake.  "Some girls in our class at school have been kidnapped.  I have hired detectives to look for them, but Ranma, Shampoo, and myself are doing our part to search as well.  We may be their only hope for rescue.  And if you get in our way again, then you can forget fairness... the three of us TOGETHER will CRUSH you!!"

                She tossed him back to the ground, though not hard enough to really hurt him.  "We'd better not see either of you again.  Tell Pierre the same when he awakens," she commanded, then strode back to Ranma and Shampoo.  The three of them walked off, Kodachi supporting Ranma on one side, Shampoo on the other being held up by him as much as she was holding him up.

                As the whirling in his head settled to manageable levels, the grey boy gingerly got to his feet, reflecting sourly that he'd had to pay a lot higher price than he'd wanted.  But at least he'd gotten the beginnings of his answer.

***************

                Ken stumbled and nearly fell, barely catching himself with his free hand, only just managing not to drop the package he was carrying.  He gathered the remnants of his strength, then resumed walking.

                The door opened as he approached.  Ken blinked, then staggered through it.  He blinked again to see Sakura was sitting behind her desk, not standing at the door.  She was looking even more pale and anxious than was usual.  He turned around, only to see the door swing shut of its own accord.  He fought down his own sudden surge of anxiety and sat down.

                "Did you fight Ranma again?" Sakura asked.  It felt a little stupid to be asking a question to which she already knew the answer, but this was the last of the meetings she'd seen in her sister's dream.  Those memories were her lifeline now, the only ray of light that might see her through the darkness ahead.  There was no way she was going to deviate from what she'd seen herself do and risk derailing everything.

                "Yes and no," Ken answered.  "Pierre and I went up against him together.  It wound up as Pierre versus Ranma, with me fighting Shampoo.  She trashed me pretty good, too.  I was hoping you might, ah, show me that healing trick again."

                "Um, I- I'd really like to, but I don't have anything sweet to eat right now.  And you're hurt even worse than you were before.  I'd pass out if I tried to heal that without anything to strengthen me," Sakura replied.  Her eyes were fixed on the package in his lap as she said this.

                Ken smirked through his exhaustion.  "Here you go."  He unwrapped the cherry cheesecake he'd brought her, then set it on her desk.  Sakura cut herself a slice... considering just how much energy she was going to have to expend in healing him, it was better to prepare ahead of time.  "I guess you got over your reluctance to eat all by yourself, huh?" he teased her.

                She shook her head while continuing to gulp down the dessert.  A desk drawer slid open.  Another plate and fork floated out; a large slice of the cheesecake detached itself and slid onto the plate, which then drifted over to Ken.  Sakura deliberately focused on the cake.  She could feel the nervous fear beginning to rise in him again, and it hurt, but at least she didn't have to see it.

                Ken took a couple of deep breaths, deliberately pushing away his trepidation, and began to eat.  By the time he'd finished his portion, Sakura had devoured both her first slice and a subsequent smaller one.  "Thank you for bringing that," she said timidly.  "Can you wait just a little before I heal you?  I need some time for the sugar to work its way into my bloodstream."

                Ken shrugged.  "Yeah, no problem.  I've had lots worse than this."

                "Really?  Would you..." Sakura bit her lip, then continued, "would you tell me about it?"

                He looked at her for a long moment, wondering why she'd asked.  Eventually he decided it didn't matter... considering what he'd be saying to her later, she probably needed to hear this anyway.  "Do you know what it's like to lose everything?  To have something that's the center of your world taken away from you?  You know I had a grudge against Ranma, but I bet you didn't know the details.  So here it is.  I challenged him to a fight, and he won.  That's when I started on my walk through hell.

                "If all that had happened was that I lost, it wouldn't have been any big deal.  I'd have just gone away, at most maybe trained a while then come back for a rematch.  But when Ranma beat me, he took something from me, a family treasure that was the whole basis for our fighting style.  He destroyed it, or at least I thought it was his fault.  An eight-generation family tradition died because he defeated me.

                "Can you understand that, Sakura?  I lost the biggest part of who I was then.  I was devastated.  I wanted to demand a rematch right then and there.  I wanted to fight him and defeat him as easily as he'd beaten me.  I wanted to pay him back ten times over, to crush him and make him feel the agony I'd suffered.  And it only made it worse that there was no way I could do it.  He'd been stronger than me to begin with, and now... now I was nothing."

                Ken looked down at the floor.  "I seriously considered killing him.  I could have done it... it wouldn't even be that hard.  Just would've had to attack without any warning or mercy when he was looking the other way.  I hate to admit it, but the thing that really stopped me was pride.  I wanted to beat him openly, and make him admit I was the better fighter.  I wanted to crush his fighting spirit, just as he'd destroyed my family's fighting style.  And so I left, and started looking for someone who could train me in a more powerful style than Anything Goes.

                "And he found me."

                Sakura watched, trembling in sympathetic pain, as Ken shuddered.  He looked up and met her gaze, and even through his weariness his eyes were burning with a desperate intensity.  "If you ever meet a man named Masa Kiri, and he offers you something... ANYthing... just decline as politely as you can and get the hell outta there.  But walk, don't run.  You really, really don't want to offend him.

                "He told me he could train me in a style that was much more powerful than Anything Goes.  Saotome, as good as he is, still just relies on punches and kicks.  Physical attacks, even if he does use his chi to boost them.  What Kiri promised me was a whole new level of mastery, where you used your spirit directly.

                "As you may have guessed, from seeing my aura and that I don't cast a shadow, this style is based on darkness."  Ken sighed bitterly.  "I should have known then," he muttered.  "As soon as he told me those details, I should have backed down and gone somewhere else.  But I was too stupid, and too stubborn.

                "Tell me, Sakura... are you afraid of the dark?"

                Sakura jumped.  He hadn't said that in her memories.  Hopefully it didn't mean anything, but the fear rose up anyway, fear that this meeting might be turning away from the direction she needed it to take.  "N- no," she managed.  "It's just the absence of light.  Nothing to be scared of."

                Ironically enough, she was speaking the truth then.  The dark wasn't one of the things that frightened her.  But Ken heard the fear in her voice, and figured she was just putting up a good front.  "You should be," he said quietly.  "Just the absence of light?  Sorry, girl, it isn't that innocent.

                "You're right when you say it's an 'absence.'  The absence of hope--despair.  The absence of humility--pride.  The absence of friendship--loneliness.  The absence of love--dispassion.  I can go on and on, but let me sum up.  The absence of all fellow feeling for others and concern for humanity--amorality.  The darkness in our hearts keeps us apart, batters us and twists us into things that rend, ruin, and kill one another without a second thought."

                Sakura was trembling now, though she wasn't as afraid as she had been.  The conversation had moved back into an area she'd seen before.  Now she was just afraid of the world Ken was describing.  "Is... is it really that bad out there?" she choked out.

                "Of course not," he said matter-of-factly.  "That's a worst-case scenario, of what happens to a person when the darkness consumes them completely.  That's where you get serial killers, and genocidal dictators, and telephone solicitors."  She didn't laugh at the joke (actually, she hadn't realized it was a joke), but at least it made Ken feel a little better.  Taking what had happened to him too seriously hurt so much.  "And that's the whole basis of the style Kiri taught me."  He heaved a deep sigh, his physical exhaustion underscored by a deep weariness of the soul.  "Or maybe I should say, the style he infected me with.

                "One week."  He laughed bitterly.  "Saotome has trained for most of his life, and it only took a week to learn the style that would have let me beat him.  Kiri showed me some meditative exercises that prepared me, and then, just seven days after I met him, he tore my soul out of my body and dropped the both of us into the Shadowed Abyss."

                "What's that?"

                "I don't know for sure," Ken admitted, struggling for composure as he fought the memories.  "I can't be sure whether it was an actual other world, or just a state of mind.  All I can say was, it was dark.  No light whatsoever, except what you brought with you.  And there was none at all from Kiri.  Just mine, and it was feeble and failing.

                "I could feel him beside me, at first, but then he disengaged.  I was all alone.  I don't know how long it lasted, but after a while... the darkness started..." he gulped, wiping the sweat from his brow, "started moving around me.  It was subtle, at first, but I began to feel it swirling against me, pulling me to move with it, to flow in time with its motion...

                "I didn't know what else to do.  Kiri hadn't given me any real idea of what to expect.  But before we started he had grinned at me, not very pleasantly either, and said, 'Go with the flow.'  So I figured there really wasn't anything else to do.  I choked back my fear and opened myself up."

                Ken stopped then, and held silent for a long time.  Sakura looked on his ashen face, and felt her heart twist painfully.  Seeing images of herself interacting with him hadn't come anywhere near preparing her for what it would feel like to actually experience the moment.  "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

                Perhaps he heard her, perhaps not.  His face didn't show any break from the pain, but he did begin speaking again.  "In that moment, the dark reflected my true image back at me.  I saw myself.  Every comforting illusion was stripped away.  I saw the truth of who I was, saw the full extent of my pride and resentment and self-centeredness and capacity for evil.  I was hit head-on by the pitiful weakness of the meager bit of light within me, and forced to see just how little of my heart it actually filled.  That's what had to happen--to get power from the darkness, you have to understand it.

                "You have to give yourself to it.

                "That's what I was supposed to do.  I saw myself, and it nearly destroyed me.  To understand just how vile I really was, all the little comforting 'I'm not so bad' lies I'd told myself blasted into nothingness in an instant, should have broken me.  I'd reached the bottom, and the only place to go... was further down.  Because I could see I'd never be able to get rid of what was in me.  No matter how I tried to fight it, there'd ALWAYS be darkness in my heart, just because I was human.

                "So why fight it?  I could embrace the night, and all those feelings of revulsion and sorrow would go away.  I could be just as dark and nasty as I wanted and never feel a twinge of conscience.  And if I gave myself over, the darkness would give back.  Power enough to break Ranma without any trouble at all.

                "I don't know where I found the strength to say no.  Maybe I'd slacked off too much on the meditations Kiri had showed me.  Maybe he just made a mistake, thinking I was ready when I wasn't."  Ken laughed bitterly.  "Or maybe he expected me to do what I did, and turn away at that time.  Maybe he thought it would be more entertaining if I did refuse.  I don't know.  I don't even know how I did it, but I broke contact and pulled all the way back into the real world, back into my own body again."

                He paused, shuddering.  "Kiri just looked at me, and said I was a fool for turning away.  He said that now that I knew just how dark my soul really was, I'd never be able to bear it.  Eventually I'd return to the darkness, when I couldn't bear staying in the light any more.  He warned me that I'd already been changed.  One look in a mirror convinced me of that.  He said I'd never find anyone to accept me or support me or care for me now.  Far better just to turn back and complete the descent.

                "I wanted to kill him," he said quietly.  "It was far worse than any rage I felt toward Ranma.  Saotome hadn't meant to hurt me, and even though his actions were what set me on the path that led me to that moment, it hadn't been his fault.  It had been my choice, and Masa Kiri's to lead me down that road.  I wanted to kill him slowly, roasting him over an open fire, or maybe skinning him alive.

                "But my survival instincts were still working, and instead I thanked him for what he'd shown me, and walked away."

                "That must have been hard," Sakura whispered.  "How long ago was this?"

                Ken shrugged.  "Several months... I don't keep track of the time.  It's not like I want to remember it, after all.  Even if it is burned so deep I'll never be able to really forget it.

                "For most of the time since then, I've been fighting, one way or another.  The hardest thing to do was accept two things.  One, that the darkness in me will always be there.  Two, that that doesn't mean I can't reach for the light anyway."

                "But aren't those two things opposites?"

                "Yeah.  It doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?"  He laughed, more ironically than bitterly this time.  "But most of the big important stuff in life plays by its own rules, and doesn't bother with how much sense it makes to us.  Anyway, that's where I am now.  Because of what happened to me, I've got some low-level darkness-based powers, but all the really nasty stuff is still out of reach.  And that's the way it's going to stay.  I've fought hard, harder than any battle against another opponent, fought myself and gained a place of balance.  I may be able to walk on the edge of darkness, but I will use that power only as an honorable martial artist should.  To improve myself and to defend the weak."

                There was silence for several minutes then.  Ken felt as if he were a wet towel and someone had twisted him, wringing him dry.  In the past few months, he'd told his story to several priests and monks, searching for enlightenment that could help him fight his way back from the abyss.   This was the first time he'd opened up to someone his own age rather than a wizened old holy man, though.  Ironically enough, the bone-deep exhaustion and persistent pain from his battle with Shampoo had actually made it easier to drop his guard and tell Sakura all that.  Somehow there was a greater feeling of catharsis this time than there'd ever been before.

                He risked a glance at Sakura, hoping not to find revulsion or fear.  What he found was an empty desk.  Ken blinked, then realized she was right next to him, crying gently.

                "I'm sorry," she whimpered, "so sorry you had to hurt like that.  I can't... I can't take away that pain, but let me heal you as much as I can."

***************

                When Ken came to, he found his benefactor behind her desk again, and the cherry cheesecake more than half gone.  "Quite an appetite," he said.

                She actually made a rude face at him, the most spirited act Ken had yet witnessed from her.  Sakura pointed wordlessly to the side of his chair, where a huge slice of the dessert waited for him.  The fact that it was floating in midair was still a little disconcerting, but somehow it didn't really bother Ken anymore.  He dug in, surprised to discover his appetite had returned with a vengeance during the course of his healing.  After he finished, he looked up, to find that Sakura's playfulness had been replaced by melancholy.

                "I'm sorry, Ken.  This time it was all my fault you got hurt."  The whisper carried so much pain that Ken actually felt irritated.

                "So what?!  Girl, are you forgetting what I just got through describing to you?!  Getting beaten by Shampoo was NOTHING!"

                "Nothing?!  Ken, do, do you even realize how badly hurt you were?"

                He shrugged.  "Yeah, I do.  When I fought Shampoo, I used a technique that formed armor out of my own spirit.  When she broke through that, it didn't actually affect my soul, but it did feed back the damage all through my body.  It would've taken me at least a month to recover if it weren't for you.  But like I already said, that was nothing compared to what I've already gone through.  So don't feel bad, Sakura."

                "I- I'll try not to," she said tremulously.

                Meanwhile, Ken had realized that his choice of words could have been better.  It was time to move the conversation from the past to the present, and it might end up hurting her quite a bit.  But sometimes you just had to pay the price and move on.

                At least he could ease his way into it.  "Do you understand now, why I fought Ranma?  It wasn't because I wanted revenge."  Although he did still harbor a little bitterness toward the Saotome heir for his unwitting part in Ken's brush with destruction.  "I wanted to see if I could beat him.  If the balance I'd fought for, and the new abilities I'd gone through so much to get, would be enough to let me come back and defeat him.  If I was good enough to take on the best and come out on top."

                "But you didn't even get to fight him.  Is Shampoo better than he is?"

                Ken shrugged.  "I doubt it, though who knows if he can do the trick she used to take me out.  It's not important anymore."  He turned away slightly and looked down, keeping her in his sight only through the corner of his eye.  "I'm not going to challenge him again, or try to delay him any more for you."

                Sakura took a deep breath.  "And why is that?"  Her voice only shook once during the sentence.

                "After the fight, Kodachi chewed me out royally.  Said she and Ranma and Shampoo were looking for some kidnapped girls, and Pierre and I were keeping them from that."  Ken turned back to face her directly.  His voice becoming quieter and more tightly controlled with each sentence, he continued.  "You told me Ranma and his girls were threatening your employers' project.  I want to know what that project is.  And I want to know NOW!"

                Sakura squeaked and jumped in dismay as the shadows in the room suddenly reared to life.  Ken could dimly sense the flow of electricity throughout the surrounding area.  He formed the darkness into blades that sheared through those flows, ripping wires and conduits, destroying any monitoring devices that might have been present.  In retrospect, it might have been smarter to do that BEFORE making his last few statements, but the point was academic.  There hadn't been any bugs present, other than a cicada in one corner.

                Ken's action also destroyed the lights in the room, leaving them in pitch blackness.  It was appropriate, he felt.  "I'm grateful for how you've healed me, twice now, and for the concern you've showed me.  But today, when I told you what happened to me, I did warn you that I use my skills to defend the innocent.

                "That's the reason I agreed to help you in the beginning.  Unlike that lamebrain Pierre, I realized something was fishy.  I shadowed Ranma, trying to overhear him talking with Kodachi and Shampoo, trying to figure out what was really happening.  There's no way I'm going to be a party to a kidnapping.  So tell me now what's going on, Sakura."

                She struggled to regain her composure.  He hadn't reacted like this in her sister's dream either, but now wasn't the time to wonder why, or to give in to the terror that she might have already lost.  "I... I don't know where to start, Ken.  Will you listen to the whole story before you pass judgment on me?"

                Ken didn't let the pleading note in her voice soften him.  "Yeah, but you better be straight with me."

                "I will."  Sakura gulped.  She paused for another minute, searching for the words.  And then they began to flow.

                "You know what it's like to lose yourself, Ken.  At least that's what you said.  But I can tell you something worse is when you don't have a self to lose.  That's what I am.  Nobody.  A tool.  I wasn't born because I had a mother and father that wanted somebody to love, I was made in a laboratory, cloned from someone that could not have been completely human.  I didn't grow up with parents to hold me and love me and tell me what life was about or what I might want to do with mine.  I was raised for one purpose only, and it was obedience to the people who made me.

                "They've molded me like a lump of clay.  They've pruned me like a bonsai.  I can tell you this and hope you understand, but I don't even know what those words mean.  I've never seen 'clay' or a 'bonsai', whatever those are, I only know those words because I saw myself telling you this in a vision of the future.  A vision that was my only hope that things will ever change.

                "I'm not the only clone they made.  There were six others.  Somehow they lost them when they were still infants.  My sisters got adopted and lived normal lives, never even knowing what they were.  But the men who made us found three of them recently, and they took them and brought them here and told me to train them and control them so that we can all be one big weapon for them, because my sisters are just like me, born with powers most people wouldn't ever believe in.  That was when I saw the dream I told you about, that showed the only way we could all escape."

                "Hold on, there," Ken pleaded, fighting a nasty sensation of being in over his head.  He could sense dishonesty when someone tried to lie to him, and there'd been none in her; this was for real.  "I need to catch my balance."  Obediently, Sakura sat quietly for the next ten minutes while he struggled to process what he'd just heard.  Eventually, when Ken felt like he could cope with more, he spoke again.  "You've lived all your life as their mindless little tool, and suddenly you're fighting back now?  What gives?"

                "It was the others.  The three girls they finally found again."  Sakura took a deep breath, fighting back the tears.  "They brought my sisters here and locked them up, made me go into their minds and seal most of their abilities, because they hadn't lived their whole lives knowing that they were nothing but tools with no will or worth of their own.  I did it, I didn't even think of refusing, but touching their minds was like having my own open up and turn from a caterpillar into a butterfly.  Even if I only saw bits and pieces of their memories, it was the close contact with their personalities that changed me.  I could see things I'd never even glimpsed before, I could want things and hope for things and pray that my life wouldn't always be empty and worthless and spent by others for their goals.  By others who knew I didn't have my own dreams because they'd taken them all away from me before I even knew what dreams were.

                "I didn't seal the power to have visions of the future, and one of my sisters has a really strong talent for that, I've been touching their minds with my own power every day and every night, pushing their own abilities up from the darkness toward the top of their minds where they can actually use them once they've been trained to do only what they're told.  I saw a dream, one of my sisters dreamed of a way we could all be free, all I had to do was lie to the people who made me and controlled everything about me for all my life.  I did it but it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, told them they should get you and Pierre to try and hold off Ranma and Kodachi and Shampoo when I was really counting on you to be the one to rescue me from them."

                Ken gulped.  In over his head was too mild a description.  There was no way he could refuse, either; turning his back on this would betray everything he'd fought to hold onto... he might as well not even have struggled free of the Shadowed Abyss in the first place if he said no to Sakura now.  He would help her, even if it cost his life.

                At least he'd keep his soul.  Stained though it was, he was a saint compared to whoever had done this to her.  He took a deep breath.  "O- okay.  Which ones of them do you need me to kill?"

                "What?!"  Sakura was wide-eyed now in shock.  "That's not what I'm asking!"

                He frowned.  "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you just say you've got a lot more than the stuff you already showed me?  Powers far beyond what a normal person could imagine?"

                "Yes, that's right.  The first part for sure, at least.  I only have my sisters as an example of what 'normal' is."

                "So it stands to reason you could easily free yourself if it weren't for your captors.  That's why I figured you needed me.  Somebody they don't know to guard against.  Somebody who can take them out before they learn better.  Just tell me what kind of abilities they have that I need to watch out for, and I'll take care of it."

                "Ken."  Her voice came as softly as snowflakes settling on the water.  "You didn't listen to me.  If they told me to step in front of a train, I would do it.  If they had told me to kill Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo, the three of them would be dead now if it proved to be within my power.  I can barely muster the strength of will to act on my own, I can't disobey a direct order.  That's what they made of me over sixteen years, and just seeing how different my sisters are doesn't mean I can become like them overnight.  If ever.

                "I'm not asking you to kill for me.  I'm asking you to accept me, to take their place as the one who gives me my orders.  I can choose, I can do that much, I can decide to give myself to you instead of them if you go against them.  I can trust you not to turn me into a weapon or exploit me.  Please."

                She got up from her desk, moving through the darkness without the slightest hesitation.  The gloom affected Ken just as little; he could see her clearly, even unto the tears that slid down her cheeks.  "I'm nothing.  Without someone to protect me and show me how to change, I always will be.  It's how they wanted me, and I didn't know how to fight it or even to think I should.  You're my only chance, someone as different as I am, somebody who doesn't really fit into the world, but you're strong where I'm weak and you can protect me and maybe teach me to fight back, to be something other than just a puppet."  She knelt down at his side.  "Please."

                Ken looked down at the girl beside him.  Her tears were flowing freely now, dropping to the carpet below in a series of whispers.  His own eyes were far from dry as he choked out, "How could they do this to you?"  He slid out of the chair, knelt beside her, and hesitantly put his arms around the sobbing First Child.

***************

                The next morning saw a fairly cozy scene at the Kuno mansion.  Shampoo had mostly recovered the energy she'd expended in her fight the previous day.  Ranma claimed to be back in top form as well, though both girls took that with a grain of salt... he might heal quickly, but it wasn't like he was in Kodachi's class.  A vote of two against one had resulted in the three of them staying home that day.

                And so it was that they were sitting on a couch, watching a Jackie Chan movie.  As the star flipped through an open third story window, kicked out against the wall to sail across an alleyway, grabbed the fire escape of the building opposite the one he'd come from to break his momentum, then dropped into the sidecar of a passing motorcycle, Shampoo winced like she was in the dentist's chair watching the drill approach.  "What's the matter, Shampoo?" Ranma asked.  "I thought that was a pretty slick piece of cinematography myself."

                "I think so too, Airen, but I not looking forward to end of movie, where it show accidents what happened during filming."

                Kodachi turned slightly green.  "I think we can just skip that part, actually."  Now they knew why the making of this particular movie had taken a year and a half.

                However, it was to prove a moot point.  A loud knocking at the door sounded; Tatewaki waited until he heard his sister call "Come in!" before opening it.  Fearless scion of a noble lineage with the blood of a hundred lion-hearted samurai though he might be, there was no way he was going to risk walking in and interrupting her and Ranma again.

                Kuno walked into the room, a large sheet of paper folded in his hand.  "The three of you have a visitor," he said.

                "Really?  Where is he then?"

                "Waiting in the hallway."  Tatewaki was clearly puzzled as to why this should be, but as a Nerima veteran he knew better than to expect everything to make sense.  "He gave me this to give to you before he comes in himself."

                "Well, let us see."  Shampoo stretched out her hand to receive the paper.  She sat back and unfolded it across Ranma's lap, her intention being to use that as an excuse to press just a bit closer to him.  That aim was forgotten though, along with everything else, as she and the other two stared down at what the Amazon's act had revealed.

                It was a charcoal drawing, done in a very realistic style.  Four identical girls, three of whom stood close together and wore expressions of fear.  The remaining one was off to one side, looking sad and lost.

                Ranma tore his gaze away from the picture of his missing classmates.  "Tatewaki, who... who brought this?!"

                Recognizing his cue, Ken stepped through the doorway behind the kendoist.  "We need to talk."

***************

                The passage of several hours brought Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo to a series of buildings on the far side of Tokyo.  As the three of them followed Ken and Sakura ever deeper into the complex, the Amazon became more and more frustrated.  This place was supposed to be a sinister lair of heartless, twisted villains bent on world supremacy.  She could understand why the exterior would need to seem innocent, but they'd worked their way quite far inside by now.  It shouldn't still look like a standard office building!  Where were the laser turrets, the biohazard warning signs, the twittering chitters of mutants who'd been created in failed experiments and were now living in the ventilation system?!

                Ranma was finding it hard to stay focused.  Things couldn't have been easier so far, which might very well mean that fate was saving up all the difficulty to throw at them at once.  They couldn't afford to let their guard down, but it was difficult to concentrate on that.  For some reason, he kept getting distracted by the random thought that Shampoo had been watching too many low-budget sci-fi movies lately.

                After thirty minutes of unlocked doors, with no sign yet of any traps or even an alarm system, Kodachi lost her patience.  "Ken, how far do we have to go before we encounter some opposition?!"

                He shrugged helplessly.  "Don't ask me.  I've never been in here before."  He turned to the girl who hadn't moved more than a foot from his side in all this time.  "Sakura?"

                She blushed slightly.  "I'm not sure what you're asking.  What do you mean?"

                "C'mon!  Where's the guards, the defenses?  How much further do we have to go before we get to whatever you needed our help for?"  Ranma cracked his knuckles.  "I'm really looking forward to beating the snot out of the scum who've done this to you girls.  Just hope whoever's guarding the others is somebody I can go all out against, not a complete pushover."

                "Oh.  Oh, dear," Sakura said.  "Um, I don't think I told you everything I should have."

                There was a long, long moment of silence.  At last Kodachi broke it.  "And what, pray tell, did you leave out?" the White Rose asked, as calmly as she could.

                "We didn't need your help to get my sisters out of here," Sakura explained.  "They aren't guarded, just kept behind locked doors.  I could open those telekinetically without any problem."

                Ranma clenched his fists.  "Then why'd you bring us here?"  If this was a trap, he swore Ken at least wouldn't be getting out alive.

                The First Child blinked.  "My sisters have been kept in isolation, to help wear down their spirits.  I thought it would be better for them if the first people they saw when they were rescued were somebody they knew."

                There was a long, long moment of silence.  Eventually Shampoo turned and gave Ken a flat stare.  "You say we needed to help fight group of madmans what plan to use our classmates to take over the world.  That quite a spin you put on what we really being asked to do, shadow boy."

                "So I was wrong when I assumed I understood what Sakura was asking for," Ken growled back.  "Let me just bow down and smack my head against the floor a hundred and eight times in apology."

                Sakura gulped, gathered her courage, and spoke up again.  "If... if you really want to hurt somebody, all the ringleaders are meeting right now.  They have been for the whole day, because it's the quarterly status update.  I was just planning to ask Ken to get the police here after we got out with my sisters, but if you'd rather deal with them yourselves, go ahead."

                "But first we need to get the girls out of here.  Let's quit yakking already and get moving again," Ken said, striding onward.  The others followed suit.

                "Hey, what about the girls' parents?" Ranma asked a minute later.  "Why didn't you just rescue them first, then let them be there when you let the other Sakuras out?  I ain't saying I didn't want to help, but if you'd done that you wouldn't even need us."

                "Well, d- doesn't the same thing apply to them?" Sakura asked bewilderedly.  "Shouldn't they see somebody they know when we rescue them?  That's why I thought you three should get my sisters first, and let them be the first thing their mothers and fathers see."

                Kodachi was now beginning to understand just how inexperienced this girl really was.  Ken's explanation hadn't conveyed the half of it.  "Have their parents been separated and kept in isolation as well?" she asked gently.

                "No, they're together.  Why?"

                "Well, then they probably aren't nearly as distraught as their daughters are, correct?"

                "Yes, that's right."

                "And while it is a good idea to have someone your sisters know waiting for them when we let them out, I really think they'd rather see their parents first, instead of just some random classmates."

                Sakura shook her head.  "Oh, no, that's not true.  At least one of them is always daydreaming of Ranma coming to rescue her."

                Ranma choked.  "Wh- what?!"

                Kodachi and Shampoo traded glances, then swiftly moved in to stand in front of Ranma.  "Ranma dear, you are familiar with the phrase, 'Two is company, and three's a crowd,' aren't you?"

                "Because Ranma already have the two of us.  Is not good idea to think about bumping that number up to three, Airen."

                Ranma gave them both a look of sheer disbelief.  "C'mon, you don't seriously think I'd be crazy enough to want ANOTHER girlfriend, do you?!"

                Kodachi smiled and patted his cheek.  "Just don't give way to any sudden temptations, Ranma-sama."

                "Speak for own self, Kodachi.  Ranma can give in to whatever temptation he likes with Shampoo."

                "Will you three knock it off already?!" Ken growled.  "We've got some innocent people to rescue here.  Sakura, I think Kodachi had a good point.  Is there any reason for us not to get your sisters' parents first, and then rescue them?"

                "W- well, we're only about fifteen feet away from my sisters, and their parents are on the far side of the compound," Sakura offered timidly.

                "Right," Ken nodded.  "That sounds like a pretty good reason to me.  Let's go."

                Another few steps took the group around a corner.  They all paused, though in Sakura's case it was just because everyone else had stopped.  The four who hadn't been here before stared at the sheer size of the vault doors set in the wall before them.  There were six of them, each resembling something that would have been more appropriate in Fort Knox.  At last, something that looked sufficiently grim and technological, Shampoo thought to herself.

                Sakura shifted impatiently.  "Are you ready for me to open them?"

                "Yeah... wait!"  A thought had struck Ranma.  "Could ya let the one with the crush on me out last?  I think it'd be better if she had her sisters to distract her."

                However, as soon as he'd said the first word, Sakura had turned her attention inward.  Focusing her power, she reached out to the seals that kept the doors in place.  A moment's concentration to vibrate certain moving parts, and metallic dust trickled down from what once had been three state-of-the-art locking mechanisms.  The doors slid open almost anticlimactically, without any dramatic whoosh of air or reluctant groan of metal.

***************

                In a room much more comfortable than the three which had just been unsealed, Dr Yoshimitsu was giving his portion of the status report.  "So far we have seen significant progress in the development of the potential of the Third Child and the Fourth.  The Third Child's primary area of strength is pyrokinesis.  Once she's fully trained and the blocks are removed, she should be able to reduce a train car to slag in under a minute."

***************

                Sakura began to tremble as the door moved.  So they'd finally come for her; whoever had thrown her in here was ready for whatever unspeakable things they had planned.  Her fists clenched.  She hated this feeling of helplessness.  If only there were some way she could fight back...

***************

                "As you recall, the Fourth Child was the first to show any progress, with a dream of the future.  She seems to be tied to time in other ways as well, with the potential ability to speed up or slow down its progress in a limited area.  She can be even more destructive than the Third Child on a smaller scale, by causing temporal fields of differing polarity to affect the same object.  In addition, her power will eventually allow her to infiltrate any area with ease, simply by moving between seconds."

***************

                As the door slid wider, Sakura tensed.  This might be her only opportunity to escape.  Maybe the element of surprise would give her a fighting chance.  She had to run as fast as she could...

***************

                "Unfortunately, the Second Child still shows no trace of suppressed psionic activity.  But I remain confident it is only a matter of time."

***************

                The door opened fully enough for Sakura to see who was waiting on the other side.  There were actually five people there, but she only had eyes for one.  The one she'd imagined coming for her so many times... she knew better than to think this was really happening now.  It was just another dream, but she might as well enjoy it while it lasted.  This was the part where he'd walk forward and take her into his arms and tell her he felt just like she did...

                Yoshimitsu had been one hundred percent correct.  The Second Child was just as powerfully talented as all the others.  The reason she'd shown no trace of this, even after the First Child had begun probing her to awaken her powers, was due to the nature of her primary talent.  Specifically, this was a form of mental/emotional control.  Since she'd been kept in isolation, there had been no opportunity for her ability to engage.  But here and now, the sight of Ranma right in front of her triggered a massive psionic-powered wish for him to love her.

***************

                For just a minute, Ranma's instincts screamed 'DANGER!'  He never would know the real reason for this.

                Sakura walked through the open door, trembling with fear and rage and defiance.  Sakura raced out of her cell as fast as she could, but collided with Ken and knocked the both of them to the floor.  Sakura stumbled forth, belatedly realizing that the reason Ranma wasn't alone or coming on to her was because this was no dream.

                No massive blast of flame.  No temporal distortion.  No new guest at the Kuno mansion.  No-one had told Sakura to remove the seals from her sisters' abilities, after all.

***************

                Calming the girls down took quite a while, especially since Sakura had sprained her ankle in her fall and there was no source of sugar nearby.  Ranma had to search for a good fifteen minutes before he found a vending machine that had candy bars.  He didn't particularly mind getting a break from the covert glances Sakura kept shooting his way, though.

                Eventually Sakura was healed, and the girls were reunited with their parents.  Sakura gave Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo directions to the room where the cabal were holding their meeting, then she and Ken left with her sisters and their families, to get them to a place of safety and begin explaining the whole incredible story.

                The three remaining teens made their way to their destination, battle auras glowing just a little brighter with each step.  When they reached the door, Ranma paused to crack his knuckles.  His grim smile loudly proclaimed, 'It's showtime.'  The Anything Goes heir opened the door, just in time to hear a man in a lab coat say, "Then if there are no further agenda items, this meeting is adjourned."

***************

                Kodachi would always feel vaguely dissatisfied with that battle in later years.  A martial artist who used her skills to beat up the weak was without honor, or so she'd always felt.  And the fact was, these conspirators proved to be just about as weak and unskilled at fighting as it was possible to be.  She didn't regret thrashing the living daylights out of them, not after what they'd done, but she would have felt better if they'd been able to offer at least a little resistance.

                In the interest of not turning anyone's stomach, a detailed description of the beat-down will not be given here.  Suffice it to say, a few minutes after Ranma had opened the door, Shampoo looked around the room, brushed her hands off, and remarked disgustedly that either Ling-Ling or Lung-Lung by herself, unarmed, could have taken all these weaklings at once.

                One of the few people still conscious spoke up.  "Is it too late to offer you a place at our side if you'd join us instead of fighting against us?"

                The White Rose sniffed disdainfully.  "As if we would sully ourselves by allying with scum such as you.  Perhaps you don't care who you hurt as long as you get what you want, but none of us are like that."

                "And really, did you losers honestly think you had a chance to pull this off?" Ranma shook his head.  "I mean, even if you did find all the Sakuras an' get them fully trained, there's still no way you could've managed to take over the world!!"

                Yoshimitsu gaped at him.  The scientist's mouth flopped open and closed for several long moments.  At last he said incredulously, "You thought we wanted to rule the world?!  What kind of idiots do you take us for?!  We just wanted to make enough money that we could each buy our own Caribbean island and live in luxury for the rest of our lives!"

                Kodachi blinked.  "Once again we find that Ken didn't ask Sakura enough questions," she muttered, while rolling her eyes.  Then her gaze snapped back to Yoshimitsu.  She smiled sweetly and said, "I believe this is the part where you say, 'And I'd have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!' "

***************

                As the last police cruiser pulled away, Shampoo waved cutely after it.  The Amazon heaved a huge sigh of relief and contentment as the vehicles pulled out of sight.  "Victory belong to us!"

                "Yes indeed," Kodachi said with a smile.  "I confess I was worried for a while that we wouldn't finish this soon enough, but it seems we squeaked in under the deadline."

                "Yeah," Ranma said.  He wore a huge grin of his own.  "Just a few more days till Ryoga gets outta class, and then..."  Impossibly, his smile got even wider.  "Man, I can't wait."

                "Shampoo bet Ryoga feel the same way," the Amazon said.

                "No doubt.  Even with all the anticipation, though, I suspect time hasn't seemed to go too slowly for him this past month," the White Rose said with an ironic smile.  "I wonder whether he's had it easier or harder than we have?"

*********************************************************

                Author's notes

                For those of you who aren't that familiar with Japanese language and culture, here's a couple of tidbits.  'Sakura' means 'cherry blossom', hence the chapter title.  A 'kodachi' is a type of sword, which explains the reference to the edge of her namesake.  And as for burakumin ancestry... read 'Poison', by Susan Doenime, at 

                It's way past time for me to make mention of a certain fact.  I should have revealed it in Chapter 1, if not the very prologue.  Kodachi, though an albino, has the same violet eyes she had in the original series.  This time around, she was born with red eyes, but when she gained her power-up from Elminster, they shifted back to purple.  This is the one bit of vanity the Black Rose permitted herself when she was setting up the new her.

                Another power-up-related quirk... some may wonder why Kodachi's battle aura could have ignited her clothes, when in the original series that never happens to Cologne and Happosai no matter how much power they pump out.  This is because their control is much, much greater than Kodachi's; she really doesn't know how to do anything with her battle aura other than generate it.  Her focus is on weapons techniques, like I already said.

                And speaking of weapons techniques, if you've read A Cold Wind Blows you're already familiar with the basic premise of the Golden Bird Holy Flower Dragon Tooth Glory Strike ("concentrate all battle aura into weapon for one critical attack").  The Paired Weapons incarnation splits the power between two weapons, which causes it to be less tightly focused and therefore much less powerful.  Which means a skilled martial artist is almost sure to survive a hit from it.

                Those of you who are familiar with the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion will probably have noted some elements of that series worked their way into this chapter.  I thought about having one of the conspirators turn out to be the creator of NGE, using his experiences with this group as inspiration, but I eventually decided not to slander any more real-life artists (I probably pushed my luck as far as I ought to in Chapter 2...)

                Thanks to Jim Bader and Gregg Sharp for prereading.  Next time:  certain scenes of this chapter actually make sense, once we see just what's been happening with Ryoga, Ukyo, and the twins during this past month.


	13. Two Roads Diverged

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.

                This chapter takes place concurrently with Chapter 11.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 12:  Two Roads Diverged

'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

                and sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood...'

                from 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost

***************

                Ryoga ducked and spun, in one smooth motion evading both the croquet ball that whizzed overhead and the smoking Erlenmeyer flask that tumbled end over end through the air beside him.  He kicked out, smashing the head off the mallet which Shinji had pulled back to swing at Koga.  The croquet captain turned on his new assailant, a look of outrage on his face, and Ryoga dashed past him, snatching Koga's retaliatory vial of ether out of midair and waving it under the chemistry club leader's nose.  As an afterthought, a backfist sent Shinji into dreamland as well, hot on the heels of his arch-nemesis.  Ryoga wondered whether they'd continue their fight there.

                He looked around for another target, only to find that all the combatants were down and out.  As Ryoga had only taken out a couple of the fighters before getting to their leaders, this surprised him.  It was also a bit disappointing.  The fight hadn't lasted much more than a minute, and the former lost boy could frankly have used more of an opportunity to unwind.

                Ukyo looked around, her attitude mirroring Ryoga's as she found there were no more idiots to flatten with her spatula.  A bit of guilt assailed her as she took in the extremely battered and twisted look of her former opponents.  Compared to the students she'd handled, Ryoga's victims looked like they were just enjoying a few minutes of peaceful rest.  The chef realized, with some chagrin, that it had been a mistake to imagine Ling-Ling in place of the croquet players and Lung-Lung instead of the chemistry enthusiasts.

                "Thank you, Miss Kuonji, Mr Hibiki.  The two of you are excused from tonight's homework assignment," Mr Takamura said, popping up from his place of refuge behind his desk.  The sensei glanced around the classroom, noting that the speed of their reaction had actually prevented any desks or chairs from being destroyed.  "Make that this week's worth of homework.  And now, if everyone would return to their seats, we can resume the lesson."

                One of the students who'd been cowering at the back of the room frowned, and raised his hand.  "Shouldn't somebody take the fallen to the nurse's office?"

                "No," the teacher said flatly.

***************

                Not even the thought that he would have end-of-the-year exams in a month's time was enough to keep Ryoga's mind on his schoolwork that morning.  Nearly a week had passed since the encounter with Yokehi, and its fateful conclusion.  Nothing important had happened since then; in fact he almost hadn't seen the twins at all, only glimpsing them a couple of times as they were making deliveries.  But the calm hadn't settled Ryoga's nerves.  Quite the opposite, in fact... each day that slipped by without anything happening seemed to leave him more and more tightly wound.

                Nothing significant had passed between him and Ukyo, either.  They still walked to school, talking of inconsequential things.  Ryoga still joined the chef for lunch, while she cranked out okonomiyaki after okonomiyaki for their fellow students.  On the day after Yokehi's defeat, the former lost boy had told Ukyo of the deal the Matriarch had struck with him, concerning his tie to the twins, but since then the closest either had come to discussing the situation was a casual remark, made by Ukyo a few days later, that Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung seemed a lot less interested in spending time with their 'husband' than most newlyweds.

                It had actually hurt, a little, when he heard that.  Ryoga still wasn't sure whether the pang had come from bruised ego, at thinking the twins could have lost interest so fast once they thought they'd won, or something deeper.  Thinking things over, he had concluded that the former would be better... if Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung really HAD just had a crush, which they were now over, he'd much rather deal with a wound to his pride than to his heart.

                Still, the former lost boy couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy.  He wasn't Ranma, after all, to have everything in his life fall neatly and tidily into place.  Ryoga thought gloomily to himself that a much more likely outcome would be the twins losing interest, him trying anyway to fulfill his agreement to spend time with them, and alienating Ukyo that way.

                A jab to his arm roused him from these grim meditations.  Ryoga looked over, to meet Ukyo's concerned gaze.  "You okay, sugar?  You look like you just swallowed a green persimmon okonomiyaki," she whispered.

                "Green persimmons?" Ryoga muttered back.  That was one thing he'd never run across in his travels.

                "Yeah, persimmons are really, really bitter before they ripen.  You looked like you had a bellyful of something that bad or worse.  Are you feeling all right?"

                Ryoga didn't say anything back for a few seconds, just looked at her.  Then he smiled, and replied, "It wasn't anything important, Ukyo.  Just some stress I didn't get to work out in our fight earlier."

                Ukyo sniffed.  "Yeah, those guys really aren't much of a challenge anymore, are they?  Guess we just make too good a team, Ryoga-kun."

                He started to say something in response, then caught the teacher's eye.  The sensei's message, 'I'll let you and Kuonji get away with a fair amount because you minimize the damage Shinji and Koga do, but don't push it,' was received loud and clear.  Ukyo turned to see what had caught Ryoga's attention, and received a similarly eloquent stare.  The chef returned her attention to scholastic matters.

                Ryoga attempted to do so as well, but his unruly mind refused to focus on the properties of noncongruent triangles.  His thoughts kept trying to return to his situation.  Not wanting to slide back into the angst that Ukyo had dispelled, Ryoga forced himself to concentrate on something else.  Something more diverting than mathematical minutia, but not actually connected to his girl troubles.

                Specifically, the feeling he'd been having for several days now.  At various times, he had gotten the distinct sensation of being watched.  He wasn't sure whether it was just his imagination or not.  There hadn't yet been anything to confirm or refute his suspicion.  Once he'd even gone so far as to duck down a side alley and double back, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone stalking him, but to no avail.

                And so Ryoga sat back in his chair, pretending to pay attention to the lecture, and tried to convince himself it was just a trick of his mind.  After all, he'd been under a lot of stress lately.  He'd been expecting the twins to be all over him now that they had a legitimate excuse, yet the opposite had occurred.  That would be enough to make anyone jump at shadows, he told himself.  Then he realized, with a flash of irritation, that he was right back where he'd tried to avoid going.  Namely, considering the rather complicated situation Yokehi's stupid mind-control spell had left him in.

                Once again, Ryoga forced his thoughts away from affairs of the heart, and concentrated on the memories of when he'd felt like he was being stalked.  Once again, his mind drifted almost immediately back to the twins and their strange absence.  He became more and more irate as that pattern repeated itself.

                This went on for quite some time.  Eventually, Ryoga was forced to conclude that he just wasn't getting anywhere with this.  From training, the former lost boy knew that there were two ways to get past a barrier.  Sometimes you had to pound against it for a long time, until little by little you'd worn it away to nothingness.

                That approach didn't seem to be working very well just now, and so he tried the other... put the problem out of your mind and wait for a blazing moment of inspiration, a breakthrough that would come all at once.  Ryoga deliberately blanked his mind, forcing out all thoughts.  It wasn't easy, but he managed it in the end.  He'd enjoyed fifteen minutes of much-needed calmness when the lunch bell rang.

                Ukyo watched, with some surprise, as Ryoga sat bolt upright, a stunned expression on his face.  The chef concluded he must have just lost track of time and was startled to hear the bell.  "You awake now, Ryoga?"

                He nodded absently, not really paying attention to her.  Ukyo continued speaking.  "Well, are you just going to sit there, or are you going to come join me for lunch?"

                "Um..."  With some effort, Ryoga pushed aside the thought that had crashed in on him with the ringing of the bell.  "Lunch sounds good."

***************

                Several minutes later, Ukyo looked down at her grill in frustration.  It stubbornly refused to turn on.  "What's wrong with this thing?!" she muttered angrily, then gave a sigh of frustration.  It didn't really matter what the specific problem was... she'd already ruled out every possibility that she could have fixed on the spot.  Repairs would have to wait until she got it home.  Raising her voice, the chef called out, "Sorry, folks, it looks like you're out of luck.  My grill's busted."  With a collective groan, the crowd of students waiting in line dispersed.

                "Guess I won't be able to fix you a shrimp deluxe today, Ryoga-kun," the chef said once they were alone.

                "Don't worry about it.  What're you gonna do for lunch?" he asked her.

                "Well, I'm not too hungry... I guess I could just get a little something from the school lunch lady..." Ukyo said reluctantly.  Meanwhile, she was focusing every shred of her willpower into the thought, 'or you could offer to share some of your lunch with me?'

                "Is no need.  Ryoga give you his lunch and eat ours instead!"

                By now, Ukyo had almost gotten used to spinning around to find Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had popped up out of nowhere.  That didn't mean she'd learned to like it.  After counting to ten, the chef said, "I've got a better idea.  Seeing as how you two aren't students here, why don't you get the heck off school grounds right now?!"

                Ling-Ling sniffed, then turned to Ryoga.  "We work hard to make new special recipe ramen, Airen.  Please join us for lunch?"

                "Can leave own lunch with spatula girl so she not go hungry.  At least, she not go hungry if she able to eat anything other than okonomiyaki."

                Ryoga hesitated for a moment, then concluded going along with that was pretty much his best option.  He definitely needed to talk to the Amazons, and joining them for lunch would give him the opportunity.  Plus, Ukyo provided food for him all the time; it felt good to get a chance to return the favor.  "Well... okay.  Here, Ukyo."  He handed his lunch to her.  "It's a heck of a lot better than anything you can buy at Furinkan."

                "Thanks, Ryoga-kun."  Ukyo stepped close to him to take it, then didn't back away.  She turned to face the twins.  "So where did you want to eat lunch anyway?  Right here is okay with me, but there's some nicer places down the field a ways."

                Lung-Lung gave her a flat stare.  "Where spatula girl eat lunch no matter to us.  But it not going to be where we eat."

                "Is that right?" Ukyo replied softly.  "I like how you just proclaim that, without even asking Ryoga for his opinion.  But then, that's pretty much how you two work all the time, isn't it?"

                Ling-Ling tore her gaze away from Ryoga, and began giving Ukyo the Stare of Death.  Since her sister had just taken over for her, Lung-Lung was able to turn back to face Ryoga.  She handed him a large metal box.  "Here, Airen, is ramen for three.  We wait over there," she gestured off to a group of trees, "for you join us.  For ONLY you join us."  The twins turned on their heels and strode off to the area indicated, seating themselves just out of sight.

                This day was turning out much worse than most Mondays, Ryoga thought sourly, looking down at the box in his hands, then back up to the clump of trees.  Then he sighed, braced himself, and said, "Listen, Ukyo, I really do need to talk to them.  I'll see you back in class, okay?"

                There was a moment of silence.  Then, just as Ryoga was beginning to fear the worst, he heard Ukyo say brightly, "No problem, Ryoga.  Thanks for the lunch.  I guess I'll see you later, then."

                This surprised him, to say the least.  He'd expected at least a little resentment, but Ukyo's tone hadn't sounded angry at all.  He turned around, but she was already walking quickly in the opposite direction.  The former lost boy stood puzzled for a minute, then decided he ought to be thankful when something actually turned out better than it could have.  He turned and hurried off after the twins.

                Once she was sure she was out of Ryoga's visual range, Ukyo found a large boulder and demonstrated that if you're mad enough, and you have a big enough spatula, you don't NEED the Bakkusai Tenketsu to shatter stone.

***************

                On the other side of the trees, Ryoga found the twins had spread out a blanket on the ground, and had arranged on it a vase of flowers, a large pot of tea, three glasses, and three empty bowls.  They were already sitting down.  He noticed that the things on the blanket were so placed that the only spot left for him was directly between the two of them.

                Both girls favored him with big smiles as he sat down in the only place he could.  Lung-Lung took the ramen back from him and ladled it into the bowls, while Ling-Ling poured the tea.

                Some time later, Ryoga pushed back his empty bowl.  The food had been good enough to temporarily take his mind off his primary concern.  "That was great.  You said it was a new recipe?"

                "That right.  Well, sort of.  Is same basic recipe, but with new ingredient."  Lung-Lung gave him a sultry smile.  "We add Passion Spice to ramen.  Secret Amazon aph... aphro... aphrodisiac."  The green-haired girl was mildly proud she managed to remember the word.  "Give much strength and stamina.  Enough for many hour of fun."

                Ryoga turned pale and began to sweat as Ling-Ling traced a finger seductively up his arm.  "Can feel it working, Airen?"

                "A- a- antidote!  Give me the antidote!!" he choked, trembling like Ranma in the presence of a cat.

                Both twins burst into a fit of giggles.  "We just joking, Ryoga!  There no such thing as Passion Spice!"

                Ryoga desperately struggled for control.  "This isn't funny!  Did you or didn't you put something weird in there?!"

                "No.  Only way this ramen affect you feelings is make you happy eat something so delicious."

                He forced himself to calmness.  Ryoga carefully and thoroughly examined his own emotions, eventually concluding that no, he wasn't currently being swept up in a raging river of hormone-drenched desire to have his wedding night right then and there.  He wiped the sweat from his brow.  "Okay, that was some stress I didn't need."

                Ling-Ling frowned, and looked down.  "Airen, you should have know we not really do that to you," she said quietly.

                Guilt assailed him.  Ryoga tried to maintain his air of righteous indignation, but Ling-Ling's hurt pose killed it.  He sighed.  "I'm sorry.  I guess you're right."

                "That right.  We not do that out here where anybody maybe walk by."  The cherry-haired girl looked up, and grinned at him.  "Better be careful what you eat at Nekohanten, though."

                Lung-Lung giggled, then patted the suddenly-sweating-again Ryoga on the shoulder.  "No worry, we say truth when say there no such thing as Passion Spice.  Ling-Ling just teasing you."

                He just closed his eyes and took deep, calming breaths for almost a minute.  At the end of that time, Ryoga had recovered at least a measure of poise, and had also remembered there was something he needed to talk to them about.  He decided to ease into it.  "So it really was a different recipe.  Have you been practicing it for the last week?  Is that why I almost haven't seen you at all since... that night?"

                "Not really.  Sure, learn new recipe take time, and it not like we have much free time anyway, but that not why we no can come around like want to."

                Ryoga paused, inserting the missing words and working out what Ling-Ling had just said.  "Wait a minute.  What do you mean, you wanted to but you couldn't?  There wasn't anything to keep you from visiting me.  Heck, you've got a better excuse now than you ever did before!"

                Lung-Lung sighed.  "Great-Grandmother say no, we need let Ryoga make next move.  She say you need time get used to changes in life, and maybe get mad if you think we push you too hard."

                "We want come spend time with you, but she stop us.  Today first chance we get to be with you, since Great-Grandmother off training Sailor Moon girl."  Ling-Ling gave him a nervous smile.  "By the way, Airen, you not let slip to her we meet you for lunch today, okay?"

                "Yeah, whatever."  The revelation of Cologne's edict had only strengthened his suspicions.  "You wanted to be near me, but the Matriarch said you had to stay away so I wouldn't feel crowded.  Did she maybe say it was okay to use the Dance of the Hidden Chameleon to have the first part without the second?"

                The twins blinked synchronously.  "What you talking, Ryoga?"

                "For the last several days, I've been getting the feeling that there's somebody stalking me, sneaking around and watching me.  But I haven't been able to see anyone doing anything like that."  Ryoga gave the twins his best approximation of a steely-eyed stare of challenge.  "It's almost like there was somebody invisible following me around."

                Puzzlement changed to dawning comprehension as they realized just what he was asking.  Lung-Lung put on a thoughtful expression.  "When is last time you feel like somebody watching you?"

                "Yesterday on my way home from school."

                "You not get feeling while you take bath at night?"

                "Um, no..."

                "Then this not us you sensing."

                Ryoga put his head in his hands.  "Listen, this is serious.  I am asking you, point blank, have you been using the Dance of the Hidden Chameleon to follow me around?!"

                "We serious too," Ling-Ling shot back.  "Well, mostly.  Not serious when hint we watch you in bathroom, but when we say we not one what you feel, we tell truth.  Only use Dance of Hidden Chameleon once in past five days.  Was last night, and not take us anywhere near you."

                'Oh, that's real good, sis,.' her twin thought exasperatedly.  'What if he asks what we used it for?  I don't want to admit we sabotaged the spatula girl's grill so we could fix lunch for him today!'

                "Really?"  Ryoga wasn't completely convinced yet, but he was getting there.  "What did..."

                "Why you not believe us, Airen?" Lung-Lung cut in quickly, before he could get the question out.  She put on her best expression of hurt innocence determined to redeem itself.  "We prove we not ones you sense."

                "How are you going to do that?"

                'That's what I'd like to know,' Ling-Ling thought.  She kept quiet, resolving to follow her sister's lead.

                "We teach you see through Dance of Hidden Chameleon.  That way Ryoga know we not use to spy on you."

                "Really?  I can learn not to be affected by it?"

                Lung-Lung shrugged.  "Not know til try, but Lung-Lung think so.  Part of training make us not be controlled by music even if somebody else play.  Also, ones what have no talent for instrument music and is very very stubborn usually not be affected either.  So should no be impossible for you to learn.  Just maybe take time."

                "So how we do this?" Ling-Ling queried.

                "Have Ryoga focus on thought that we is here, try to see us while we use Dance."  That would keep him occupied for the rest of the lunch hour, and prevent any awkward questions about their activities of the night before.  "Airen, we going to move around while playing, because that make harder to keep disguise.  Try to find us.  But no fair put hands over ears."

                Ryoga tried mightily, but not once in the remainder of the lunch break was he able to catch so much as a glimpse of either twin... not even when Ling-Ling sneaked his wallet away from him, rifled through it and removed a certain item, and slid the slightly lighter billfold back into his pocket.

***************

                Even though he never managed to see through their illusions, by the time lunch was over Ryoga was pretty much convinced it wasn't the twins he'd been sensing.  If it had been, surely they wouldn't have been so eager to train him to see through their trick, or to remind him that he could just close his ears and not be affected.

                That, of course, led him back to the question he'd been considering before remembering the twins' stealth technique... had there really been anything at all, or was it just his imagination, brought on by expecting his Amazon admirers to be all over him?  Ryoga spent the rest of the school day going back over his memories, trying to work it out, but never did reach a satisfactory conclusion.  The only thing he managed to accomplish via his preoccupation was to overlook the fact that Ukyo seemed rather annoyed.

                The former lost boy wasn't the only one ignoring the afternoon's lessons.  Ukyo paid them not the slightest heed, as she was too busy thinking back over recent events.  After Ryoga had told her of the 'bargain' the Matriarch had made with him concerning the Kisses of Marriage he'd received, Ukyo had grumpily resigned herself to a year of the twins showing up more often and making even more of a nuisance of themselves.  Having Ryoga be forced to turn away from her to spend time with them instead had NOT factored into her expectations of what the future was going to hold.

                At least, not after the morning when he'd told her just what had passed between Cologne and himself.  The chef generally didn't like to think back on the hours just after Yokehi's defeat, when she had thought Ryoga actually was going to be forced into marrying Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  The pain she'd felt then was nothing she wanted to remember.  Plus, whenever those thoughts did cross her mind, it quickly became a struggle not to track down the duo and squash them flat for trying to take advantage of poor Ryoga-kun.

                Just like they had today.  Ukyo was actually a bit proud of her restraint.  The temptation to play a round of twinball, using her spatula as the bat, had been nearly overwhelming.  She'd worked out most of her anger by finding a huge rock and reducing it to rubble, but she was still quite miffed.  'Blast those little witches anyway,' the chef grumbled to herself.  'I might've known they'd twist poor Ryoga-kun's sense of honor and obligation like that.  Ooohh, just you wait.  I'll get my revenge with him tonight.'

                With that, Ukyo paused, and ran the last thought back through her mind.  Her frustration was subsumed by embarrassment as she realized just what that had sounded like.  She spent an entire class period blushing and fiddling nervously with a throwing spatula.

***************

                The school day ended, eventually, and Ukyo and Ryoga left the building together.  The chef had spent the last hour of the day thinking about what she was going to ask him.  Or more accurately, she'd spent a few seconds thinking about asking, and the rest of the time daydreaming about how things would go once he'd said yes.  And now, as five attempts to get the words out resulted in false starts that ended in false coughs, Ukyo was coming to realize that she should have spent just a _little_ more time on the 'psyche herself up' stage.

                The chef looked away to try to collect herself.  She gulped, then thought furiously, 'Just say it, you jackass!'  Ukyo screwed all her courage to the sticking place, then quickly turned back to face Ryoga before it could desert her.  She opened her mouth...

                "Here you go, Ukyo."  While his companion was looking the other way, Ryoga had been fumbling in his backpack.  Having found what he sought, he turned back just in time to meet her gaze.  The former lost boy handed her a throat drop.  "That's a pretty nasty cough you have there."

                Ukyo sighed as she felt her courage trickle away.  "Thanks, sugar," she said, and popped the lozenge into her mouth.  'Okay, maybe I just need to ease my way into this instead of trying to bust out all at once.'

                A few seconds of thought provided her with an approach that might work.  "So, how'd things go at lunch?  I hope the kids didn't get too out-of-hand."

                Ryoga laughed nervously.  "No, not too bad, I didn't even see them for the last half of the break," he replied quickly.  Something told him it might be better not to mention 'Passion Spice'.

                "Come again?" Ukyo said quizzically.  "You mean they left early?"

                "No, they were trying to train me to see through the invisibility technique they use."

                Even as Ryoga spoke those words, some sense of a thing forgotten or overlooked was nagging at him.  As Ukyo's expression changed to alarm, and she choked, "I- invisibility technique?!  Those little menaces can pull off something like that?!", the former lost boy realized what it was.  It had been in dubious taste at best to reveal something like that to the twins' chief rival.

                He put his head in his hands.  "Um, do you think you could forget I said that?  Please?"

                She looked at him like he'd grown a second head.  "Excuse me?!  Forget those two could be standing four feet behind me right now with a trident pointed at my unprotected back?!"

                "Actually, your spatula is covering most of your back," Ryoga pointed out.

                "Oh, that makes it a lot better," the chef returned sarcastically.  "Just great.  Now I'm never going to feel safe again until those little witches give up and go back to China."

                "Ukyo, I really don't think they're as bad as you're making them out to be," he protested.  "Heck, when you first fought them, you were back in school the next day but Ling-Ling was flat on her back for several days while her ankle healed.  I know you guys don't like each other much, but they've never really hurt you, have they?"

                She gave him an incredulous stare.  "Sugar, do you honestly expect me to believe they 'aren't that bad'?!"  With an effort, Ukyo reminded herself that he hadn't been there to see Lung-Lung's trident against her throat.

                With an effort, Ryoga held back a reminder that the only time the twins had seriously threatened her had been under extreme provocation, and Lung-Lung had proved then that she was just putting up a fierce front.  "Well, I have spent more time around them than you have... I think they just bluff a lot.  They might've nearly given me a heart attack at lunch, but that's as close as I think they'd come to seriously hurting somebody."

                "What did they do to nearly give you a heart attack?"

                If Ryoga had known the Cat Got Your Tongue shiatsu point, he probably would have applied it to himself right then and there.  As it was, he sighed, braced himself, and gave a sketchy outline of the Passion Spice incident.

                "And these are the girls you think I'm being too hard on?" Ukyo muttered incredulously.  Once again, the chef was conscious of a strong desire to head to the Nekohanten and use her spatula on something other than a boulder.

                She choked it back.  Better to put that anger to a more constructive use.  "Ryoga-kun, you've had a pretty rough day so far, haven't you?"

                He blinked, not having expected the change of subject.  "I've definitely had better ones," he admitted.

                "Well, then," Ukyo responded briskly.  "What you and I need is something to take our minds off the stress we've had today.  And I saw yesterday that there's an amusement park that's having a special 'Midnight Madness' deal this week.  You want to go tonight?"

                He considered that.  "Well... okay.  What time?"

                "Meet me at my place at two in the morning."

                Ryoga's jaw dropped, and dangled like a broken window shade.  "T- two in the morning?!  I thought you said it was Midnight Madness!"

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Yeah, but it doesn't open until two.  I guess they're operating on a different time zone or something.  C'mon, sugar, it'll be fun.  Splitting your sleep like that shouldn't be a big deal for a martial artist as good as you."

                "I guess not."  They had just reached the point where his walk home diverged from hers.  "Okay, I'll see you at two A.M."

                "Great!"  Ukyo's anger at the twins had given her enough focus to ask him without wimping out, or even seeming like it was a big deal, but now that anger had been forgotten.  Accordingly, her attempt to say, "It's a date!" emerged as a strangled cough as her vocal chords froze up.

                Ryoga turned back to face her, and tossed her another lozenge.  "Give me a call if your cough gets worse.  I don't want you to get sick or anything."

***************

                Many hours later, a scratching at the door of her restaurant drew Ukyo's attention.  She opened it to reveal a small black piglet with a fierce scowl on its face.  She shook her head.  "Jusenkyo strikes again, huh, sugar?"  Ukyo carried him to the bathroom and turned on the hot water tap, then left to go hunt down Ryoga's clothes.

                Once the change had been triggered, Ryoga turned off the water and sat back with a morose sigh.  "Stupid curse," he muttered, wondering  just what the odds were of a fire hydrant randomly shooting out one blast like that.  The night didn't seem to be starting out very well.  'But that was just Jusenkyo junk.  It doesn't mean anything.  It's not some kind of omen, like I shouldn't be doing this,' he thought, trying to convince himself.

                After all, he'd never promised the Matriarch that he wouldn't do anything with any girls other than Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  'Besides, she said herself she didn't want me to feel like I was being pushed into something against my will.  And from what they said at lunch, it's obvious she meant it.  So stop feeling guilty already!' Ryoga said to himself.  'Nobody even said this was a date.  Just a fun time when two friends get together to let off some stress.'

                'Stress?  So why is Ukyo stressed at the twins going after you, if she and you are just friends?' a rebellious little voice responded.

                'Shut up!  I don't need any backtalk from myself!'

                'Oh, that's a real good argument.  You know I'm right.  You're breaking your word if you do this.'

                'The heck I am!  I said I'd give Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung a CHANCE, not ignore every other girl in the world!  I've got every right to do this!'

                'Traitor.  Is this how you keep your promises?'

                The argument continued for several more minutes before Ryoga finally stamped down on the nagging whisper.  'This is stupid.  Everything's going to be fine.  Ukyo and I'll just go, hang out, and have a good time.  Nothing wrong with that.  Nothing to worry about.'  And speaking of Ukyo, what the heck was taking her so long anyway?

                As if triggered by the thought, there came a knock at the door.  "Hey, Ryoga-kun?" Ukyo called from the other side.  "Where'd you leave your clothes anyway?  I can't find a trace of them."

                He blinked.  "What do you mean, you can't find them?  They were just down the street from your front door.  You should've seen them as soon as you went outside!"

                "Well, something must've happened to them.  Cause there's a big wet spot there, but that's all."

                Ryoga sat blankly for a minute or two.  'If Lung-Lung shows up wearing my pants tomorrow, there's gonna be hell to pay,' he eventually thought to himself.  'But I doubt it was them.  They wouldn't want to leave me naked in Ukyo's home.'  That last thought shredded his composure like a ginsu knife through cabbage. The situation wasn't quite appropriate for a nosebleed, but he did feel suddenly light-headed.

                "Ryoga?"  Ukyo was starting to get a little concerned.  He should have answered by now.  "You okay in there?"

                "FINE!" he forced out, his voice cracking.  "I'm fine, except I'm stuck here with no clothes."  He laughed nervously.  "What the heck are we gonna do?!"

                The door cracked open, just enough for Ukyo's arm to reach in.  She was holding a Furinkan boy's uniform.  "See if this fits."

                Ryoga stared at the uniform.  To his relieved eyes, it seemed to be limned in a golden light, with faint strains of heavenly music playing in the background.  Then, collecting his wits, he took it and dressed quickly.  It wasn't too bad a fit.  The top was almost a perfect match, since it had been sized for an Ukyo who wore a chest binding.  The pants were a bit tight, but Ryoga was too thankful to complain.

                He left the bathroom, to find Ukyo waiting in the hall.  "Thanks, Ukyo.  Lucky thing you had this."

                "Y- yeah," the chef managed.

                Ryoga gave her a concerned look.  "Are you sure you're okay?  You were coughing a lot this afternoon, and you look kinda feverish now.  And your voice just sounded a bit raspy too."

                Ukyo laughed nervously.  She gulped a few times, managing to work some moisture back into her throat, then said, "It's nothing, sugar.  My throat was a little dry, that's all."  'Oh, MAN, those pants are just tight enough.'

                "Anyway, thanks for the uniform.  This'll keep me decent long enough to get back to the Kuno place and get some of my own clothes."

                "NO!" Ukyo exclaimed.  Ryoga started at the vehemence of her protest.  She calmed herself, and said, "I mean, that'll take too long, don't you think?  We're already a bit late."

                "But what am I going to do about shoes?  I don't need them for a trip back home, but I can't just go barefoot to the amusement park!"

                "Don't worry, I've got some sandals that're big enough for you," Ukyo responded.  "C'mon, let's go already!"

                "Oh, all right."  Ryoga grimaced.  "I hope I don't get too many people staring at me."

                Ukyo slung her spatula into place at her back as she and her companion made for the door.  "Tell you what, sugar, if anybody does, I'll flatten them."  'Especially if it's a girl.'

***************

                The amusement park in question was far enough away that they had to take the train.  On the way to the station, Ryoga felt the by-now-familiar sensation of being watched.  It passed quickly, though, and he put it out of his mind.  Really, the idea was absurd anyway, he thought.  No reasonable person would be up this late for such a stupid purpose.

                Once they were inside the park, Ukyo paused and took a long, leisurely look around.  A fair number of people had come out to enjoy the night.  Not enough to make the park seem crowded, but not few enough that it felt deserted either.  The colorful lights of the stands and rides cast interesting shadows against the cloudy night sky.  The festive music of the carnival lent a bright and energetic air, though it was played somewhat softly out of respect to the hour.  The overall effect, to Ukyo at least, was of a romantic mixture of peace, magic, and mystery.

                She sighed.  "Isn't this great, Ryoga-kun?"

                "Mmph?"

                The chef turned, to see Ryoga hastily swallow a mouthful of cotton candy.  She rolled her eyes.  "Jeez, typical guy.  Go right for the food and ignore the atmosphere completely."

                "So you don't want this?" Ryoga asked, holding up the second coneful of spun sugar he'd purchased for her.

                Ukyo punched him lightly on the arm, then took the offering.  "I didn't say that."

                The two walked along, silent for the next few minutes as they finished their treats.  At length, Ryoga asked, "What would you like to do first?"

                Ukyo shrugged.  "I don't know.  Let's just walk for a while, and see what there is to see."

                This proved to be a good suggestion, as the next corner they turned put them in the area that housed the various sideshow exhibits.  The two spent an entertaining quarter-hour walking along and pointing out the outrageous claims posted on the signs of the booths.  They didn't actually go into any of them... seeing a ridiculously faked spectacle would have taken some of the fun out of it.  As Ryoga put it, "A girl who turns into a tiger?  Yeah, right.  Only if they've been to Jusenkyo lately."

***************

                Within the tent, Miao Yin paced back and forth in her most dramatic stalk.  She listened with only half an ear to the barker's spiel.  As he reached the appropriate point, she spun on her heel, turning so that her back was to the audience.  In the same motion, she doffed the cloak that was her only garment, spinning it so that the hidden interior pockets sent a fine spray of cold water shooting forth over her before the onlookers could catch more than a glimpse of her unclothed form.

***************

                "Oh, and what about that one?  A girl who can 'spin the spirits of air and fire into beautiful visions of wonder', whatever that's supposed to mean."  Ukyo frowned.  "Come to think of it, most of these booths are about girls in one way or another, aren't they?"  The realization took a good bit of her enjoyment away.

                "You're right," Ryoga said, puzzled.  "I wonder why that is?"

                His companion gave him a searching sidelong glance, then smiled.  "Probably because most guys aren't too honorable to pay a few yen and watch a pretty girl strut her stuff."  Ukyo still didn't like the thought, but her spirits had quickly picked back up.  It felt pretty good to be here with a guy who was an exception to that rule.

                Ryoga stared.  "You don't really think that's it, do you?" he asked, almost plaintively.

                "'Fraid so, sugar."  Ukyo turned to look back at the booth she'd pointed out.  "That one probably means they've got some kinda incense burning to fill the place with smoke and dim light, and the girl does a striptease."

***************

                Inside the booth in question, Sakura let her awareness of the world around her fall partially away.  She reached deeply into herself.  Engaging her talent, she wove illusionary worlds in the darkness of the tent, taking an extra bit of pleasure in the squeals of delight from one little girl when a tiny, brilliantly glowing dragon landed on her hand.

***************

                Ryoga sighed.  "C'mon, let's go somewhere else."  They made their way out of the sideshow area, to find themselves in the section that housed the games of skill and chance.  "This is more like it," he said.  "Let's try to win some stuff, Ukyo."

                "Fine by me, but we shouldn't waste too much money.  I hear these games are rigged like the sails of a trireme."

                He shrugged.  "I've heard that too.  But I bet our skills are enough to make up for it.  It's worth a shot at least, right?"  Without waiting for an answer, Ryoga strode over to what is perhaps the archetypal carnival game, the 'test of strength' in which the player swings a hammer as hard as he can and hits a lever on a fulcrum, sending a weight up a pole to (hopefully) ring the bell at the top.

                Ryoga glanced at the sign.  500 yen for a set of three swings, with the quality of the prize you won depending on how many times you rung the bell.  He set a five hundred yen coin down and began to focus his chi.

                "You from Nerima, kid?" the barker asked him.  Ryoga's concentration dissolved into surprise.

                "Er, yes, I am," he answered.  "Why?"

                The barker gestured toward another sign, partially hidden by stuffed animals.  It read, 'Absolutely NO martial artists from Nerima allowed to compete. ~the management'

                Ryoga's jaw dropped.  He pulled himself together with an effort, and turned back to face the game operator.  "You have GOT to be kidding."

                The man shrugged helplessly.  "Sorry, kid, but I don't make the rules.  Tell you what, though.  I'll let you have a go for free."  He lowered his voice conspiratorially.  "You won't win anything, but you will get a chance to impress that cutie you're with."  He winked at Ryoga.  "And that's the real important thing here, right?"

                This left Ryoga a little too flustered to focus properly, and his first swing failed to send the weight very high at all.  That annoyed him enough that the next two rang the bell loud and clear.

***************

                A few minutes of looking around quickly confirmed that all the games which required skill rather than luck carried the same 'No martial artists from Nerima' sign.  Ukyo briefly considered telling one of the operators that she was an okonomiyaki chef from Kyoto, and then cleaning him out, but decided against it.  "So, what do you want to do now, Ryoga-kun?"

                "Well, we've already eaten, and I've seen enough of the sideshow exhibits, and the games are a total bust..." Ryoga grimaced at that last statement.  "That pretty much just leaves the rides, I guess."

                "Sounds good to me."  They began making their way over to that section of the park.  "You have any preference for our first ride?" Ukyo asked as they came within sight of the nearest ones.

                "No, not really.  You pick."

                "You don't have to ask me twice!" she said excitedly.  "I've heard of one here that's supposed to give a real thrill.  Come on, let's go!"  She headed purposefully toward the ride in question, Ryoga following close behind.

                The duo reached their goal.  Ukyo smiled.  "Great, the line isn't too long."  She moved to join it, realizing a moment later that Ryoga hadn't come with her.  She turned back with a puzzled expression on her face.  "Yo, sugar, you coming?"

                Ryoga looked sourly over Ukyo's shoulder, watching as a log-shaped carriage full of screaming teens shot down a flume.  Their speed was broken by a huge wave that shot over the log, drenching them to the bone.  "Gee, Ukyo, what could be more fun that me getting splashed with cold water in front of a whole bunch of people."

                Ukyo blinked, then turned back to look at the ride as if seeing it for the first time.  Sheepishly, the chef moved out of line and walked back to his side.  "Heh heh.  Sorry about that.  I guess I wasn't really thinking."

                'Stupid curse,' Ryoga mentally growled.  Forcing his mind away from gloomy thoughts, he suggested, "There are some roller coasters over there."

                "Let's check them out, then," Ukyo said cheerfully.  Despite her carefree tone, the chef was feeling a little annoyed.  The sequence of one problem after another was beginning to grate on her nerves.  'Is it too much to ask that one part of this date go off smoothly?' she growled to herself.  'With my luck, the coaster will probably break down and leave me and Ryoga stuck at the top of the highest loop.'  She blinked.  'Hey, wait a minute, that wouldn't be so bad...'

                Ryoga glanced at Ukyo, once again wondering whether she was feeling all right.  Her eyes were glazed and her cheeks were flushed.  'I hope Ukyo isn't getting sick.  I'd hate to find out she was and I kept her out running around when she should've been in bed.'

                Sometimes, letting yourself get distracted is the worst mistake you can make.  It leaves you open to attacks that otherwise would never have touched you.  It snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

                Other times, it doesn't matter at all.  Like now.  If Ryoga had been paying attention, he'd have seen a girl walking stiffly toward him, an angry scowl on her face.  He might have dodged the slap she leveled at him, instead of being caught totally off-guard.  But even if he had, the eventual outcome of the confrontation wouldn't have changed at all.

                Ukyo was jarred from her fantasy (involving a roller coaster carriage that was both rather roomier than normal and, inexplicably, only occupied by the two of them) by the strident sound of flesh on flesh.  She blinked, and turned to see a rather bizarre sight.

                A girl in a pretty dress, with long, curly black hair, blue eyes partially obscured by glasses, and slightly dusky skin, was standing in front of Ryoga.  She was glaring fiercely at him, and her hand was still in the post-follow-through position.  An angry red welt on Ryoga's face made it clear that the former lost boy had just received the slap of a lifetime.

                Ryoga just stared in shock.  "What was that for?" he asked blankly.

                "How can you ask me that, you womanizing jerk!" she snarled back.  "So it's true.  Everything my friends heard about you is true.  You really DO sneak around and date a bunch of girls all at the same time.  You... you miserable..."  The nameless girl's anger crumpled suddenly, and she sank down to her knees and began to cry.

                "Y- you were the f- f- first boy to tell me... tell me I w- was cute.  I, I thought y- you really c- c- cared for me."  She put her face in her hands and sobbed for a full minute.

                Fighting a sense of unreality, Ryoga finally spoke again.  "Um, miss?  I think you've mistaken me for someone else.  I've never seen you before in my- "

                "DON'T YOU _DARE_!!" the girl screamed, seeming to find new anger.  "Don't you DARE pull this 'I don't know you' thing, Ryoga Hibiki!  You may have fooled me, but I won't let you hurt this girl too!"  The girl turned to Ukyo.  "Please, y- you have to believe me.  He- He's just using you..." the last of her rage was swamped again by rising despair, "... like he used me..."  She said the last in a shamed whisper, and began to cry again.

                Ryoga was beyond responding at this point, too shell-shocked to do more than stand and gape in disbelief.  Ukyo was nearly as bad, but she managed to scrape together enough composure to start forward, intending to lay a hand on the girl's shoulder.  Whether it would have been a comforting gesture or a clenching grip of iron followed by a demand for more information, not even she could have said.

                However, as Ukyo took her first step, the girl shot back to her feet.  With a cry of despair, she turned and raced off into the night.

                By the time the chef recovered enough to follow, it was far too late.  She turned back to stare at Ryoga.  A long moment of silence passed.  Off in the distance, an owl hooted.

                Eventually, Ukyo spoke.  "Well, Ryoga?  I'm waiting to hear your side of the story," she said grimly.

                Ryoga blinked, seeming to come out of a daze.  "M- My side?  What story?!  I've got no idea what just happened here!  I've never seen that girl before in my life!"

                "You've never seen that girl... who knew your name.  Not just your first name, but your family name too."  The thought had crossed Ukyo's mind that this was some sort of carnival scam, and that the girl had learned Ryoga's name by following them and listening, but since she'd never spoken his full name that idea hadn't lasted very long.

                "That's right.  I don't have a clue who she is."  Ryoga swallowed hard.  "You've got to believe me!"

                Ukyo just stared at him in silence for a long moment.  At last, she sighed, and said flatly, "I don't know what to believe."  On that note, she turned and walked away.

***************

                Six thirty A.M.

                Ukyo's Okonomiyaki.

                The proprietor's bedroom.

                Ukyo had been there for nearly two and a half hours.  Sleep wouldn't come, driven away by the struggle with her turbulent emotions.  The conflict had been exhausting, even as it drove her further and further from slumber.  But now, finally, she had managed to attain a measure of peace.  Ukyo now stood (or reclined, since she was in her bed at the moment) firm again, believing in Ryoga.  Something about the encounter had increasingly rubbed her the wrong way, as she'd forced herself to think back over it, and the chef was convinced by now that the girl had been lying or mistaken.

                How 'mistaken' might be the case was something she was still working on.  Ukyo was tempted just to let it go and assume the girl had been deliberately trying to deceive her, out of some mysterious wish to hurt Ryoga.  However, remembering ten years spent in bitter but misplaced anger toward Ranma, she choked back the impulse and did her level best to give the girl the benefit of the doubt.

                Of course, that required there to be some doubt in the first place.  Ukyo was still looking, but so far she hadn't found any.  'Okay, let's just think this through,' the chef thought to herself.  Had the mystery girl lied, or did she make a mistake?

                'What kind of mistake would explain something like this?  She knew who Ryoga was, which rules out mistaken identity.  Maybe they used to go to the same school, and he randomly complimented her once and she built some huge fantasy about the two of them as a couple after that?  Some off-hand remark he doesn't even remember?  That would explain how Ryoga can think he never met her.'  Ukyo pondered that thought for a little while, then discarded it.  Nobody would take one measly little remark and shape their whole life around it like that.

                And besides, the girl had clearly accused Ryoga of 'using' her.  There was just no way that fit with the idea of a secret crush which the girl had thought of as something more.  Ukyo attempted to picture Ryoga, the guy who had wondered why the sideshow attractions had mostly featured girls, doing something like that.  She failed utterly.

                'Okay, I guess that pretty much rules out a mistake.  The little witch had some kind of grudge against Ryoga, or she was working with somebody who does, and did all that just to hurt him,' she thought.  Now that that was settled, Ukyo felt quite a relief.  She'd done her best to be open-minded and fair, and not condemn somebody without evidence, but there really wasn't any other possibility, was there?  That girl HAD to have been lying through her teeth.

                'Tomorrow I'll get with Ryoga-kun and tell him what I figured out,' the chef thought, ignoring the fact that 'today' was the word she should have used.  'And I'll do something extra nice for him too, to make up for leaving him in the lurch like that.'  She felt quite a bit of guilt well up in her at the reminder.  'Dang, I wish I hadn't done that.  It just... didn't help when that girl said her bit about Ryoga being the first guy to call her cute.  Made it sound like he'd just used her and moved on to me, to do the same thing.  But I should've known better.'

                Ukyo yawned, finally beginning to feel a bit sleepy.  'Wonder what her reason was for wanting to attack Ryoga-kun. Was it was her grudge or somebody else's?' she mused.  'And was she trying specifically to break us up, or just generally hurt him?  Kinda seemed like the first one, but what for?  It's not like she could want him for herself... she'd have no chance at all after doing something like that...'

                With that, Ukyo sat bolt-upright in bed.  "Could it be..." her teeth ground together for a while, before she at last gritted out, "...I think I'm gonna have to have a chat with a couple of Amazon little girls tomorrow."

                After silently fuming for a bit more, Ukyo yawned again.  "But I'll worry about that later," she mumbled.  'Man, I need to get some sleep.  What time is it anyway?'

                She glanced over at her clock... just in time for the alarm to go off.  Ukyo stared in shock at the display, then slammed her palm down on the unfortunate device, muttered, "Furinkan can kiss my spatula," and pulled the covers over her head. 

***************

                Eight fifteen A.M.

                Ukyo's Okonomiyaki.

                Well, technically, the lane outside, rather than the restaurant itself.

                Ryoga stood before the door of Ukyo's place, not sure he should be here.  He didn't know whether the chef would even want to see him this morning, let alone walk with him to school.  Ryoga had seriously considered avoiding the issue, but in the end he'd decided not to run away.  And so he gathered his courage, and knocked at the door.

                There was no answer.  He waited a few minutes, then knocked again.  Still nothing.  Ryoga's shoulders slumped a little, and he turned and began walking away.

                He'd reached the area of the sidewalk where he'd been splashed the previous night, not really noticing that the fire hydrant which had done so was no longer present, when he heard a door open.  "Hey, Ryoga!" Ukyo called from behind him.

                He stopped, gulped a few times, then turned.  Ukyo was smiling at him.  The chef's hair was mussed up, and her eyes were bloodshot, with dark bags under them, but the expression on her face more than made up for that as far as he was concerned.  He hurried back.

                Taking a deep breath, Ryoga prepared to stammer words of apology and innocence.  However, Ukyo beat him to the punch.  "Listen, sugar, I'm really sorry about going off last night.  It was late, and I was kinda tired, and I just don't think I was thinking straight.  I thought about it some more last night, after I got home, and I'm pretty sure that girl was lying.  I bet she was just trying to make some trouble for you, that's all."

                "Huh?"  This possibility hadn't occurred to Ryoga.  He'd been too busy struggling with another one.  "You think so?  But Ukyo, I seriously never have seen her before!  Why would she want to hurt me?  And how could she know my name?"

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Could be something you did to somebody else.  Maybe you beat her brother in a fight.  Or it could be somebody completely unrelated to her has a grudge against you, and just got her to help out."

                "Maybe," Ryoga said.  "I hope it is that."

                Even through the haze of weariness, Ukyo noted his expression and tone of voice seemed rather odd.  "Why don't you come inside, anyway?  This is getting a little silly, just talking in the doorway like this."  When they were both seated at a table in the restaurant, she spoke again.  "So what else could it be?  Why would you _hope_ that's what it is?"

                Ryoga looked down at his hands, which had clenched into fists.  "It's just... she really seemed angry at me.  And what she said... I'd done...  I'd never treat a girl like that.  "  He stared at Ukyo, with desperation evident in his eyes.  "But... my Oni side wouldn't even have thought twice about it.  And I don't know how long it ran around free before it kidnapped Akane."  He'd always assumed that the dream he'd had, of returning to Jusenkyo, had happened simultaneously with the Oni doing so and being reborn, but last night Ryoga had been forced to realize that there was no proof whatsoever that it had happened like that.

                Ukyo let out a long, low whistle.  "Oh, no.  I hope that isn't it."  Apparently there WAS at least one way the girl could have been mistaken instead of lying.  Then she frowned.  "Wait a minute.  Didn't you say, when you guys fought the Oni it had fangs and claws and stuff?"

                "Yeah, but it could also create illusions," Ryoga said, thinking back to the image of Ranma-chan in a frilly little sundress.  "Nothing to say it couldn't have disguised itself as human."

                His companion placed a hand on his shoulder.  "I hope not, sugar.  I hope not."

                They sat in silence for a while, before Ryoga gave a long sigh.  "Thanks for believing me, Ukyo.  I need to get going--class will be starting soon."  Judging by the fact that Ukyo was still in a houserobe, he was fairly confident in guessing, "You're not going to Furinkan today, are you?"

                "Nope.  I'm too tired.  But I'll see you this afternoon, okay?"

                "Yeah, I'll come by."  For a moment, Ryoga was seriously tempted just to head back to the Kuno place and crash, but since he'd skipped several days of school not long back, he manfully resisted the urge.  "See you then."  He slipped out of the door, just a little too tired to realize his lunch was still sitting on the floor of the restaurant where he'd set it down.

***************

                As Ryoga made his way toward Furinkan, he was feeling a good bit better.  Ukyo wasn't angry at him, and it was possible that this had nothing to do with his dark side.  One piece of certain good news, and one reason to hope.

                Still, the former lost boy was conscious of a deep pit of angst in the center of his gut.  Hopefully Ukyo's theory was correct, and the girl had been lying through her teeth about being used by a Ryoga Hibiki, but the fact still remained that she might have been telling only the truth.  The thought left a very bitter taste in Ryoga's mouth.

                "I hope not, though," he muttered as he neared the school.  "Bad enough all the crap that Oni put me through when it was part of me.  It's not fair that it could have hurt even more people."  He thought back again to the evening before, doing his best to remember the encounter dispassionately.  Ryoga tried to decide whether there had been anything in the mystery girl's demeanor that might have betrayed dishonesty.  Unfortunately, he had just been too off-balance then to remember subtle details now.  "Heck," Ryoga muttered gloomily as he neared the school, walking past a number of slower students, "I'm not even sure I'd recognize her if I walked past her on the street in broad daylight."

                A hard tap on his shoulder drew him from his thoughts.  Ryoga blinked, then turned around to find himself face-to-face with the girl who'd been filling his thoughts.

                "Geez, Hibiki, when I go to the trouble of waiting for you here, the least you could do is not walk past me without noticing," she sneered at him.

                "S- sorry," Ryoga replied automatically.  "What did you want?"

                She turned and walked away, motioning for Ryoga to follow.  He did so, and some minutes later the two had moved out of sight of both Furinkan and the students straggling into the school.  Once they were alone, the girl stopped, and fixed Ryoga with a stare of disdain.

                "I was serious when I said I'd never seen you before in my life," Ryoga began nervously.

                The girl cut him off with a wave of her hand.  "Save it.  Like I'd have gone out with a jerk like you anyway."  She stepped forward, scowling and pushing her forefinger into Ryoga's chest.  He stepped back reflexively; she moved forward into his personal space again.  "I... want you... to leave my Ukyo... _alone_."  Each pause corresponded to a jab from her finger.  "You got it, Hibiki?  Ukyo deserves someone a lot better than a butt-ugly guy like you."

                'This is a dream.  That's it, a dream.  I must've finally fallen asleep and now I'm dreaming this.  Or maybe I haven't even woken up yet to go to the fair with Ukyo,' Ryoga thought.  'Man, I hope this isn't an omen of how our evening is going to go.'  He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts scatter like leaves in the wind.  It was just easier than dealing with the unreality of this situation.

                The girl was saying something, but Ryoga didn't bother to listen.  Her words blew past him, somehow triggering another girl's voice, rising up from the depths of his memories... "She comes on to me just like Mousse came on to Shampoo--without any encouragement, and ignoring the times I've flattened her with my spatula..."

                Ryoga's eyes snapped open, to fix the girl in front of him with a deceptively mild gaze.  Under the clear light of morning, her curly black hair was obviously a wig.  And now he knew who the disguise had been for.  "I'm sorry, Tsubasa.  I missed that last part.  Could you repeat it?"

                "I _said_ if you know what's good for you you'll give Ukyo the 'just friends' speech and leave her to someone that can... appreciate..."  Tsubasa's voice trailed off into a quiver at the sight of Ryoga's rising battle aura.

                Ryoga waited until he was sure he could control himself before responding.  "I could make excuses for you if you'd just been fooled by Ukyo's cross-dressing.  When I first heard about you, I thought that was all it was, a girl with a crush on a 'guy' that she didn't know well enough.  I even felt SORRY for you!" he snarled, making it sound like he'd agonized over poor Tsubasa's hypothetical misunderstanding for hours.  This would be a major exaggeration, but it was true that he'd felt a moment's pang of sympathy before the ongoing confrontation between the twins and Ukyo had swept unimportant thoughts aside.

                "You lied last night, trying to make me look like some kind of monster.  You ruined our evening, and all because you're too STUPID to see Ukyo doesn't want you!"  Ryoga's fists clenched tightly.  "If you weren't a girl, I'd be giving you the beating of your life right now.  You're lucky I don't hit girls, no matter what.  But you better believe Ukyo is gonna hear who that REALLY was last night!"

                With that ultimatum, Tsubasa seemed to find some reserves of backbone.  "I'm warning you.  Stay away from my Ukyo.  Or I'll shred your rep to the whole school, not just her."

                Ryoga laughed cynically.  "Oh, yeah?  All Ukyo has to do is tell everybody about you, and they'll know better than to believe any lies you come up with."

                That statement made it painfully obvious that Ryoga didn't really understand how gossip and rumor worked.  Tsubasa could have enlightened him, but it wasn't necessary.  "So who said anything about lies?"

                The former lost boy blinked, wondering just what that was supposed to mean.  Before he could ask, a cascade of water poured down from an open window above him, drenching him while missing his antagonist completely.

                Tsubasa stared in surprise.  "Well, this is where I was _going_ to pull out my water pistol, but I guess I don't need to now."  She seemed to pull herself together.  "Either you stay away from Ukyo, or the whole school gets to meet the REAL Ryoga Hibiki.  Your choice, bacon boy."  She gave Ryoga-piglet a very unpleasant smile.  "I'll let you have an hour to think it over."

***************

                Ryoga sat on a bench in the classic 'thinker' pose, this once not taking any solace at all from the trees and grass around him.  He'd come to the park to ponder the latest turn of events.  But he might just as well have gone to a construction site for all the good his surroundings were doing him.  Some types of turmoil are just too deep to be alleviated by a little natural beauty.

                Three-quarters of his hour had passed by now.  After a lot of long and hard thought, Ryoga had made his decision.  It hurt, and it didn't seem honorable, but he was just going to have to go and have a talk with Ukyo.  He wasn't looking forward to it at all.  Sometimes, though, you simply have to bite the bullet and do something you'd rather not.

                "I never thought I'd sink so low," Ryoga mumbled, trying to summon the will to get up and get moving toward Ukyo's.  "I can't believe I'm going to wimp out, and ask Ukyo to do this."  But there wasn't really an alternative, was there?  He HAD to get Ukyo to fight Tsubasa.  He couldn't bring himself to beat up a girl, even one as malicious as this one, but Ukyo clearly had no problem with doing so.  "I just hope she'll be able to get Tsubasa to back off."

                Ryoga glanced at his watch, realizing that the deadline was swiftly drawing near.  He needed to talk to Ukyo before that happened.  With a sigh, he got to his feet.

                "Hey!  Ryoga!"

                The lost boy blinked.  That had sounded like... "Ukyo?" he asked, startled to see the chef appear out of the brush.  "What're you doing here?"

                Ukyo gave him a half-exasperated look.  She held up his lunch.  "You left this at my restaurant.  I went to drop it off at Furinkan, but they said you weren't there.  I figured you decided to give school a miss and went back to the Kuno place.  So I was headed for there.  Just got lucky that I decided to take a shortcut through this park."

                Ryoga gave her a strange look.  "You thought I went back to the Kuno mansion, so you were going there to give me my lunch?"

                "Well, yeah, I didn't want you to... go hungry..."  Ukyo's voice trailed off.  She unholstered her mega-spatula and smacked herself in the face with it.  "This is what happens when you try to function on too little sleep, idiot," she muttered to herself through a faceful of steel.

                The former lost boy glanced back at his watch.  "Listen, Ukyo, I need to talk to you.  I ran into that girl again this morning.  That's why I'm not at school."  Ryoga paused, remembering that he'd just as soon not admit to having overheard the conversation in which Ukyo had spoken of Tsubasa to the twins.  "Last night wasn't about me," he said carefully.  "She told me to stay away from you.  She even acted like SHE wanted to be the one going out with you."  Ukyo wasn't the only one functioning on too little sleep; Ryoga didn't even realize what he'd just admitted.  But then again, the significance also slipped by his companion.  "Does the name Tsubasa mean anything to you?"

                "Ts- Tsubasa... Kurenai?!"  There was an audible clicking sound as everything fell into place for Ukyo.  The click had actually been caused by her teeth snapping together, but it was still a nice bit of synchronicity.  "It... that was Tsubasa?!"

                "Yeah," Ryoga said sourly, "and she somehow found out about my curse, too."  If he hadn't been so tired, he might have made the connection between that and the recurrent feeling of being watched over the past week.  Or maybe not, since he still didn't know about Tsubasa's penchant for disguises.  "And she said if I don't keep away from you, she'll tell the whole school about it."

                "That... miserable... little... pervert..." Ukyo ground out.  She was standing ramrod straight, her fists clenched at her side, her battle aura visible nearly six inches away from her body.

                Ryoga gulped, suddenly wondering whether things might not be about to get out of control.  He made a mental note never to get Ukyo that angry at him.  "Um, yeah, well, anyway, I was kinda wondering whether you could maybe keep her from doing that..."

                Ukyo took several deep breaths.  Her hands unclenched, and her battle aura diminished somewhat.  "I'd love to, but Tsubasa never does seem to get a clue when I'm the one doing the beating.  Why don't you?"

                "I can't hit a girl for real!" Ryoga protested.  "I'd LIKE to make an exception, but I just can't!  Not even for someone like that!"

                Ukyo's lips curled into a grim smile that sent shivers up and down Ryoga's spine.  "I think you may change your mind when I tell you the truth about Tsubasa," she purred.  Then, over Ryoga's shoulder, she caught a glimpse of an approaching figure.  "Well, speak of the devil and he arrives.  Ryoga honey, just wait for my signal.  You'll know what to do."

                "Wh- what?!  Hey, get back here!"  Too late.  Ukyo had vanished into the brush.  Before Ryoga could follow, Tsubasa had entered the clearing and was striding over toward him.

                " 'Wait for my signal'?  'You'll know what to do'?  What the heck was Ukyo talking about?" Ryoga muttered under his breath as he turned to face the newcomer.  He noticed she was openly carrying a water pistol this time.

                Tsubasa stopped a few feet away, weapon at the ready.  "Well?  Are you gonna leave Ukyo alo- Ulp!"

                Three mini-spatulas had suddenly flown out from Ukyo's position of concealment.  The first cleaved through Tsubasa's water pistol.  The second and third slashed the front and back of the dress she was wearing.

                There was a long moment of silence as the material fell away from Tsubasa's chest, leaving it bare to the world.  The sight of the smooth, decidedly MALE expanse hit Ryoga like a proverbial ton of bricks.  He and his antagonist both stood there, in shock.

                Tsubasa was the first to recover.  He eeep'd, gathered up the torn material, and raced away, in the process losing both the black wig and the glasses he'd been wearing.  Ryoga blinked, but didn't otherwise react.

                The bushes rustled, then Ukyo stood beside him.  The chef had a frankly disappointed look in her eyes.  "Sugar, are you just going to let him get away like that?"  No response.  Ukyo waved a hand in front of Ryoga's face, noting that his eyes only vaguely tracked the motion.  She sighed.  "Oh well, I guess there's nothing to stop Tsubasa from heading to Furinkan and spilling his guts about your secret."

                The last word had scarcely left her mouth before Ryoga was gone.  Ukyo winced at the sight of the tree he'd knocked down, then glanced at her arm in surprise.  "Dang," she muttered, "I've never seen a battle aura that big.  It actually burned off all the hairs."

***************

                Nabiki and Tsubasa had very, very little in common, but they did share one trait:  although neither was a martial artist, both kept themselves in good shape.  Of course, in Nabiki's case this was done by actual, intentional exercises, Yoga and the like, whereas it was more or less an accident for Tsubasa.  Many of the disguises he used required flexibility that would have made Dhalsim envious.  Not to mention that moving around with all that extra weight necessarily built up his muscle tone.

                In fact, Tsubasa was probably in the best shape of any non-martial-artist currently in Nerima.  He was even more fit than a few of the martial artists themselves (especially the practitioners of Martial Arts Hypochondria).  This, combined with the fact that he'd gotten a good bit more sleep than Ryoga the previous night, was why he was still in one piece.

                The chase had lasted for thirty minutes now.  Tsubasa didn't bother to check back over his shoulder to see whether Ryoga was still after him; the incoherent cries of rage made it all too clear that he hadn't yet managed to lose his pursuer.  Tsubasa once again mentally cursed himself for an idiot.  Just because Ryoga hadn't immediately pursued him out of the park had been no good reason to stop and try to effect repairs on his dress.  If he'd just kept going, he could have had an insurmountable lead.

                As it was, he'd managed to keep only about half a block ahead of disaster.  And now, Tsubasa's reserves were beginning to run low.  'It's not fair!' he thought, angling his flight through an outdoor dining area shared by a number of cafés.  'Everybody hates me because I'm beautiful!'  He jumped over a table without breaking stride, and a few seconds later heard a resounding crash as Ryoga plowed straight through it.

                That sparked an idea.  Over the last week, as Tsubasa had followed Ryoga around in disguise, taking the measure of his competition (after chancing to overhear a couple of Ryoga's classmates talking about how cute a couple he and Ukyo made), the transvestite had had ample opportunity to see how often water seemed to seek Ryoga out.  So now, if he were to jump a table with drinks resting on it, and Ryoga were to crash through the obstacle, said liquid would inevitably trigger the boy's bizarre transformation and remove his threat potential.  Tsubasa smiled, proud of how brains and beauty were about to triumph over brawn and butt-ugliness.  Only then did he realize that he and Ryoga had already left the café area far behind.

                The two were now running along a residential street, with no convenient sources of water anywhere in sight.  The transvestite felt a stitch forming in his side, and realized that he was quickly nearing the end of his strength.  He didn't know that Ryoga was pretty much in the same boat (though the fact that the former lost boy now lacked the breath to yell as he ran should have clued the cross-dresser in).  Tsubasa began to panic.  He needed something, ANYthing that could help him get away...

                Ukyo's unwanted admirer had a number of negative qualities, but he wasn't really that bad a guy.  Only under extreme duress (such as now) would he stoop to the tactic he now used.  Up ahead, he caught sight of a couple of delivery girls walking away from a house, and ran directly at them.  With the last of his strength, Tsubasa jumped over the startled duo, put on a new burst of speed, tried not to feel guilty as he heard a crash and thud behind him, and raced down a side alley.  Halfway down its length, he collapsed, and spent the next half hour recovering from his brush with death.

                Ryoga had been focused on his quarry to the exclusion of all else.  He didn't catch sight of the girls in his path until Tsubasa jumped over them.  Desperately, he tried to swerve to one side.  But he was tired, and his reactions were much slower than usual, and anyway Ling-Ling had dived left while her sister dashed to the right.  The twins' maneuver would have completely avoided collision had Ryoga just held to his original course.  But as it was, he slammed into Ling-Ling, knocking the both of them to the ground.  He barely managed to twist and take the brunt of the fall himself.  The impact, coming on top of too little sleep, too much stress, and way too much recent exertion, knocked all the wind out of Ryoga.  He lay there, stunned, with Ling-Ling on top of him.

                Lung-Lung sighed slightly.  If Ryoga had dodged the other way, that would be her instead of her sister.  Oh well, there'd be other opportunities.

                Ryoga tried desperately to recover his senses.  In the split second in which impact had become unavoidable, he'd known he was going to hit the pavement pretty hard.  But he hadn't expected the world to go dark, or to suddenly have trouble breathing.

                "Airen?  Is you okay?"  The former lost boy dimly recognized Ling-Ling's voice.  The words had seemed to come from far away, as if the cherry-haired girl were speaking to him across some sort of veil.  At that thought, a surge of fear briefly lent him new strength, and Ryoga sat bolt upright.  His head spun.  He was finding it a bit easier to breathe, but everything remained dark.  He fought down an urge to cry "Where on earth am I now?!"

                Ling-Ling sat up from the pavement, where she'd landed after Ryoga's movement had catapulted her from him.  Maybe lying across her husband's chest hadn't been such a good idea after all.  She reached over and pulled her ramen delivery box off his head, over which it had landed in their fall.

                Ryoga blinked as the darkness was replaced by sunlight.  His eyes focused on Ling-Ling, rubbing her shoulder and eyeing him somewhat crossly.  "Airen too strong for my own good."

                "Are you okay?"

                Ling-Ling did a couple of tentative stretching exercises.  "Ling-Ling think so."  She got to her feet.

                Ryoga followed suit.  His head didn't seem to be spinning anymore, though he was feeling like he might keel over from exhaustion at any moment.  "Thank goodness.  I'm really sorry about running you down like that."

                A hurt-sounding sniff from behind him drew his attention to Lung-Lung.  She was sitting on the ground, clutching her ankle.  "You no worry about me, Airen?" she asked pitifully.

                "Huh?!  B- But I didn't run into you!"

                "No, but sister's delivery box go flying.  Hit me, make me fall down and hurt ankle, then bounce back and land on your head," Lung-Lung said, sweating slightly.  That story had sounded a lot more believable in her head than it did coming out of her mouth.

                Ryoga was way too tired to notice.  "I'm sorry, I didn't realize.  Can you walk?"

                Lung-Lung carefully put some weight on her ankle, then winced.  "Not hurt too bad, probably be okay by tomorrow, but no want try to walk on it now."  She gave Ryoga her best pleading puppy-dog eyes expression.  "Airen maybe carry Lung-Lung back to Nekohanten?"

                "Do you think you could shovel it on just a LITTLE more thickly, sis?" Ling-Ling asked sourly.  SHE was the one who really HAD been knocked down, after all.

                "Carry you?"  This was a bit too much even for Ryoga, generally clueless about women and currently too tired to think straight.  "Are you sure you just hurt one ankle?  Not both?  And maybe you wrenched a knee or two?"

                Lung-Lung sighed, sweating more than ever but determined to salvage something.  "Just ankle.  Okay, Lung-Lung admit she no need be carry, but Airen no can blame me for trying.  If just give me shoulder to lean on, that would be enough."

                That was much more reasonable, Ryoga thought.  "Okay, here."  He took her hand, hoisted her up, and angled her so she could divide her weight between her 'good' leg and him.

                And he promptly fell over, carrying the green-haired girl with him to the ground.  Slight as the Amazon was, her extra weight was just too much for him to support in his current state of exhaustion.

                "Ow ow ow!" Lung-Lung whimpered, clutching an ankle that actually WAS slightly twisted now.  The poetic justice of the situation utterly failed to impress itself on her.

***************

                For a moment, Cologne wasn't sure she believed her eyes.  Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and Ryoga had just limped through the back door of the Nekohanten in a truly unlikely procession.  Ling-Ling had Ryoga's arm slung across her shoulders.  Ryoga in turn was supporting Lung-Lung.  Lung-Lung was using one of her sister's staves as a makeshift cane.  Ryoga was shuffling along with his knees bent in order to bring his shoulders low enough to line up with the young Amazons' lesser height.  Ling-Ling was obviously straining her strength to the very limit in order to help support her Airen.

                Cologne watched as the three disentangled themselves and sat down, somehow without having anyone fall on his or her face.  She absently flicked her wrist, sending her staff whirling out of the kitchen and soaring across the dining room to strike the sign on the front window, switching it from 'Open' to 'Closed'.  The staff angled away to knock the phone off its hook, thus putting an end to any further delivery orders that might have been placed, then returned to her hand.

                It was still early, so there weren't many people in the restaurant yet.  Consequently, the applause from the dining room, though energetic, wasn't too loud to talk over.  "Ryoga.  A pleasure to see you again.  May I ask what happened?"

                Ryoga scowled tiredly as he finally remembered Tsubasa.  "I was chasing after somebody.  He dodged around the twins, and I ran into them.  Ling-Ling's all right, but Lung-Lung hurt her ankle.  So I helped her get back here."

                "It looked to me like it was more a case of the three of you managing to stay upright only because you couldn't agree on which direction to fall," the Matriarch responded dryly.  "What about you, boy?  Are YOU injured?"

                "No, I'm fine.  Just exhausted."

                "I see," the Matriarch responded.  Well, if he was that tired, his guard should be down.  Time to find out if a certain suspicion of hers was correct.  "Would you like something to eat?  Perhaps a bowl of ramen like the twins brought you yesterday?"

                "Yeah, that'd be good," Ryoga answered absently.  He felt Ling-Ling stiffen beside him, and realized what he'd just said.  "Wait!  Yesterday?  What're you talking about?  What makes you think they came by and had lunch with me at school yesterday?!"

                Lung-Lung shook her head.  "That's his idea of a convincing denial?" she muttered.

                "Call it a hunch," the Matriarch answered him, her gaze flickering away from Ryoga to rest on each girl in turn.  Both visibly wilted.

                To Ryoga, already mentally kicking himself for letting that slip, the sight was more than he could stand.  "Listen..."  He paused, realizing he either didn't know or couldn't remember how to address Cologne by whatever her proper title was.  "Hey, Ling-Ling, what do I call the old fossil if I want to be polite?" he whispered.  Cologne, whose hearing was a good bit sharper than Ryoga realized, successfully held back a chuckle.

                "Say, 'honored elder'," Ling-Ling whispered back.

                "Right.  Thanks."  Raising his voice, Ryoga started again.  "Listen, honored elder, they told me you said not to come visit me until I made the next move, because you didn't want me to feel crowded.  I appreciate the thought and all, and I know you might be unhappy that they disobeyed the first chance they got," Ling-Ling punched him in the side as subtly as she could, "but I don't want you to yell at them or punish them for coming to see me."

                "And why should I not?"  Cologne hopped onto her staff, which enabled her to look down at Ryoga.  A glance at Ling-Ling sent her scurrying from his side to Lung-Lung's.  "They ignored my express judgment.  My instructions were given for your benefit, young man, and they disregarded them to do what _they_ wanted to do.  What would you say in their defense?"

                Watching the twins flinch more and more painfully with each sentence didn't feel particularly good.  In fact, it hurt quite a bit more than he was prepared for.  Ryoga pushed those thoughts aside.  "Listen, you told them to wait for me to make the next move.  But I thought THEY would be the ones doing that, and I was waiting too.  So as far as I'm concerned, it was YOUR mistake.  I didn't know you were expecting me to do anything different."

                Cologne gave him a long, inscrutable look.  'Clearly I underestimated the effect of the boy's background,' she thought to herself at last.  'The meaning of our agreement should have been perfectly clear.  Even Ranma couldn't possibly have misunderstood, had it been him in Ryoga's place.'  Which just goes to show, even in a universe where the two have no quarrel, there will come a point when Cologne underestimates Ranma  "Very well, son-in-law," she said at last.  "I'll say no more to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung on this matter.  And now it seems we should work out just what is expected of you, per your agreement."

***************

                It was Friday and lunch had arrived, meaning the weekend was nearly at hand.  Furthermore, summer break was now only three weeks away.  This should have been enough to brighten any student's (or teacher's) spirits.  And indeed, there was a general air of excitement among the various inmates of Furinkan.

                However, it was taking all of Ukyo Kuonji's restraint to keep the fake, sugary smile on her face.

                ' 'When business at the restaurant isn't too rushed and they have time, the Matriarch will let them come eat lunch with me' he says,' Ukyo thought, remembering what Ryoga had told her of the additional details Cologne had hammered out with him concerning his tie to the twins.  'And then they show up EVERY SINGLE DAY since then!  Who do those Amazons think they're fooling anyway?!  The only one of them worth anything is Shampoo.'  She silently fumed as Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung approached, bearing a picnic lunch for three.  'Is it too much to ask to eat lunch with Ryoga once this week?!'

                "Nihao, Airen," Ling-Ling said cheerfully.  "You ready for too too delicious lunch?"

                Ryoga held back a sigh.  Who did Ukyo think she was fooling with that smile?  He could feel the heat from her battle aura from where he was standing.  At least Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung weren't rubbing her nose in their recent gains... in fact, they were ignoring the chef completely.  That that might be its own form of taunting didn't occur to him.  "Yeah, okay."

                "We go to usual spot, then?"  Without really waiting for an answer, Lung-Lung led the way off toward the trees.

                They reached their destination, and Ryoga watched as Ling-Ling spread out the blanket and set down the various picnic elements.  He was becoming conscious of a disturbing trend... for the last three days, the twins had brought more and more dishes with them.  Today it was dim sum and potstickers, in several different flavors.  Each of which came in its own basket.  It was nice to have a variety to choose from, but the downside was there was less room than ever on the blanket.  'Man, if they keep bringing more things like this, they're gonna end up sitting in my lap as we eat,' he thought to himself.  'Not that it would bother them any.'

                He was getting better.  But he hadn't realized that, as far as the twins were concerned, that was the POINT, rather than a not-unwelcome side-effect.  Ryoga still had quite a ways to go.

***************

                Lung-Lung frowned slightly as she sneaked another glance at her husband's face.  He was eating mechanically, without any real evidence of enjoyment.  He'd been gloomy when they first showed up, but she had hoped that lunch would raise his spirits.  Evidently not, though.  "Airen, what is wrong?"

                The former lost boy hesitated before responding.  This wasn't a question that he was prepared to answer fully.  Somehow, he just couldn't see anything good coming from an admission that seeing Ukyo become increasingly more unhappy with each passing lunch was making him feel like a heel.  Fortunately (in a manner of speaking, at least), something else had gone wrong today, something which he could safely tell the twins.

                Ryoga heaved a deep sigh.  "I lost something really important to me.  Just noticed this morning it wasn't in my wallet.  I don't know where I lost it, or how long it's been missing."

                "What you lose?" Ling-Ling asked.

                "A photo.  The only one I've got with me and both my parents in it."  Ryoga's fist clenched.  "It's been so long since I got to see either of them, let alone both at the same time.  And now I can't find the only reminder I have.  The very LAST thing I would have wanted to lose, and it's gone."

                Ling-Ling laughed nervously, causing Ryoga to shoot a hurt frown in her direction.  She'd been meaning to suggest it was probably just lying around somewhere at home and make a joke about how typically messy a teenage guy's bedroom was, but her Airen's expression froze the words before they could leave her lips.  She hung her head, fished around in a pocket, and withdrew a small golden object.  The young Amazon held it out to him.

                In a sort of frozen calm, Ryoga took the offering.  It was the photograph in question, sealed inside a heart-shaped picture frame.  "And where did you get this?" he asked.

                "Take from wallet on Monday lunch, when use Dance of Hidden Chameleon."  Ling-Ling paused, trying to find the right words of apology.  She didn't want to blurt out anything that would ruin Ryoga's upcoming surprise, after all.

                The hesitation proved to be a mistake.  Ryoga carefully opened the frame, carefully returned the photo to its place in his wallet, then spoke.  "Ukyo was absolutely right about you, wasn't she?  You don't care one bit about how I feel, or how anybody else feels.  You just do whatever you want, and think that's okay."

                "That not true!" Lung-Lung burst out angrily.  It was unfortunate that the mention of Ukyo roused her temper that strongly, because Ryoga, unfamiliar though he was with some emotions, was no stranger to anger.  And that was what he saw now, an angry girl with no trace of guilt or remorse to be seen.

                "Isn't it?!" he countered.  "How can you sit there and say that?  Maybe you've forgotten what you're using right now to hold your bangs back, Lung-Lung? You two take whatever you feel like.  My bandana, my shirt, my right to make my own choices, and now this.  Well, you went too far this time!"

                The lime-haired girl flinched at his tone, her anger dying back down.  "Airen, we just want something to have when you not around," she said miserably.  She was referring to the bandana, not the photograph, but there wasn't any way for him to deduce that.  Ryoga's expression didn't soften even slightly.

                Ling-Ling gulped for breath.  She didn't care about spoiling the surprise anymore.  Let him find out now... she just couldn't bear to see that look of coldness in her Airen's eyes.  She opened her mouth, and tried to speak, but a sob rose up instead.  With the last of her self control, she forced it back, shot to her feet, and raced away.

                Lung-Lung felt the remaining traces of her composure beginning to fracture as well.  With the departure of her sister, she knew she didn't have the strength to hold back her emotions either.  She wrenched the bandana off her forehead, dropped it at Ryoga's feet, and fled after Ling-Ling.

                It was a long time before he could muster the energy to pick it up.  "Damn it all anyway," Ryoga eventually muttered bitterly.  The twins hadn't been fast enough to keep him from seeing the tears in their eyes.  "I didn't mean for you to take it like that."

***************

                Sunset found Ryoga on top of the Kuno mansion.  He'd gone to a few parks, but hadn't found even the slightest comfort there.  He hadn't really expected Ranma's habit to bring solace either, and so far his expectations had been confirmed.  The former lost boy held an object in each hand, automatically shifting his gaze from one to the other every so often, but not really seeing either the photograph frame or the long-lost bandana.

                "Is this how you keep your promises, Ryoga?"

                The question lashed out at him like a whip.  He flinched, and spun around to find Cologne standing behind him, staff in hand.  Her aura was tightly banked, but still present.  It was plain to see that she was very, very unhappy.

                Which made two of them, Ryoga thought.  Though his emotions were different from those of the Matriarch, they were no less dark.  "No," he said.  "This is how I screw up.  This is how, even without a damned Oni soul tied to me, I manage to hurt people I don't want to."

                "Don't WANT to?!" Cologne snapped.  "Nobody forced you to treat Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung so harshly."

                "No.  Nobody did."  Ryoga didn't try to meet her gaze.  "Just my own stupidity.  I didn't want to hurt them like that.  I sure as hell didn't want to send them off in tears.  And if I could do it over again, you better believe I'd handle things differently.

                "But elder," here he did manage to find a bit of backbone, "they get some of the blame, too.  Heck, all they had to do was ASK, and I'd have had copies made of that photograph for them.  I know I overreacted.  But they're the ones who took my most precious possession without even asking.  Something needed to be said."  He sighed bitterly.  "I wanted them to admit they were wrong, and apologize.  That's all I was trying to say.  I just wish I hadn't blown it like I did."

                Incredibly, Cologne's gaze hardened further.  "There was a very good reason they did not ask before they took the photograph," the Matriarch returned.  "Would it have cost you so much to give them the chance to explain?"

                With that, Ryoga remembered a basic truth of reality.  It's _always_ possible for things to get worse.  "W- What?!  Why couldn't they ask?"

                Cologne reached into her robe, and removed a three-inch oval of tiger's eye.  "Do you remember this, boy?"

                "Yeah, Shampoo used it to find Akane."

                "In order to use the magic of this stone, you cannot simply think of a person's identity.  You must have a reasonably clear mental picture of them as well.  If Shampoo had never met Akane, the only way she could have located her would be if she had a photograph to aid her."

                After a few seconds of noncomprehension, her meaning hit him like the kick of a mule to his gut.  "My... my parents..."

                "That is correct."  The Matriarch eased up a fraction on the severity of her manner.  She was still unhappy with him, but it didn't look like Ryoga could take much more harshness.  "Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung asked me to seek out your parents, to see if it might be practical to go to them rather than waiting for them to come to us.  They wanted it to be a surprise for you, boy."

                Ryoga didn't respond verbally.  He just closed his eyes and hung his head.  Cologne regarded him closely, and began to reconsider the approach she'd been taking.  From what the twins had told her, she'd been expecting to find Ryoga still angry and cold toward them.  But he hadn't been like that at all, really, now that she thought back over the past few minutes.  And though she'd known her revelation would have an impact on him, she hadn't been prepared for this level of sorrow and self-disgust.

                After a few minutes of silence, the Matriarch spoke again.  "Ryoga."  She said his name calmly, even sympathetically.  He didn't look up.  She repeated herself, and received the same lack of response.  Cologne was sorely tempted to swat him with her staff, but refrained, holding her peace for another few minutes.

                Eventually Ryoga did open his eyes, and meet her gaze again.  Cologne blinked in alarm.  It had become painfully obvious he was taking this harder than she'd expected, but she still hadn't thought to see hopelessness like that.  "What am I going to do?" he asked her.

                "I would have thought that an apology was called for," she answered dryly.  "Did you _really_ need my help to figure that out?"

                "An apology?  That's not enough!" Ryoga protested bitterly.  "That doesn't even begin to make up for this!"

                Once again, Cologne thought back to Ryoga's background, and how much of his life had been spent alone, a stranger to aspects of social interaction that most people take for granted.  She sighed, mentally chastising herself for coming down on him so harshly.  Once again, she reminded herself of how badly she had failed with Tatewaki.  "Boy, listen to me.  Mistakes happen.  That's just part of life.

                "Are you thinking that Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung will never forgive you for this?  That's nonsense.  All they really want is for you to go to them and tell them you're not angry at them.  That's what had them in tears, the thought that you might never forgive them, or give them another chance."

                This didn't seem to make him feel any better.  "Forgive them?!  Another chance?!  What're you talking about, granny?  This isn't their fault at all!  It's all mine!"

                "Really?" Cologne returned.  "Tell me, Ryoga, this afternoon... did you tell Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to leave, that you never wanted to see them again?"

                "O- of course not!"

                "So in fact, they overreacted when they ran off instead of explaining themselves you.  Do you see, boy... you weren't the only one guilty of a misunderstanding today, were you?"

                Ryoga just stared at her for a minute.  "Didn't we start this conversation with you furious at me for what I did?  And now you're saying it's okay?!"

                "I'm not saying you reacted properly," the Matriarch snapped back.  "Just that not all the blame falls on you.  Did they even try to explain themselves?"

                "No.  All Lung-Lung said was they wanted something to remember me by when I wasn't around."

                "She said that, did she?"  Cologne was less than amused.  "So not only did they NOT try to explain, they actually lied about their motivations."  She sighed.  "They were trying to preserve the surprise for you, but that was _their_ mistake.  They should have just told you the truth.  And besides," she reached out and picked up the empty frame, where it lay beside him on the rooftop, "they should have sneaked the photograph back into your possession before you missed it.  Then this whole situation would have been avoided."

                "Yeah, I wish they'd done that," Ryoga said.  He got to his feet.  "Thanks, granny.  Guess I better go talk to them, huh?"

                It had been a rhetorical question, but Cologne answered anyway.  "No.  Sit down, boy, I'm not through talking to you."

                Reluctantly, Ryoga did as he was told.  "Could you make this quick?  I'd like to get going!"

                Cologne gave him an intimidating stare.  "I need to speak with them before you do.  And I want you to wait until tomorrow before you apologize to them."

                "What?!  Can't I just do it tonight after you see them?"

                "No, Ryoga."  The Matriarch cranked up the intensity of her gaze.  "Now, why don't I see if I can guess what's going through your mind right now?

                "Despite what I've said, you still feel that most of the blame falls on you.  You're disgusted with yourself at how insensitive you were toward Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  You plan to go to them, tell them how sorry you are and beg for them to forgive you.  And if they ask some ridiculous act from you as compensation, you'll agree to it in a heartbeat.  At least as long as it doesn't go against your honor.  Am I right?"  Cologne poked him with her stick, but gently.  And not on a shiatsu point.  "If they asked you to purchase every orchid in a two-mile radius around the Nekohanten for them, would you do it?"

                Ryoga winced.  "You don't really think they'll go that far, do you?  The Kunos give me a nice allowance, which is really generous considering I'm just a guest in their home, but that would leave me flat broke for the next two weeks!"

                Cologne sighed.  "It was just a hypothetical situation, boy, but you'd do it if they asked.  Wouldn't you?"

                He reluctantly nodded, then frowned.  "Hey, is that why you wanted to talk to them before I did?  So you could give them ideas?  Ow!"  This last was said as Cologne swatted him with her staff, not particularly gently this time.

                "No, sonny boy, I want to help them understand your perspective, just as I've done with you for theirs."  Cologne paused, considering what to say next.  "And there's more that needs to be said about that.

                "Even if you had been totally in the wrong here, it would be a mistake to crawl back to them on your belly and plead for forgiveness.  That isn't what they want, Ryoga."  It might be what they _thought_ they wanted, Cologne wasn't sure, but if so she didn't intend to allow the twins to continue in that delusion.  "Why did they first fall for you, anyway?"

                Ryoga waited long enough to be sure the Matriarch wasn't going to answer her own question, then replied, "I got into a fight with them, and I was winning."

                "They were first impressed with the way you leaped to their defense against the boys you thought were threatening them, but you're mostly correct.  You stood up to them, and showed them the measure of your strength, and skill, and spirit.  Do you see where I'm going with this, boy?"

                "Haven't got a clue," Ryoga admitted.

                Cologne's fingers tightened slightly around her staff, but that was all the frustration she allowed herself to show.  "Let me put this another way.  As Amazons, what do you think Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung expect of their husband?"

                The former lost boy frowned hard as he thought about that, taking into account how he'd seen Shampoo act toward Ranma.  "I don't really know," he admitted helplessly at last.  "I mean, I understand some things, like they want to spend time with me, and they enjoy doing stuff for me, like bringing lunch and..." he winced,  "and trying to find my parents.  But I don't know what you're trying to get at, elder."

                The Matriarch sighed.  "Let me be a little more blunt.  Do they expect you to become subservient to them?  Is that what you think the role of an Amazon husband is?"

                Ryoga gave her a blank stare of surprise.  "No.  Why would I?"

                "You'd be amazed at how many outsiders do think exactly that," Cologne said darkly.  "As soon as you mention the word 'Amazons' they picture some ridiculous scenario of weak-willed, broken men with no fighting spirit whatsoever."

                "But that doesn't make any sense at all.  Why would you marry men who beat you in combat if you wanted husbands without any will of their own?"

                "I'm glad it seems so clear to you, Ryoga," the Matriarch purred.  "Now, when you go to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung tomorrow, are you still planning to abase yourself and beg their forgiveness?"

                It was almost a full minute before Ryoga could respond.  Somehow, he just hadn't been able to make the connection when it was HIS situation he was considering.  At last he said, "No.  I won't do it like that.  But I was wrong, elder, and I AM going to own up to it."

                Cologne grinned.  "Glad to hear it, sonny boy.  Just don't let them get off scot-free, either.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung want a husband they can respect, not a human doormat."

***************

                The first, faint notes became audible as Ryoga neared the treeline.  He stopped just on the other side, remembering back to the first time he'd been in this position.  The music he was hearing now had only one thing in common with the first piece he'd heard Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung play, and that was the power it held to touch the listener's heart.

                That morning, the twins' melodies had been lively and energetic, enchanting and uplifting all at once.  Here and now, just the opposite was true.  The strains whispered of loneliness and sorrow.  Ryoga listened for a moment, then, his resolve strengthened further than ever, pushed his way through the trees.  He hadn't meant to hurt them in the first place, and there was no way he was going to let them keep feeling the emotions that music evoked in him.

                The young Amazons let the last notes of their melody fade away as Ryoga walked up to them.  Lung-Lung set down her flute.  "Nihao, Ryoga," she said quietly.

                "Hey," he responded awkwardly, then wasn't sure what to say next.  The annoyance he'd been feeling all morning toward Cologne spiked briefly.  It would be a heck of a lot easier just to get down on his knees and beg for their forgiveness!

                "Airen."  Ling-Ling's voice shook Ryoga back to awareness, to find the twins had prostrated themselves before him.  "We very very sorry for what we do.  You please forgive us?"

                "What?!  No!... I mean, yes!...  I mean... Arggh!"  Ryoga smacked himself on the forehead, then got down on his knees in front of them and placed a hand on each girl's shoulder.  "Please, get up," he said.  "I came here to apologize to you.  You don't owe me anything."

                "That not true," Ling-Ling said quietly.  They sat up, but their faces were still cast toward the ground.  "Meant to get photo back to you soon after take, but keep forgetting.  Then no tell Airen why we take in first place.  We make big mistake.  We sorry."

                "Yeah?" Ryoga countered bitterly.  "Well, at least you didn't lose your temper and yell at somebody for doing the nicest thing that anyone's done for you in months.  Please, Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, forgive me.  I'm sorry too."

                Lung-Lung took a deep breath, then looked up with a hesitant smile.  "Then if Ryoga accept our apology, we accept yours," she said.  "Now come best part of argument time."

                "What's that?" he asked, puzzled.

                Lung-Lung's smile shifted from timid to sultry.  "Part where make up afterward."  She began to lean toward him...

                "That's right, I almost forgot!" Ryoga smacked himself on the forehead again, then reached up, removed the bandana, and held it out to Lung-Lung.  "Here."  He laughed nervously.  "After all this time, it doesn't feel natural to wear it anymore, anyway."

                The Amazon took the bandana and tied it back into her own hair.  Her hands trembled a little during the task.  "Thank you, Airen," she said in a curiously choked voice.

                Fortunately, before Ryoga could notice the tears in her eyes, get the wrong idea, and start feeling like a heel for making her cry again, Ling-Ling spoke up.  "You do something make me feel better too?"

                "Like what?" he asked.  Really, he should have known better.

                The cherry-haired girl's eyes widened and grew incredibly sparkly.  "Ling-Ling always dream of get flowers from man she love.  You maybe buy all orchids in two mile radius around Nekohanten for me?"

                Ryoga's facefault narrowly missed hitting Lung-Lung.

                Both twins erupted into giggles.  Ling-Ling patted the prostrate teen on his shoulder.  "Just kidding, Airen.  Great-Grandmother told us ask you that if we want see you react funny."

                He picked himself up and spat out a few blades of grass.  "Hah, hah, hah.  That old ghoul is just one laugh after another," Ryoga growled, thinking back to when he'd woken up, with the first sight he'd seen being the message that said where to meet the twins this morning.  Where the heck had Cologne managed to find a papier-mâché horse's head anyway?

                Ling-Ling continued speaking.  "She also say we can have afternoon off, to go with you and see movie.  If you want."

                Ryoga didn't have to consider long before answering.  "Sure.  What movie?" he asked, bracing himself for some romantic chick flick.  Sitting through something like that wouldn't be much fun, but at least it would get rid of the residual guilt he was still feeling.

                Lung-Lung grinned.  "Is new John Woo action movie open few days ago.  We really looking forward to watch it.  Even better if can go with you."

                "So much for getting rid of the rest of my guilt," Ryoga muttered under his breath.  Louder, he said, "You sure you wouldn't rather catch some kind of romance film?"

                "No, that more big sister Shampoo's idea of date," Lung-Lung said.  "We rather see something where it not matter if we not understand all the dialogue."

                Ling-Ling took in the angle of the sun with a disappointed pout.  "Need to get back to Nekohanten for morning shift, Airen," she said.  "But we see you at two o'clock, okay?"

                "Okay, yeah, I'll see you then."  The three got to their feet and went their separate ways.  Not until nearly ten minutes had passed did Ryoga suddenly stop in his tracks and stammer, "W- wait a minute.  D- Did Lung-Lung say this was a d- d- date?!"

***************

                The next several hours saw Ryoga grow increasingly more uneasy, as both Ranma and Tatewaki were nowhere to be found.  The former was out patrolling through greater Tokyo with Kodachi and Shampoo, while the latter was mopping the floor with his opposition at a kendo tournament.  Eventually Ryoga had to face the ugly truth... he was going to go into this, his first date ever, with no advice at all from his more experienced comrades.

                Striving mightily, the former lost boy managed to dredge up some dim memories that _might_ help him, of a conversation overheard during one of his earlier infrequent stints at school.  Of course, the kid who'd been doing the talking had been describing his American cousin's prom night, but this was one of the details Ryoga had forgotten over time.

                Arriving at the Nekohanten, Ryoga took a deep breath, then knocked on the door (receiving a few strange looks from passersby in the process).  No response.

                He knocked again, louder this time.  A few seconds later, the door opened.  He gulped, then quickly whipped two boxes from behind his back.  "Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, these are for... you?"  Only then did it dawn on him that he was face to face with several complete strangers.

                The girl in front gave him an odd stare.  "Do you mind?" she eventually said, as Ryoga continued unmoving.  "We'd like to get out of the restaurant sometime today."

                Ryoga grinned sheepishly and moved aside.  His timing was perfect--just then, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, who had turned toward the door to see what the problem was, realized their Airen had arrived.  The twins dashed forward, scattering the unfortunate souls still in the doorway like leaves in the wind.

                "Oh, to be young and foolish again," Cologne muttered resignedly, regarding the four dazed teenagers sprawled around the entryway to the restaurant.  Not likely they'd become repeat customers.  Oh well, if the cash reserves got too low she'd just inform the Yakuza that it was time for another payment on their life insurance policy.

                In the lane outside, Ryoga grinned nervously and held a package out to each twin.  "Here, it's not much, but if I bought all of them in two miles there wouldn't be any left for other people, right?"

                Ling-Ling felt her breath catch as she unwrapped a single, beautiful orchid.  "Is lovely, Airen."  Beside her, Lung-Lung reacted much the same way.  Simultaneously, the Amazons breathed in the fragrance of their flowers, then looked at Ryoga with shining eyes.

                As the moments slipped by, he felt himself becoming more and more uneasy.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung just seemed content to stand there, holding their gifts and smiling at him.  Ryoga wasn't even sure their eyes were focused.  "Are you ready to get going?"  No response.  "Ling-Ling?  Lung-Lung?"

                The girls blinked their way back to reality.  "Okay, let us just put in water, then we go," Lung-Lung said.

                "Put them in water?" Ryoga asked.  "Aren't you going to wear them?"

                Ling-Ling, who'd never heard of a corsage, gave him a surprised look.  "How we supposed to do that?"

                "I don't know," he was forced to admit.  "I thought it was one of those things all girls knew."

                "All Japanese girls, maybe," Lung-Lung muttered as she examined her orchid.  How was she supposed to wear it, anyway?  It wasn't like there was a handy pin to use in attaching it to her shirt.

                Eventually, with the aid of some ribbons, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung worked out a way to affix the flowers to the fronts of their jumpsuits.  The three set off toward the nearest movie theater.

                Three-quarters of the way to their destination, there was a busy street that they had to cross.  Ryoga wasn't surprised that the Amazons took the opportunity to each take one of his arms.  Nor was he surprised that they didn't let go afterwards.  Nope, the only thing that surprised him was that they had waited so long to do it.

                Not until they actually reached the theater did Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung let go, and even then it was only so that everybody could get out money to purchase their tickets.  Ryoga stepped forward while the twins were still digging in their pockets.

                The ticket lady spoke before he could.  "Oh, that's so cute.  I bet I know which movie you three are going to see."

                Ryoga wondered how it could be so obvious.  "Really?"

                "Mm-hm."  She glanced at the orchids Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were wearing, then beamed at him.  "Rainbow Brite and the Flower Princess.  Am I right?"

                A stunned silence fell over the three.  Mistaking that as amazement at her powers of observation and deduction, the ticket lady continued speaking.  "And what a nice boy you are, taking your little sisters to see it."

                Ryoga took a quick step forward.  This nearly pressed him flat against the glass of the ticket window, but at least he was no longer in danger of roasting in the twins' sudden battle auras.  "Actually, I'd like three for Hong Kong Bullet Dance."

                The lady frowned in dismay.  "Oh, no, that film isn't appropriate at all for children.  I'm sorry, but I can't--"

                All that could be seen of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung was a blur.  Each girl produced her weapon and shot forward, the wood of their polearms ripping easily through the glass and concrete of the ticket window on either side of Ryoga.  "WE NOT CHILDREN!!" Ling-Ling screamed in the ticket seller's face.  "AND FOR SURE WE NOT HIS SISTERS!!  NOW IS YOU GOING TO GIVE TICKETS TO HONG KONG BULLET DANCE OR NOT?!"

                The unfortunate lady tore three tickets off the appropriate reel, offered them to Ling-Ling with a trembling hand, then promptly fainted.

***************

                Two hours later, Ryoga, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung walked out of the theater.  On seeing them again, the ticket lady dived under the counter, which was almost the only thing left intact in the ruins of her window.  There was a long, awkward pause.  At last Lung-Lung spoke up.  "Thank you for coming to see movie with us, Airen."

                "Yeah, we had great time with you."  Ling-Ling sighed.  "Just wish stupid ticket woman keep remarks about children to own self.  That part was no fun."

                Lung-Lung elbowed her sister, reminding her of what the two of them had discussed in the ladies' room.  Ling-Ling glared back at her, then continued.  "And we sorry we lose temper like that."

                Ryoga shrugged.  "You don't have to apologize to me.  I wasn't much happier, especially when she called you my sisters.  She should've just kept her remarks to herself."

                "Then you not mad at us?" Lung-Lung asked in a tremulous little voice, her eyes wide and hopeful and afraid all at once.  Mostly an act, of course, but Ryoga fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

                "No!  No, I'm not mad!  Don't be silly, Lung-Lung.  Besides, I used to cause a lot more property damage than you two did in my fights with Ranma.  So don't feel bad."

                The young Amazons gave him big smiles, then each latched onto one of his arms.  The three walked off, heading back to the Nekohanten.

                After five minutes had passed, in which she hadn't heard anything more from them, the unfortunate ticket lady dared to poke her head back up from her place of concealment.  "I really hope Tetsuro's transfer out of Nerima gets approved soon," she muttered.

***************

                This morning, the music filling the park was just about as far from sad and gloomy as it possibly could be.  The Dance of the Great Fire Dragon couldn't be performed with just flutes, but anybody walking by within earshot might well have felt the urge to dance a few steps at the sheer exuberance of the twins' melodies.

                It wasn't always this enjoyable.  After all, the Amazons were ultimately doing this as training in their chosen fighting style; even when they personally weren't feeling bad, some of the songs they practiced weren't nearly so pleasant as today's.  They'd even brought along a boombox once, and performed the Dance of the Screaming Lemur.  They hadn't really needed to hone those skills, but the twins had been getting tired of all the people who'd begun stopping by to listen in on them.  Only Ryoga was allowed to do that.  Of course, before they'd performed that particular Dance they had made very sure that their Airen wasn't anywhere nearby.

                Today, however, only sounds of happiness and contentment echoed through the park.  Ryoga had come by, told them that school had been cancelled for the day due to a gas leak, and listened to them play for nearly an hour.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung couldn't have been happier that he got the chance to do so.  Later, the duo would seriously consider an act of sabotage at Furinkan so that their Airen would be able to come back again the next day, but for now they were just letting their emotions soar on wings of music.

                Time passed, but the energy behind their playing didn't waver.  In fact, it grew stronger and stronger instead of fading away.  Two hours after Ryoga's departure, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were deeper than ever in the act of creation, spinning out new harmonies on sheer instinct, each girl keeping pace effortlessly with the other as the lead shifted back and forth between them.  They had lost all track of time, all awareness of the world around them.  Even the thought of Ryoga had left them now; the euphoria his visit had sparked was still with them, but now it was being sustained by their music instead.

                They didn't know it, but the Amazons were caught up in the same creative process that had produced all the other special pieces of music that were the backbone of their chosen style.  The melody swelled, stronger and more intense with each passing moment, as they moved toward a single, perfect moment of epiphany.  One which would give birth to an entirely new Dance.  A new song, with new powers, created out of the twins' most fervent desires and the happiness they'd brought into this session because of Ryoga's earlier visit.  They didn't realize this, in fact they were well beyond the boundaries of conscious thought, but Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were only about ten minutes away from creating a song whose music would kick the libido of a listener into overdrive.

                Considering the amount of trouble they would have caused with something like that up their sleeves, perhaps it's for the best that they were interrupted just then.

                A squealing cry echoed through the park, ripping through the glorious harmonics like a rusty buzz saw through the Mona Lisa.  "Phillipe!  Anne-Marie!  You're so CUTE!"

                Ling-Ling's concentration shattered.  She blinked and gasped like a diver coming up for air.  Her head spun as she tried to recover from the sudden wrenching loss of the creative fugue.  Breaking from the flow at that point had been just as traumatic as if she'd been awakened from sleepwalking, both for her and for her sister.  The two Amazons were left disoriented and confused, easy prey for Azusa Shiratori to zip by on her rollerblades, snatch the flutes out of their hands, and race off.

***************

                Five minutes later, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung staggered out of the park.  It had taken them that long to regain enough equilibrium to interact with the world again.  Their fury at Azusa had helped them focus; without that they would still have been on the grass trying to recover.

                "Big sister Shampoo should have squashed that thief when she had the chance," growled Lung-Lung.  By the time they'd been able to walk without falling down every three steps, both girls had remembered the story their cousin had told them of her early encounter with the Golden Pair.  "You think she knows where the klepto's house is?"

                Ling-Ling shrugged.  "I bet a lot of people do, with as big a nuisance as she's got to be.  Why should we wait for big sister to get back?  I say we just start asking around now."

                "Good idea," her sister agreed.  "But let's wait a little longer.  My head is still kind of woozy."

                "Yeah, mine too," Ling-Ling admitted.  "I've never felt like that before when we were practicing, Lung-Lung.  Do you think...?"

                "Yes," Lung-Lung said bitterly, thinking back to the account they had read, left by one of the long-departed Amazons who'd pioneered their style, which had described what it felt like to create the special songs.  "I think we were about to come up with a technique of our own.  And then that witch ruined it."

                "That's what I thought, too," Ling-Ling sighed.  "If we had succeeded, we could've dedicated the song to Ryoga.  I think it was cause we started out so happy to see him that we got that far into the music."

                "You're probably right.  And we still will," Lung-Lung said determinedly.  "Sooner or later we'll manage it again, and not get interrupted.  When we've got our own Dance, we can name it after Ryoga.  At least if it doesn't turn out to be some sort of terrible, vicious attack technique."

                "I don't think it would have been," mused Ling-Ling.  "I was feeling too good while we played for something like that."

                By now the twins had reached an open area with several tables and chairs scattered around, with a yattai parked at the far side.  There was quite a crowd surrounding it.  Noticing this, Ling-Ling poked her sister in the arm.  "I'm still feeling a little dizzy, Lung-Lung.  You want to get something at that cart?  With that many people, the food has to be good."

                Lung-Lung stared at the crowd.  "But it doesn't look like they're actually getting food there.  More like they're standing around watching something."

                Ling-Ling took another look, and realized that was true.  Furthermore, many of the people standing near the cart were trying to suppress laughter.  And she was almost sure that she heard faint traces of some sort of commotion from the center of the crowd.  Now curious, both Amazons walked over and slid through the onlookers, stopping dead once they got a clear view of what was on the other side.

                "Jean-Claude!  *Ooof*  Jean-Claude!  *Grunt*  Be a good boy and come with little Azusa!"  The heir of Shiratori Martial Arts Kleptomania had a death-grip on one corner of the cart, and was doing her level best to drag it along with her.  As she was still wearing her rollerblades, and the wheels of the yattai were currently locked in place, all she was accomplishing was to slip, slide, and look even sillier than usual.

                "You crazy little girl!  What do you think you're doing?!  My insurance doesn't cover some nutcase giving herself a hernia because she thought she could drag my business off bare-handed!"  A small man in a large apron was waving his arms excitedly, trying to get rid of the screwball without actually using brute force.  "Shoo!  Shoo!  Go smoke your hallucinogens somewhere else!"

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung watched for a few more seconds, identical unpleasant grins slowly spreading across their faces.  Then the two walked forward.  Lung-Lung tapped the vendor on his shoulder, interrupting a tirade against the incompetence of whatever asylum had let this lunatic escape.  "Excuse," she said sweetly as the man turned to face her, "Would like some help dealing with stupid thief girl?"

                "If you think you can," the vendor said dubiously.

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung stepped forward.  Azusa stopped tugging on the yattai and turned to face them, almost as if she had enough sense to be cautious.  "What do you want?"

                "You give back flutes now, or get lots of pain," Ling-Ling snapped.  "Even more than you is already going to get."

                "No!  Phillipe and Anne-Marie are going home with me!"  She stuck out her tongue, then started tugging on the cart again.  "Just like Jean-Claude, as soon as he stops being so stubborn."

                The twins found themselves at a bit of an impasse.  Snarl and threaten though they might, they weren't quite prepared to just step forward and start thrashing the girl.  Besides, they were gaijin and their target wasn't... actually doing anything would just be asking for trouble with this many witnesses.  Ling-Ling glanced at her sister.  Lung-Lung understood the message, and pulled out her trident (which tends to work much better than a staff for intimidation purposes).  She noticed Azusa's eyes immediately riveted on the weapon.  Good.  "Is you deaf or stupid or both?!" the lime-haired girl shouted.  "Give back now!"

                "Nicollette!  Nicollette!  Come to little Azusa!"

                Typical Japanese politeness notwithstanding, by now most of the onlookers had stopped trying to hold back their laughter.  It was just too comical to see the two Chinese girls standing in an unbelieving stupor, while Azusa cooed and cuddled the spearhead which she'd effortlessly plucked from the haft of Lung-Lung's weapon.

                "Thanks so much for your help," the vendor said disparagingly to the twins.  He turned back to face Azusa.  "Little girl, please go away.  I've got a business to run here.  If you just promise to leave quietly, I'll give you a free order of octopus puffs."

                Azusa paused, seeming to consider that.  "Well, I don't like octopus puffs that much, but Daddy loves them..."

                "So you'll do it then?" he asked pathetically.

                Azusa beamed cutely at him.  "Nope!  When Azusa takes Jean-Claude home, Daddy can have ALL the octopus puffs Jean-Claude is carrying!"

                At this point, there was only one onlooker in the crowd who wasn't laughing out loud.  He had been watching for several minutes now, not sure as to just what was happening.  But with this, Kyunnosuke had made his mind up.  This scene was just too ridiculous to really be happening.  It had to be that bane of all right-thinking people's existence... performance art!

                He strode forward, a scowl on his face.  "Stop!" he said in a tone so commanding that it broke the twins from their daze.  As one they whirled to face him.  "How dare you villains practice your vile perversions in the full view of all these innocent people!"  Ever since his accidental run-in with Ranma's classmate Usagi Tokiro three weeks previously, Kyunnosuke had been reading way too much Sailor Moon manga, and it showed now in his speech.  "In the name of..." he barely stopped himself from saying 'the moon', "...common decency, I'll punish you!"

                It would have galled Kyunnosuke to the bone to know that to the onlookers, he had just identified himself as part of the entertainment.  However, he wasn't going to be put into a position to realize this.

                By now the twins' patience was just about exhausted.  "Shut up you stupid talking!"  "Stay out of this!  It our business!"

                "I don't think so!  I'll never rest so long as a single performance artist remains in Japan!"  The boy pulled a pair of nunchaku from their resting place at his belt, and began spinning them as he stalked toward the closest target--the Amazon twins.  "But if you start running now, I'll let you go and deal with these others instead."

                Kyunnosuke didn't really have any intention of beating up some defenseless little girls.  He figured he'd just scare them off and thrash the man.  It was somewhat disconcerting, then, to see that the duo weren't taking the opportunity to flee.  They were just glaring at him more fiercely than ever.

                He mentally sighed, and forced himself to scowl even more darkly in response.  Apparently it was going to take more extreme measures to bluff them into running.  He might end up looking like some kind of heel to the rest of the crowd of onlookers, but Kyunnosuke was firmly convinced that someday they'd thank him for standing up and combating the evils of performance art.  "I mean it!" he snarled.  "Don't think I'll hold back, just because you're children!  Get running now if you don't want to get the spanking you deserve!"

                It's possible, if he had complete knowledge of the Amazons' lives and personalities, and if he'd been given several days to work on it, that he could have come up with something to say that would have made them angrier than this did.  Possible, but unlikely.

                With a collective snarl of rage, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung dashed forward.  Lung-Lung knocked the nunchaku away, then joined her sister in pummeling Kyunnosuke mercilessly.  He didn't even maintain consciousness long enough to let them blunt the edge of their anger.

                They were far past the point of caution or discretion now.  As the unfortunate bane of performance art crashed to the ground, the Amazons turned again and started toward Azusa... or rather, where Azusa had been.

                A ditz she might be, but even Azusa Shiratori had survival instincts.  With a quickly-whispered "Jean-Claude, little Azusa will be back for you later," she had skated away as Ling-Ling's staff made its first contact with Kyunnosuke's head.

***************

                On the surface, it would seem an act of unparalleled stupidity for Azusa to stop two blocks later and get herself a glass of iced lemonade (it wasn't cute lemonade, so money actually changed hands in the transaction).  She was just finishing the drink when Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung turned a corner several blocks away, saw her, and began running forward at top speed.

                However, Azusa was still wearing her rollerblades, and no matter how angry the twins were, they hadn't had the kind of speed training that would have let them overcome that advantage.  The youngest Shiratori sped away again, deliberately keeping her pace down just enough that she wouldn't outdistance the Amazons completely.  This was one of the advanced techniques of Shiratori Martial Arts Kleptomania... when someone's angry enough to chase you to the ragged point of exhaustion, let them, then go back once they collapse and see if they're carrying anything else interesting (or cute, as the case may be).  And so she stayed within the twins' sight range, even as they raced up one street and down the next, through alleys and byways and even one shopping mall.

                If Ranma or perhaps Ryoga had been involved in the chase, it no doubt would have gathered additional participants as it progressed.  However, neither was, and as Azusa skated merrily out of Nerima and into the streets of greater Tokyo, only Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were following her.

                The twins were still furious, but they were running on the last of their energy now.  Five more minutes of this, and they'd be completely spent.  Lung-Lung sensed herself nearing the end of her endurance.  With a mental snarl, she tried to draw on more, tried to push herself beyond her limits, unwilling to let the thief girl get away like this.  Through sheer force of will, she managed to speed up a bit.

                Azusa glanced back over her shoulder as she sensed the narrowing of the gap that separated her from her pursuers.  Her momentary uneasiness vanished as she saw the twins were nearly at the end of their strength.  But they wouldn't be quite exhausted enough to approach safely, if they gave up now.  Best to give them a little more motivation to keep running.  She turned around to face them completely, not seeming to have any difficulty at all skating backwards without reducing her speed, and stuck out her tongue at the Amazons.   As their anger rose even further, she gave a mocking wave and spun back around to face forward again.

                And saw a boy standing stock-still, two feet in front of her.

                Not a chance in the world for her to avoid him at this pace.  Azusa slammed into him, sending the both of them barreling to the ground.  She felt a moment of shocked indignation as he twisted out from under her, instead of acting as a true gentleman should and taking all the impact on himself.  Then she hit the pavement.

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung felt a new rush of energy surge through them as their enemy slammed into the ground.  They were still thirty feet behind her as she staggered to her feet and started skating off, but one of the wheels had been damaged on Azusa's right rollerblade and she was no longer capable of the speed she needed.  Later, the twins would feel a good bit of guilt for trampling the boy who'd stopped Azusa, but for now such thoughts were forgotten.  They caught her two blocks later, and the only thing that saved Azusa from the beating she deserved was the fact that the Amazons were two tired to do much more than retrieve their flutes and warn her that the next time they saw her, they'd thrash her to within an inch of her life.

***************

                Several minutes later, Ken staggered to his feet.  It had happened so fast, he hadn't had a chance to invoke his Dark Armor.  He hadn't even gotten more than a glimpse of any of the girls who'd run him down.  "Just great," he growled to himself weakly.  "Losing to Ranma was bad enough.  But I can't believe I just got demolished by a bunch of little kids."  Marshalling his strength, and pushing his embarrassment aside, he hobbled off to make his report to Sakura.

***************

                Azusa didn't show her face in Tokyo for quite some time after that.  If asked, she would have denied indignantly that Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had anything to do with this.  It was just that there were so many cute things in safer... ahem, _other_ parts of Japan.

                Over the next few days, the young Amazons prowled around Nerima rather more than usual, keeping an eye out for the youngest Shiratori.  This was doomed to failure, of course, and on Saturday they found something else that infuriated them almost as much as Azusa had.

                Cologne felt their anger even before they opened the door of the restaurant.  She gave the twins a quick visual once-over as they made their way into the kitchen.  They didn't look exhausted or disheveled, so they hadn't lost a fight or had an accident.  "What's wrong, you two?"

                "Is spatula girl again," Ling-Ling grated through clenched teeth.  "We on our way back when see her.  Catch sight of her with Airen off in distance.  We follow for while, make sure they no see us, and watch."  Though they had continued their attempts to teach Ryoga to see through the Dance of the Hidden Chameleon, so far he had yet to accomplish it.  This had worked in the Amazons' favor today.

                "They go for long walk, end up at nice restaurant where they eat lunch."  Lung-Lung was clearly in no better a mood than her sister.  "They not get too close anytime we watch, but she try couple of times.  Ryoga not take bait, though."  Remembering that, she calmed down a bit.  "He not respond to any of spatula girl's come-on tricks."

                "Is right," Ling-Ling agreed, her temper improving a bit as well.  "Is not like with us at all, where he get nervous and fluster and too shy to respond.  He just pretend like he not notice with her.  Only thing Airen could have do better would be tell her outright to leave him alone, he only want to be friends."

                "And it not likely he have heart enough to hurt her like that anyway," Lung-Lung said, remembering the talk Cologne had had with them about Ryoga's feelings and motivations.  "Lung-Lung understand Ryoga not willing to hurt girl by choice, but wish he make exception just this once."

                The Matriarch was silent for a long moment, mulling over what to say in response to this.  During her previous discussions with Ryoga, she had not brought up the subject of Ukyo.  By the time he finally defeated the twins and received the Kiss of Marriage, Cologne had seen enough to agree wholeheartedly with Shampoo's earlier assessment--that what he wanted, most of all, was just for someone to love and accept him.  She'd felt that if only Ryoga gave Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung an honest chance, their open and uninhibited affection would secure them the place in his heart that they longed for.

                Hearing that the Kuonji girl seemed determined to fight along the same lines wasn't particularly pleasant, though Cologne was still confident that the twins would eventually be victorious; after all, they had a tie of honor as well as of love.  There was only one way Ryoga could honorably forsake Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, and the Matriarch knew very well that when the year she'd given him was up there was no way he would be able to say he'd determined he was never going to love them.  Ryoga might not have admitted it to himself yet, but if she went to him tomorrow and forced him to the point of honesty, she knew he already wouldn't be able to reject them like that.

                Cologne seriously considered doing so.  Perhaps it would be better to go ahead and get it over with.  After all, even though Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung would inevitably win because their honor was at stake and Ukyo's was not (plus, if push came to shove, Ryoga would surely rather hurt one girl than two), it might well require a long and drawn-out fight that would leave deep emotional scars on one or more of the combatants.  And certainly the prize in question would be hurt by such a struggle.

                The Matriarch felt a momentary surge of exasperation toward Shampoo.  To hear her great-granddaughter talk, this Kuonji girl was a good and honorable sort.  But Shampoo had told her friend of the Amazon laws.  And if the chef had any intention of honoring them, or of respecting the situation Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were in, she certainly hadn't shown it yet.

                Still, Cologne reminded herself, it wouldn't be that unreasonable of Ukyo to think she had most of a year left before the issue was decided.  Taken in that light, the chef's actions didn't really lack integrity.  She was just fighting for what she wanted, a sentiment with which any Amazon, really any woman at all, could certainly sympathize.  It was just that Ukyo hadn't yet realized this particular battle wasn't one she could honorably win.

                And so, the Matriarch temporarily shelved the idea of going to Ryoga and forcing the issue.  Time enough for that later, should things start to get out of hand.  If possible, it would be much better to find a less painful way to remove his other admirer from the picture.  And fortunately, a bit of thought brought one to mind that might work very well.

                Returning her thoughts to the immediate present, the ancient Amazon was just in time to see the twins heading through the back door into the alley behind the restaurant.  "And where do you think you're going?"

                Lung-Lung turned back.  "We get good idea while Great-Grandmother busy meditating.  Go find big sister Shampoo, ask her to use Xi Fang Gao on spatula girl like Ranma use on stupid Mousse, make her forget she want be anything more than just friend to Airen."

                "Don't be silly, Lung-Lung, you know Shampoo considers Ukyo a good friend.  She'd never use the Xi Fang Gao on her," Cologne answered.  "Come back in here, you two.  I've got a better idea."

                Reluctantly, because the idea of having Ukyo forget to be a nuisance seemed VERY attractive just then, the twins complied.  "What idea, Great-Grandmother?" Ling-Ling asked.  "Is you sure Shampoo no would help?"

                "Quite sure, and don't go asking me to do it instead.  Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo all alike would be upset if I did, and only a fool would needlessly stir up their ire."

***************

                In another part of Tokyo, a tall boy sneezed.  It happened at a particularly awkward moment of the kata he was performing, causing him to lose his grip on his giant paintbrush.

***************

                "And like I said, I have a better idea."  Cologne paused for a moment, giving the twins an inscrutable look.  "Tell me," she said at last, "Is Ryoga the perfect man?"

                Ling-Ling stifled a groan.  When Great-Grandmother asked a seemingly irrelevant question, it could only mean one thing... that she was once again going to lead them down the twisting, convoluted pathways that were her thought processes.  The cherry-haired girl could frankly do without these kinds of lessons.  But she knew better than to complain; last time she had, Cologne had had her translate sixty pages of Machiavelli from Japanese to Mandarin.  She carefully considered her answer.  "Is no such thing as perfect man."

                "Then what sort of man would have to come along, to make you forsake him?" the Matriarch continued.

                "We not ever!" snapped Ling-Ling.  Some questions didn't need careful consideration.

                "Would have to be man what know Xi Fang Gao," Lung-Lung said, flashing a smirk at her sister.  Ling-Ling stuck out her tongue in response.

                Cologne stood silent.  Eventually, Ling-Ling spoke up.  "Is you not going to ask another question, Great-Grandmother?"

                "What I've said so far should be more than enough for you to work out the solution for yourselves," the Matriarch answered, her grip beginning to shift subtly on her staff.

                Recognizing an imminent encounter with the stick's business end, Ling-Ling's thoughts sped up frantically.  "You think we need find man what make spatula girl forget about Airen, and chase him instead?"

                "Very good, child."  Cologne smiled broadly at the redhead.  Anyone who hadn't grown up around the Matriarch probably would have preferred the swat to that sight.  "And in fact, I have one in mind who should fit the bill nicely."

                "Is someone we know?" Lung-Lung asked, thinking of some of the males back in the village.  Though bringing someone all the way from home just for this seemed like an awful lot of trouble.

                "I doubt it," the Matriarch responded.  "I haven't actually met him, but I heard of him when I was in greater Tokyo awhile back.  A talented martial artist and cook alike, who combines both those disciplines into one art.  He goes by the business name of the Crepe King."

                "If you never meet him, can you still use Eye of Bastet to find him?" Ling-Ling asked.

                "No, I'm afraid I've no idea what he looks like.  But I'm willing to give you two a little more free time than usual, so you can search for him yourselves."

                "But Great-Grandmother, we already busy looking for stupid thief girl!  No have time for try find someone else too!" Lung-Lung protested.

                Cologne's eyebrows lifted in surprise.  "You're still looking for her?  Why haven't you just waited for her at her house?"

                A long moment of silence.  Eventually Lung-Lung answered sheepishly, "We no think of it."

                Cologne pogoed off, returning a moment later with two copies of Machiavelli's book, 'The Prince'.  Ling-Ling didn't bother to suppress her groan this time.  "Forty pages from each of you."

***************

                Several days later, as the sun began its descent from noon's zenith, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung sat down in a café for a quick lunch.  Both girls were quiet for several minutes, except to place their orders.  Eventually, though, Lung-Lung broke the silence.  "I don't know if I should feel guilty or proud."

                "I know what you mean, Ling-Ling replied morosely.  "We lied through our teeth to big sister Shampoo about why Great-Grandmother gave us the day to explore the city.  But if we hadn't, Ranma still wouldn't have kissed her yet."

                "Yeah."  Lung-Lung sighed, then decided to try to lighten the mood with a joke.  "Tell you what.  I was the one who lied to her.  You were the one who said what Ranma needed to hear to get his act together.  So how about I feel guilty, and you feel proud?"

                Ling-Ling brightened.  "Works for me.  Thanks, sis."

                As Lung-Lung debated whether to hit her sister with her hand or her trident, the waitress brought them their orders.  This distracted the lime-haired girl enough that Ling-Ling got off unscathed.

                The redhead in question didn't maintain her cheerfulness for very long, though.  By the time she'd finished her soup, she was looking downcast again.  "I don't like this, Lung-Lung," Ling-Ling said.  "I hate not trusting big sister Shampoo.  How come she can't take our side instead of the spatula girl's?"

                Lung-Lung frowned.  "Yeah, I know.  The worst thing is we don't KNOW she wouldn't.  Maybe if we told her we were trying to keep Ukyo away from Ryoga, she'd help us.  But after what Great-Grandmother said, it's just too risky to trust her."

                "Stupid Heart Link," Ling-Ling grumbled.  Cologne had eventually decided that keeping the remaining details of the Heart Link from the twins would be a mistake, given what they already knew, and had told them the whole story.  The Matriarch hadn't been a bit surprised when they spent the next seventy-two hours begging her to Link them to Ryoga.  "Just because Ukyo was Ranma's friend when they were kids shouldn't force big sister Shampoo to be so loyal to her now."

                "Is just one more thing to hold against spatula girl," Lung-Lung said, returning to Japanese as a nagging internal voice, sounding a lot like Cologne, reminded her that she still needed plenty of work before she could speak her husband's language fluently.

                "Pardon me, young lady."

                The voice had come from the table next to theirs, or rather from the man seated there.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had noticed him when they'd come in.  It would have been fairly hard not to--not that many people go around dressed up like the king from a deck of playing cards.  If the girls hadn't been distracted by the events of their morning, they probably would have spent a bit of time covertly observing the strange man, and wondering whether he was on his way to a costume party or just a native strayed from Nerima.  But as it was, they'd simply ignored him.

                Hard to do that now, though, as he had turned his chair around to face them.  "My Mandarin is quite rusty, but I believe I heard you mention the name Ukyo.  Would that be Ukyo Kuonji?"

                Ling-Ling nodded.  "Why you ask?"

                "I knew an Ukyo Kuonji many years ago, when she was just a little girl.  Is your Ukyo around sixteen or seventeen years old, and perhaps interested in okonomiyaki?"

                Lung-Lung managed to shake her way free of the grimace that had developed at hearing the chef referred to as 'their' Ukyo.  "Uh-huh, with long brown hair and spatula fetish.  Sound like same person to you?"

                "Almost certainly.  Ah, but where are my manners?"  The man leaned forward, performing an odd sort of half-bow without getting up from his chair.  "Vegas Presley, at your service.  More commonly known as the Gambling King."

                'Gambling King?' Ling-Ling thought to herself.  'Why couldn't we run into the Crepe King instead?!  I don't think this one will do very well for what Great-Grandmother suggested.'  Though a wide grin did spread across her face as she imagined the stupid spatula girl paired up with this overweight old clown.

                Like her sister, Lung-Lung had noted the similarity between their quarry's name and this man's.  "You say Gambling King?  Does you know of Crepe King, maybe?"

                "I might," the King replied guardedly, wondering whether this was a serious question or the set-up line for a joke at his expense.  If the latter, he might just have to challenge these girls to a game of high-stakes, cutthroat Old Maid.  "Why do you ask?"

                "Is man we look for.  Hear he skilled martial artist and good cook too.  You maybe can help us find?" Lung-Lung answered hopefully.

                Okay, probably not a joke, at least not on him.  Most likely someone else had played one on these girls, sending them on a wild goose chase after an imaginary person.  Crepe King, indeed!

                The Gambling King cleared his throat.  "Well, now, how about we exchange information on a quid pro quo basis, hmm?"  Seeing the blank looks on the Amazons' faces, the King reminded himself that he was speaking to a couple of young girls whose primary language wasn't Japanese.  "I mean, you tell me where to find Ukyo Kuonji, and I'll tell you what I know about the man you're looking for."

                Lung-Lung gave him a big smile.  "Would have tell you anyway.  We glad to make exchange like that.  Good thing we meet here today, yes?"  She gave him Ukyo's address and directions on how to get there.  "Now what you know about Crepe King?"

                "Sorry," the King said.  His long years of practice at cheating children out of their allowances kept him from feeling any remorse.  "I've never heard of him before you mentioned him to me just now."

***************

                The emptiness of the dining area at Ukyo's Okonomiyaki was a little frustrating to the proprietor.  The sky had begun clouding up half an hour ago, and no customers had arrived since then.  Ukyo sighed as she heard a grumble of thunder from the late afternoon skies.  "Sounds like a storm coming."  She moved from behind her grill to a point that gave a clearer view through the window.  The clouds had darkened considerably.  Ukyo concluded it was highly unlikely that she'd be getting any more customers tonight.  "I don't like to close early, but..." she shrugged, "oh well..."

                The chef had just begun to roll up the banner that signified her restaurant was open for business when her trained senses gave a warning tingle.  She tensed, then called out, "Who's there?!  Show yourself!"

                Across the street, a menacing shadow moved behind a telephone pole.  Ukyo sent a fistful of throwing spatulas flying towards the motion.  They didn't connect with their target, lodging instead in the post and the wall behind it.  The mystery figure launched an attack at the same time, sending five of his own projectiles winging straight at the chef.

                Ukyo, stretching her skills to the limit, reached out and caught them all in one smooth motion.  Then, as she realized just what she was holding in her hand, she felt her battle-readiness dissolve into confusion.  She'd just been attacked with playing cards?

                "You lose, Ukyo Kuonji."  The figure stepped forward, becoming more distinct as he left the deeper shadows.  He held up five cards of his own.  "You have one pair, whereas I hold a royal straight flush."

                "No!  It's you!  I can't believe I've dodged you all these years, only to fail now.  How could this happen to me?!" Ukyo cried.

                "Don't flatter yourself," the Gambling King replied.  "I've only been looking for you for the past few months."

                The chef blinked.  "Huh?!  What're you talking about?"

                The King frowned in puzzlement.  "What do you mean by that?"

                "You really WERE looking for me?  Why?  And who are you, anyway?!"

                From a frown, to a fallen jaw.  "W- What?!  Then why did you say...?"

                "Oh, that 'No!  It's you!' stuff?"  Ukyo shrugged.  "That was a line from a movie I saw yesterday."  The character who'd spoken those lines had been completely mistaken about who she was talking to, with the result that that unfortunate person had been utterly confused.  After the movie, Ryoga had remarked to Ukyo that if Tsubasa ever showed up again, in a different disguise, he'd try that line and see what reaction it got.  "I was just trying to throw you off-balance."

                He gave a snort of annoyance.  "I see.  But what I DON'T understand is how you could have forgotten me, the Gambling King!"  A huge fork of lightning split the sky directly overhead, followed immediately by an enormous crash of thunder.

                Once the ringing in his ears had died away, the King spoke again.  "Granted, you were only a ragged little urchin when we last met.  But I would have liked to think you'd at least remember how you and your friend Ranma Saotome tied me up and threw me in the river."

                Ukyo had been staring at him intently since he'd made his introduction (except for a moment spent blinking the spots out of her eyes after the lightning).  Now she spoke.  "YOU'RE the Gambling King?!  Of course I remember him.  You.  Whatever."  She eyed him more closely yet, eventually picking out the resemblance to the figure of her memories of ten years past.  "You look a lot different without your hat."  The King winced.  "And didn't you used to wear your beard in ringlets?"

                "Yes, well, if you'd seen me yesterday morning you probably would have recognized me then.  But I had a bit of an accident at lunch, and lost the hat.  And I haven't managed to get all the syrup out of my beard yet, so the ringlets will just have to wait another day."

                "Yeah, well, I'd get a new hat ASAP.  That bald spot isn't a pretty sight."  Ukyo frowned.  "Hey, what did you mean you've been looking for me for the last few months?"

                "To be honest, I'm more concerned with your partner in crime, Ranma.  I knew if I found you, he wouldn't be far away."  The King had started out looking for Ranma Saotome directly, but the reaction he'd gotten from storekeepers and fathers who'd encountered Genma Saotome had quickly motivated him to change his approach.

                "What do you want with Ranchan?" Ukyo demanded.

                "That is a matter of honor between myself, Ranma, and the owners of the Tendo Dojo."

                "What?"  Ukyo stared blankly for a second, then thought back.  Searching her memories of that long-ago time, when she and Ranchan had stood together against the man who was cheating all the neighborhood children out of their allowances.

                Then she remembered... she'd been beaten by the King, and had gone crying to Ranma, saying she wanted revenge.  Ranma had come to her aid.  Well, sort of.  He'd lost all his money too, and all the clothes he was wearing except for his underpants.  Then, when the King tried to shoo him off, saying he had nothing left to gamble, Ranchan had said something about a dojo he was going to inherit one day.  He'd scribbled a promise to give that to the King, and used it as his collateral in one last game of Old Maid.  A game he'd lost just as quickly as he had all the others.

                It was shortly after then that she and Ranma had discovered the King's 'special' deck, which consisted of all jokers.  They'd tied him up while he was asleep, retrieved all their stuff, and sent him on his merry way.  But it would be just like the clueless little kid Ranchan had been to have forgotten to get that promissory note back, Ukyo thought.  "You gonna try to claim the Tendo Dojo from Ranma now?"

                "I dislike that word, 'try'," the King responded, holding up the paper Ukyo remembered.  There were a couple of grease spots on it, but all in all it had survived the Amazon twins' ire mostly unscathed.  "This makes it pretty cut and dried.  But you had the basic idea right."

                "Hate to break it to you, jackass, but Ranchan's got no claim on that dojo."  Ukyo's expression showed remarkably little regret at being the bearer of bad news.  "It was supposed to be the dowry in an arranged marriage.  And he got out of that.  No marriage, means no dowry, means no dojo.  That promise isn't worth the paper it's scribbled on."

                The King glared at Ukyo, trying to decide whether she was telling the truth or lying to cover for her friend.  After a few seconds, he decided she was being honest.  If it were a bluff, surely as good a gambler as he would have seen through it.  "Then the boy will simply have to make good on his debt in some other way."

                "Geez, you're stubborn," Ukyo complained.  For a moment, the chef debated sending him to the Kuno mansion, then calling ahead and telling them to let the dogs loose on the King when he showed up.  There were two problems with that, though.  One, she knew Ranma had a lot on his mind right now, with the search for the missing girls and all.  It didn't seem like a very friendly thing to do, pushing this loser off on Ranchan when she could have just dealt with him herself.  And two, the Kunos didn't have any dogs.

                "I merely want what's mine," the King replied.  "Now, if you would please tell me where I might find Ranma Saotome, I'll be on my way."

                Ukyo chewed her lower lip indecisively for a bit, then spoke.  "Well, it's like this.  Ranchan is my oldest friend, and he's kinda busy right now.  Doing something pretty important, too, and I don't think he needs any distractions."

                "Young lady, I will not be put off by you.  This is a debt of honor!"

                The chef gave a disgusted snort.  "Honor?  That's rich, coming from you, you jerk.  It may've been ten years, but I haven't forgotten the _special_ deck of cards Ranchan and I found in your stuff."

                The King's eyes narrowed.  "You have no proof whatsoever that I used those cards in any of my games with you or Ranma."

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Guess that's true.  But I'm still not telling you where Ranchan is."

                He glowered at her, but decided there wasn't any need to drag this out further.  Now that he had a general location for Ranma, it shouldn't be too hard to locate someone else who knew his quarry.  "In that case, I will take my leave of you."

                "Hold it."  Ukyo's tone stopped the King before he'd taken three steps.  He turned back to face her.  "I never said I wouldn't help you at all, you know."

                "Then why don't you say what you mean."  It was getting late, and his patience was running low.

                "Like I said before, Ranchan's a good friend of mine, and he's doing something important.  I've been kinda wanting to join him, but I just don't have the free time."  Between attending school, running her restaurant, and giving Ryoga some peace from the Amazon annoyances in his life, Ukyo's time was pretty much taken care of.  She might have liked to go exploring through greater Tokyo, but there hadn't been a realistic way for her to do so.  "But at least I can help him here.

                "I can tell you right now, Ranma isn't going to pay you anything over that stupid note."  Ukyo rolled her eyes at the King.  "It was signed by a six-year-old, not even witnessed, promising to give you something that he wasn't ever going to have anyway.  The only thing you're gonna do if you take that stupid piece of paper to Ranchan is waste your time and his.  And I don't want that."

                "Miss Kuonji, unless you have some sort of offer to make, I really must be going."  The Gambling King hoped she did.  It was looking less and less like Ranma's promise was going to be the ticket to Easy Street he'd been counting on.  

                "Okay, okay already."  Ukyo took a deep breath.  "I really don't want Ranchan to have to put up with any more trouble right now, so I'm willing to gamble with you.  If I win, you give up that note and go away without causing any trouble for him.  If I lose, you still do that, but you get my family's okonomiyaki cart.  What do you say?"

                He'd been hoping for more than this.  The King laughed derisively.  "What sort of terms are those?!  Double or nothing I could understand, but why should I give up Ranma's promise even if I win?"

                "Because you're never going to collect on it," Ukyo said seriously.  "The only thing you can do with that is make some trouble.  I'm giving you a chance to actually turn a profit here."

"With your family's cart.  You offer me something that's already mine," he scoffed.  "Have you forgotten that you already gambled that away to me, back when you were six?"

                "So why didn't you try to claim it tonight, huh?"

                "It was a gesture of kindness and generosity on my part."

                Ukyo frowned.  "Hey, remember it's still cloudy out here.  I don't want my place getting struck by lightning."

                The King drew himself up to his full height.  "Are you implying that I'm being less than honest with you?!"

                "No, I'm calling you a liar to your ugly face," Ukyo replied.  "You know I had no right to gamble with that thing when I was a little girl.  It was going to be my dowry, which means my dad was the only one who had the right to dispose of it.  But I'm old enough now to make my own decisions with it."

                Her adversary held silent for a few moments, then conceded, "I suppose you have a point.  Your offer is intriguing, Miss Kuonji, but I don't think it's quite generous enough.  How about this restaurant instead of your yattai?  After all, you're asking me to give up a claim to a dojo.  That's a bit more valuable than a rickety little cart."

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Sorry, but I rent this place, I don't own it."  She didn't feel any particular guilt about lying to a liar.  "The yattai is the best I can do."

                The King turned away.  "I'm sorry, but I think I'll speak with Ranma instead."

                She sighed.  "Well, okay.  I guess this way won't be too bad either."  Ukyo slung her combat spatula into place at her back, turned, and locked the door behind her.

                He gave her an odd look, which intensified as she walked over to stand next to him.  "What exactly are you doing?"

                "Changed my mind.  I'm going to take you to Ranchan after all.  Might as well get this over with as soon as possible, right?"  Ukyo gave the King a playful punch on his shoulder.  As he winced and rubbed the area, she favored him with a sunny smile.  "It'll be just like old times.  Me and Ranchan beating the snot out of you, tying you up, and throwing you in the nearest river.  Of course, this time I've got a bigger spatula, and Ranchan's a lot stronger too.  Bet it'll take you way more than ten years to come back next time."

                The King took a long look at Ukyo's smile.  The sweetness had been completely gone by the word 'tying', and it now resembled the grin of a tiger.  Eventually he cleared his throat, and said, "You know, suddenly I _am_ in the mood for a game of chance."

                Sweetness back in place, Ukyo unlocked the door again.  "Thought you'd see it my way," she said cheerfully.

***************

                Ukyo looked down in disgust at the card in her hand.  The Joker grinned sadistically back at her as the King discarded the last of his cards.  "You lose, Ukyo Kuonji."

                The chef sighed.  "Looks that way," she replied.  Taking a piece of paper, she wrote a quick transfer of ownership for her family's okonomiyaki cart.  "A promise is a promise, King.  Now give me Ranchan's note."

                "You first," he replied suspiciously.

                Ukyo rolled her eyes so forcefully that her opponent halfway expected them to stick in the back of her skull.  "Here, you pathetic paranoid."  The paper changed hands.  The King gave a smile of satisfaction, then handed her Ranma's note.  Ukyo struck a match and quickly reduced it to ash.  "A pleasure doing business with you, King."

                The cheerfulness with which she spoke aroused a nameless fear in her listener.  "Well and good.  Now, where is the yattai?"

                Ukyo's smile just grew wider.  "Don't have a clue," she said smugly.

                "What?"

                "You remember Genma Saotome?  Ranchan's dad?  He and my dad arranged a marriage between the two of us, with the cart as my dowry.  And then the Saotomes left with the cart, but not me.  I didn't even see Ranchan for ten years after that.  When I finally caught up with them, they'd left it behind a long ways back."

                The King's mouth opened and closed a few times.  At last he choked out, "And this is the boy you describe as one of your best friends?!"

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Ranchan never knew anything about the engagement.  He and his dad were drifters, you know.  When they left he just thought it was time to move on.  And his worthless old man told him the yattai was a going-away present!"  The chef took a few deep breaths.  No matter how good a friend one Saotome might be, remembering that incident was always going to bring anger at the other.

                She got her temper under control, even managing to smile again as she reminded herself that she'd just put this troublemaker off onto Genma.  "He's the one you'll have to talk to about the cart.  I don't have a clue where it is."

                With a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, the King realized he'd been had.  From his own memories of Genma, plus the tales he'd heard when trying to track down Ranma, he knew this was exactly the sort of trick the elder Saotome would pull.  "Miss Kuonji, I am very disappointed in you.  Offering a stake that isn't even yours.  At least when Ranma did that, he was an ignorant child.  Have you no shame?"

                "Hold it right there, you jackass!"  Ukyo was well and truly angry now.  "I didn't _ask_ Genma to steal my family's property!  And if you get it back from him, it's yours free and clear.  That promise is good!  I'll even tell you where to find Genma, since Ranchan finally left that loser in the ditch.  But don't pull this wounded innocence crap with me, or I'll pound you flat as an okonomiyaki!"

                Ukyo wasn't the only one angry.  For a swindler to be swindled is to add insult to injury.  The King didn't respond in obvious temper, though, merely getting up and giving a clipped, "I'll be leaving now."

                The chef started to ask whether he wanted Genma's whereabouts or not, then decided not to bother.  But as the King neared the doorway, some nameless suspicion did prompt a different question.  "Hey!  How'd you find me, anyway?"

                The King wasn't sure why he bothered, but he answered her nonetheless.  "I learned from someone who knew you.  Two Chinese girls, one with red hair, the other with green."

***************

                While it didn't particularly surprise Ukyo that there was yet another fight between Shinji, Koga, and their lackeys the next morning, it was a bit odd to hear each side screaming names like 'traitor' and 'backstabber' at the other.  And they fought each other even more fiercely than usual, too, paying no attention at all to her and Ryoga.  This made for the shortest skirmish so far.

                Ukyo wondered, off and on through the rest of the school day, just what had been the reason for the deviation.  As she and Ryoga were leaving Furinkan, though, they learned from one of their classmates that the previous day Shinji had approached Koga under a flag of truce, proposing that this morning, the two of them only pretend to start a fight.  Then, when she and Ryoga moved to contain it, the supposed antagonists would join forces and crush them.  Koga had agreed.  But each fully intended to betray the other when crunch time came, with the net result that in the actual battle, _less_ attention was paid to Ukyo and Ryoga even than usual, rather than the two of them being overwhelmed.

                When Ukyo heard all this, she nearly hurt herself laughing.  Not at the way the two sides had shot each other in the foot--that was worth a few chuckles at most.  But hearing that those losers actually thought they could take her and Ryoga honey just by working together...  Ukyo's sides were still aching as she bid Ryoga good-bye and made her way back to her restaurant.

                It was just as well she'd had such a good laugh earlier, because it was the last one she'd have for quite some time.

                As Ukyo neared her restaurant, she noticed an unusually large number of children milling around.  Some were going the same direction as she was, running ahead excitedly and turning down the lane that would take Ukyo home.  Others were trudging away, more often than not with tears in their eyes, which made the chef wonder uneasily just what was going on.  Then she turned the corner, and found her answer.

                Blankets were spread out all along the sidewalk, with various games of chance set up along them.  Ukyo's old friend the Gambling King skipped through the maze with practiced ease, operating first a roulette wheel, then a game of dice, then performing a quick guess-which-cup-has-the-ball trick.  His beard was re-styled, and he had indeed found a replacement hat.  Children milled about everywhere, excited and laughing as their allowances melted away.

                Ukyo stared, aghast, for almost a minute.  Then she started forward, forcing her way through the crowd of kids to end up in front of the King.  "What the heck is this?!" she demanded.

                The King met her outrage with an impassive stare.  "I'm a bit low on funds.  And the other day, someone cheated me out of some very valuable property.  I'm attempting to recoup my losses.  Now, did you wish to place a bet?"

                Ukyo's eyes narrowed.  "Very funny.  And you just _happened_ to choose this lane to set up your den of deceit."

                "It's a prime location," the King said.  "A nice neighborhood, within easy walking distance for a great many children.  Also, I have an idea that the proprietor of one of the businesses along this street might be willing to contribute a small sum... say, three hundred thousand yen... in order to help me get back on my feet and moving along."

                Ukyo stepped forward, getting right in the King's face, and snarled back, "I already _gave_ you my family's yattai.  Don't think I don't know you cheated last night.  I went into that game knowing I was going to lose.  And I'm not about to give you one single crummy yen more.  You want to get your hands on some real money?  Then go show that stupid paper to Genma Saotome and tell him to cough up the cart!"

                "Miss Kuonji, I'm going to be frank with you.  Genma Saotome is a highly skilled martial artist, with very little in the way of honor and a long history of doing what he wants, then skipping off before the police can catch him.  I'd rather take my chances with you, thank you very much."  The King gestured up and down the street.  "I don't think your restaurant is going to do very well while I'm here.  Three hundred thousand yen against going out of business?  Seems like a simple decision to me."

                Ukyo's bared teeth could no longer even remotely be considered a smile.  "Tell you what, King.  I've got a counteroffer for you.  Why don't you pack up this junk and get the hell outta here, and I won't smash your little ring to kingdom come."

                "I have every right to be here," he replied stiffly.  "If you assault my person or my property, I'll notify the authorities."

                "The authorities?!  This is Nerima, where the strong rule by right of arms and no policeman would dare cross one of the martial artists!"  Ukyo grimaced at the words, wishing she hadn't chosen such corny ones in the heat of the moment.  Still, the threat should do the trick.  The stories that went around outside Nerima made the district seem even worse than it really was.  You couldn't really assault a non-martial artist and get away with no attention from the police, but only someone who'd lived here would know that.  The King wouldn't have any idea how badly she'd just exaggerated.

                "Miss Kuonji, I lived in this district for two years.  I know very well that that's an exaggeration.  The police leave you alone so long as you only beat up each other.  But if you harm me, you step over a big, black line that I don't think you want to cross."  The King folded his arms and glared back at her.  "Now, unless you wish to place a bet, or make a donation, I think you should leave.  Go sit in your empty restaurant and wait for the customers who won't show up.  You'll know where to find me when you're ready to do business."

                "Oh, yeah?  Well, the joke's on you, King.  I make the best okonomiyaki in Tokyo.  My regulars aren't going to let a little thing like this keep them away."  Ukyo turned on her heel, and strode over to her restaurant.  She unlocked the door, then unfurled the banner.  It snapped and fluttered defiantly in a sudden breeze as she walked inside.

***************

                After thirty minutes had passed, with no customers, Ukyo's spirits were beginning to sag.  After an hour, she had reached a level of unhappiness for which Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were usually necessary.  Moving out from behind the grill, she began to polish tables that didn't need polishing, while keeping an eye on the crowd outside.  There were still plenty of children, with new ones arriving to take the place of those who wandered off sad and empty-pocketed.

                Then Ukyo saw a sight which lifted her spirits considerably.  Two of her regulars, Mr and Mrs Hamabusa, were coming along the lane.  Sure, it was only a couple of customers, but it would show that jackass the Gambling King that he couldn't keep people away from the best okonomiyaki in Japan!  She knew she ought to get back behind the grill and get ready for them to come in, but she just had to watch this.

                Through the partially-open window, Ukyo saw the couple pause and stare at the circus in front of her restaurant.  After watching for a moment, Mr Hamabusa approached the King.  Straining her ears, Ukyo just barely managed to make out the exchange between them.

***************

                "What is this?!" Jin demanded.  "How can you swindle these children out of their allowances like this?!"

                The King shrugged.  "No-one is forcing them to gamble.  We're just making some entertainment available to them.  Most children don't like okonomiyaki, so this way Ukyo's can provide something for every member of the family."

                "You're... with Ukyo's?!"

                The King gave them a particularly greasy smile.  "Why don't you and your lovely wife step inside and try some of our delicious okonomiyaki?"

                Jin turned and directed a stare filled with disgust at the restaurant.  The angle of the sunlight reflecting off the window made it impossible for him to see Ukyo, standing frozen in horror on the other side.  "No thank you, I think we'll be going."  He and Moemi headed away at a brisk pace.

***************

                Ukyo remained in place for fully five minutes, her jaw hanging agape.  She continued to breathe, and to blink regularly, but aside from that she might as well have been a statue.

                Eventually she regained conscious motor functions.  Extracting her hands with some difficulty from the grooves her clenching grip had left in the windowsill, Ukyo strode over to the wall, picked up her spatula, and began walking toward the door again.  This time, she was going to pound the King so hard he'd NEVER dare show his face around her again!  Consequences or no consequences!

                One of the biggest ironies in the Ukyo-Amazon twins feud occurred then.  Ukyo was furious, her anger blisteringly hot at the King's outrageous stunt.  If Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung hadn't been involved in his appearance, she would have gone out there, crushed him flat, and then had to deal with civil charges and a lawsuit.  But as it was, part of Ukyo's anger was diverted toward the Amazons, and this lack of focus allowed her to stop with her hand on the door and reconsider.  The twins would never know that they'd done their rival a huge favor, which for their peace of mind was probably just as well.

                "Okay, let's think this through," Ukyo muttered to herself after having drawn several deep, ragged breaths.  "Probably shouldn't traumatize a bunch of little kids by beating that expletives deleted senseless in front of them.  But I can't let him do this to me either.  And I'm darn well not gonna let those little witches get away with setting me up like this.  Need to find some way to deal with all of them at the same time."

***************

                That evening, the Kunos and assorted friends of the family ate dinner at a nice restaurant Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo had recently discovered.  When they returned, Ryoga found he had a guest waiting for him.

                "Ukyo, is something wrong?" he asked.  It didn't take a lot of perception to see the chef was pretty worked up.

                "Ryoga-kun... something bad has happened."  Ukyo proceeded to tell him the whole story.  Her and Ranma's early history with the King, then his return the previous day (though she left out the twins' involvement), and finally the King's actions today and the threat to her restaurant.  "If this keeps up, I won't have a restaurant much longer, Ryoga," she said, putting just the right touch of desperation in her tone.  "I can't handle this on my own."

                "I'll help you," he said.  It was a good comment, supportive without admitting that he didn't have a clue how he was going to go about doing this.

                "Thanks, sugar, I was really hoping you'd say that."  Ukyo gave a relieved sigh.  'It's kinda fun, playing the damsel in distress role,' she thought.

                "So what do you think we should do?" Ryoga asked.

                "Actually, there's another problem."  With some difficulty, Ukyo held back the grim smile that wanted to curve across her lips.  "We can deal with the King, but if we don't get to the root of the matter, something else will just pop up a little later.  That's what I'm counting on you for most of all."

                "What do you mean, the root of the matter?"

                "I mean how that jackass managed to find me again, after all this time."  Ukyo looked Ryoga dead in the eyes.  "When I asked him, he told me two Chinese girls told him where I was.  One with red hair, the other with green.  I need you to get them off my back, sugar.  I'm sure you and I can get rid of the Gambling King, but I can't handle too many more sneak attacks like this."

***************

                Ryoga would have been the first to admit that he walked more slowly to the Nekohanten than he might have.  Memories of the last time he'd confronted Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung over something, and of how well that had turned out, warred with his concern for Ukyo.  By the time he'd reached his destination, the former lost boy had decided the only thing he could do was ask Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung for their side of the story, and hope against hope that the situation wouldn't blow up in his face.

                Ling-Ling greeted him at the doorway.  "Nihao, Airen.  You is late."  Lung-Lung waved to him from her position inside the restaurant.

                He blinked, only then remembering that he had already had plans to come over that night, to have the Matriarch search for his parents again with the Eye of Bastet.  "Sorry about that.  I got delayed leaving the Kuno place."

                Ling-Ling took a good look at his face.  "Is something wrong?"   Without waiting for an answer, she hustled him inside the restaurant and into a chair, then sat down beside him.  Lung-Lung joined them.

                "Um... er... ah... well..."  Ryoga pulled himself together.  "Do you remember someone who calls himself the Gambling King?"

                Both girls grimaced.  "We do," Lung-Lung growled.  "He play trick on us other day."

                "What did he do?"

                "He ask us where to find spatula girl.  Would have tell him for nothing, but he make us think he going to do us favor in return, then after we tell he not give us nothing at all."

                Ryoga gave them a long, hard look.  Or rather, two such looks, one to each girl, as they were sitting on opposite sides of him and any attempt to look them both in the eye at once would have required several mirrors.  "How did he know you knew where she was?  And just why would you have told him for nothing?"

                "Why we not tell him when he ask?" Lung-Lung countered.  "He say he know her from long time ago, want to see her again.  Would be unkind not to tell him."

                Ryoga took a deep breath.  "Well, he's causing Ukyo a lot of trouble right now, even threatening to put her out of business if she doesn't pay him a lot of money.  She wanted me to make sure you didn't deliberately set him on her."

                "We did not," Ling-Ling growled.  "Spatula girl not even think straight.  When stupid card king man talk to us, he say he know her from when she little girl.  How she think we find out about her misspent youth to track down this guy and send him to her?"

                "Guess she just didn't think of that.  I'm glad she was wrong," Ryoga said, brightening.  So it was just another coincidence, like when Tsubasa heard from the twins where to find Ukyo.  For a moment he wondered idly just how many disreputable characters the chef had in her past, and whether they'd all run into Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  Then he remembered they hadn't answered one of his other questions.  "You didn't say how the King knew to ask you where Ukyo was."

                "He overhear us complaining about her," Lung-Lung admitted reluctantly.  She hoped that wouldn't make them look too bad to their husband.

                Considering the number of times Ryoga had heard Ukyo complain about the Amazons, he could easily believe that.  The last little doubts disappeared.  "Okay.  I'm glad that's how it was, instead of what Ukyo thought.  She was worried that after we deal with the King, you two would just stir up more trouble."

                Lung-Lung smiled back at him, feeling relief at seeing their Airen wasn't unhappy with them, and happiness that this time he'd asked them for their side instead of accusing them.  "We not do that."  Then her smile faded a bit as one clause in his last sentence drew her attention.  "What you mean, you deal with the King?"

                "I told you how much trouble he was causing for her," Ryoga replied.  "She asked for my help getting rid of him."

                "That ridiculous, Airen!" Ling-Ling protested.  "Remember, we have fought her.  She more than strong enough to crush stupid card king man on her own!"

                Ryoga sighed.  "Look, not all problems can be solved by beating them into submission.  Ukyo and I are going to try to come up with something that'll get rid of the King _without_ having anybody thrown in jail for hurting a non-martial-artist."

                "Stupid Japanese laws," Ling-Ling huffed.  "If somebody try hurt you, should have right to defend yourself.  And destroy somebody's business sure sound like hurt to me.  In home village, we not put up with junk like that one minute."

                The former lost boy wasn't sure how to respond to that.  As he mulled over Ling-Ling's statement, Lung-Lung spoke up.  "Just like spatula girl try hurt us tonight.  But we show we better than her.  We not attack back.  Will even help you get rid of stupid card king, Airen."

                "Whoah, back up there.  What do you mean, Ukyo tried to hurt you?" Ryoga asked with a frown.

                Lung-Lung didn't back down.  "Is not obvious?  She must have know we could not know about her child-time.  Is no way we could have know about card king, to find and set him on her.  But she make it sound like that anyway, so Airen would no like us."

                Ryoga winced.  Everything WAS going to blow up in his face.  He could almost hear the bomb ticking.  Nevertheless, he forced himself to say, "I don't think that's right.  At least, Ukyo really did seem to believe you deliberately sent the King."

                "And we all know spatula girl is not that stupid," Ling-Ling countered.  "Would have to be to think that it our fault."

                He summoned up every ounce of his fortitude.  "No, not really.  She would just have to be eager to believe the worst of you.  Which she is.  The same as you are of her."

                There was a long moment of silence.  At last, Ling-Ling sighed slightly.  "Maybe you is right, Airen," she conceded grudgingly.  "Maybe she just not have enough time to think things through and realize it could not be our fault."

                Ryoga surreptitiously wiped the sweat off his brow.  Lung-Lung spoke up.  "Anyway, offer is still good.  We will help you get rid of card king."

                "Are you sure you want to?" Ryoga asked.  "I mean, not attacking Ukyo is one thing.  But I never thought I'd see you actually help her."

                Ling-Ling shrugged.  "Airen still have much to learn about us.  Is Amazon way to help enemy, if they strong and formidable like spatula girl."

                "That's really the Amazon way, huh?" Ryoga asked, more than a little skeptically.

                "That right," Lung-Lung said cheerfully.  She winked at him.  "It put enemy off-balance, and make easy to finish her off later."

                Ryoga surprised himself by actually laughing at that.

***************

                The last school day of the week passed uneventfully.  The classes were spent in review for the upcoming end-of-year exams, which was just as well.  Neither Ryoga nor Ukyo was in any shape to concentrate on new material or sudden crises.  Ukyo was too busy worrying about the situation with the Gambling King, and Ryoga was too busy worrying about how Ukyo would react when he finally got around to telling her the twins were going to help get rid of her adversary.  The former lost boy knew he was an idiot for not getting that out of the way in the morning as he and Ukyo had walked to school.  But she had been grumpy enough after he'd told her that the twins hadn't really been at fault.  He just hadn't had the nerve to also reveal the Amazons would be joining them this afternoon.

                As he and Ukyo left Furinkan and began walking toward her place, Ryoga was very aware that time was running out.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had said they'd meet the two just outside the lane where the King had set up camp, and the former lost boy didn't think it would be a good idea to let the meeting happen without warning Ukyo ahead of time.  He started thinking desperately, trying to come up with some way to ease into the revelation.

                Ukyo supplied him a cue.  "So, Ryoga, do you have any idea of what we're gonna do about the Gambling King?"

                Ryoga breathed a sigh of relief, then said quickly, "No, but Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung told me they had a sure-fire plan to get rid of him without getting into any trouble at all."

                After a few seconds, he realized Ukyo was no longer at his side.  She'd stopped dead in her tracks several paces back.  Ryoga stopped as well, and turned to face her.  She gave him a controlled stare.  "Tell me you didn't just imply that the kids are going to be joining us, Ryoga-kun."

                Ryoga laughed nervously.  "Sorry I forgot to mention it this morning.  But hey, if it gets the King off your back, it's all to the good, right?"

                " 'To the good,' he says," Ukyo muttered sarcastically.  'Let's see, if they DO manage to get rid of the Gambling King, they look good to Ryoga and I owe them a favor.  If they don't, at least they tried, and I still have the jerk driving away my customers.  I just _love_ lose-lose situations.'  She took several deep breaths, then started walking again.  Ryoga fell in beside her.

                Nothing more was said until they reached the entrance to the lane.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung weren't there.  "Well, that's just great," Ukyo growsed.  "How long are we supposed to wait for them?"

                Ryoga frowned.  "I don't know.  They said they'd be here to meet us."  He sighed.  "How about we wait here, and try to think up some way to deal with the King on our own.  If Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung don't show up by the time we've got a plan, we can try to take him on ourselves."

                "Sounds good to me."  Ukyo brightened.  "I've got it!  We'll put out a contract on him with the Yakuza.  There, that didn't take long.  Let's go, Ryoga."  The boy in question stared at her.  Ukyo sighed.  "Come on, sugar, it was a joke.  You know, try to lighten the mood and all?"

                He did laugh, then, partly out of relief.  Before either of them could come up with a more serious suggestion, a scampering noise from several rooftops over drew their attention.  The running footsteps drew nearer, and then Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung dropped down to join them.

                The twins were panting hard.  "Sorry we late... Airen..." Lung-Lung gasped.  She took a minute to get her breathing under control, then explained.  "Great-Grandmother send us on one last delivery before she close restaurant.  Should no have take long, but we get lost trying to find."

                "No problem," Ryoga said.  "We only just got here ourselves."

                "We glad you not have to wait long.  And this not take long, either.  We get rid of stupid card king man no problem," Ling-Ling said with a grin.

                "So how do you plan to do that, exactly?" Ukyo asked skeptically.

                "Just watch," Lung-Lung said shortly.  "Let's go."

                The twins led the way, turning down the lane and coming into view of the Gambling King's operation.  They stopped so suddenly that Ryoga nearly ran into Lung-Lung.

                She didn't even notice.  Both Amazons were staring at the scene in front of them with dismay.  Eventually, Ling-Ling turned back to face Ryoga.  "Airen, why you no tell us he taking advantage of children?" she demanded.

                "What difference does it make?" he answered bewilderedly.

                "Make all the difference in the world!" Ling-Ling said.  "We plan to use one of special techniques, Dance of Screaming Lemur."  She pulled out a huge, fiercely carved and painted wooden mask.  It showed a snarling monkey-demon's face, and was nearly as big as her entire body.  "Play music what make anyone who hear it very very afraid, and wear these as focus.  Card king man would run screaming like little kid.  But we no can use that with all these children around.  Would give them nightmares for many many weeks!"

                "When were you going to warn me to get out of earshot?" asked Ryoga.

                "No worry, Airen, we bring earplugs for you," Lung-Lung reassured him.

                "And what about me?!" Ukyo demanded.

                Ling-Ling shrugged.  "Can no build house without cutting down tree," she said.  "Sometime sacrifice is needed, no matter how much it hurt.  And we only have one pair earplugs."

                "Thanks for your concern," Ukyo said sarcastically, "but I think maybe Ryoga-kun and I'll be better off taking care of this ourselves.  Why don't you go see if your great-granny has any more chores for you to do."

                "We say we help get rid of stupid gambling man and we keep word," Ling-Ling returned.  "Come on, Lung-Lung.  We go talk to him."

                They made their way through the crowds of children, to where the King had just finished a game of Old Maid.  He looked up at them, doing his best not to let his nervousness show.  He wasn't at all sure that the threat of police action would dissuade these two from violence.  And they were too young to take to court, so he wouldn't get any satisfaction after the fact either.  "Yes?  What is it?"

                "You is going to leave," Lung-Lung said flatly.  "We not really care about spatula girl, but give our word we help get rid of you.  And we not happy at all to see you taking money from these kids."

                "I'm providing entertainment for them, and even the chance to win more money than they'd get in a month's worth of allowances," the King returned.  "And I'm not leaving until Ukyo Kuonji reimburses me for the sum I previously mentioned to her."

                Ling-Ling smiled sweetly at him.  "Want to bet?"

                "Is that a threat?"

                "No, is challenge."  Ling-Ling pulled out a couple of thousand-yen bills.  "I bet this against you going away, setting up somewhere else and not bothering spatula girl any more."

                For a moment, the Gambling King hesitated, as if he were going to refuse, or at least protest about the pitifully small amount she was wagering.  Then, remembering his treatment at the hands of this girl and her sister, his expression hardened.  "Agreed."

                Several minutes later, Ling-Ling looked down with disgust on the Joker in her hand.  "Again," she growled, pulling out another thousand yen.

***************

                After four hours, Ukyo was trying not to be in a good mood.  She reminded herself that the Gambling King was still rooted in place outside her restaurant, and that anyway it was low to laugh at the misfortunes of others, even troublesome little witches like Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  But she couldn't help it.  It had just been too much fun, watching first one girl, then the other lose all her money, rush back to the Nekohanten for more (which was safe to do because Cologne was elsewhere at the time), and repeat the process.  Whether it was Old Maid, Go Fish, or any other game, the most either Amazon ever achieved was a draw.

                At last, neither Ling-Ling nor Lung-Lung had any money left, and the petty cash store back in their restaurant was empty as well.  They glared at the King with a stare that seemed to Ryoga ought to burn a hole straight through the man.  "Thank you for a most enjoyable afternoon," the King said genially.  "Not to mention profitable."

                As he looked at the obnoxious smirk on the Gambling King's face, Ryoga found himself strongly tempted to resort to the Amazon way of dealing with people like this.  But he choked back the urge to pound the jerk, instead walking forward and gently moving Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to either side of him.  "My turn," he said, pulling out five thousand yen.  "I'm challenging you to a game of blackjack."

                "Hold it, Ryoga!"  Watching the twins get fleeced was one thing, but Ukyo wasn't about to let Ryoga throw his money away.  "Haven't you figured out yet why he always wins?"

                "Yeah, because he plays kids' games like Old Maid.  That's why I challenged him to a real game," Ryoga said.

                Ukyo rolled her eyes.  "Not exactly, sugar.  The ugly truth is, if it looks like he's going to lose, he cheats.  Oh sure, sometimes he'll settle for a draw, just so he doesn't get busted, but there's no way you're going to win."

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung gaped at this.  The lime-haired girl was the first to recover.  She stomped forward, interposing herself between Ryoga and Ukyo.  "Is true?!" she demanded.  "Why spatula girl no say something before?!"

                Ukyo just gave her the 'I can't believe you asked a question that stupid' look.

                Ryoga chewed his lip pensively.  Then he turned back to the Gambling King.  "Is that true?  DO you cheat?"

                "Of course not," the man lied indignantly.

                "So all the times you've won, it's because of your skill at cards, not because you were the one dealing them?"

                "That is true."

                The former lost boy smiled grimly.  "Then I'm sure you won't mind if I deal the cards for our game."

                There was a long pause.  Then the Gambling King responded, "I don't recall agreeing to play against you in the first place, boy.  It's been a long day and I'm tired.  I don't think I'm in the mood for any more serious challenges.

                "But I'll make you a counteroffer."  The King picked up a deck of cards, shuffling through it without looking in an impressive display of legerdemain.  He drew two cards out of the deck, holding them up so Ryoga could see their values.  "I hold here the Ace of Spades and a Joker."  He shuffled the two over and over until no-one could have kept track of which was which, then set them face-down on the table before him.  "You put down that five thousand yen as your stake, and pick a card.  If you pick the Ace, I'll pack up and leave.  Pick the Joker, and I'm five thousand yen richer."

                It was actually the first honest challenge the King had offered all day.  He hadn't done anything underhanded, such as substituting in a second Joker while shuffling.  The cards lying facedown on the table in front of him were the same two he'd held up to show Ryoga.  The King didn't particularly mind the fact that he might actually lose this challenge, as the way he'd worded his offer really only meant that if Ryoga picked the Ace, he would leave for the night.  Which he was planning to do right after this anyway.  "Well, boy, you've heard my offer.  What do you say?  Do you have the guts to take me up on it?  Be a man, and make your choice."

                Ryoga gave the Gambling King a very odd look, put his money back in his pocket, then reached out and turned over first one card, then the other.  "What exactly are you trying to pull, anyway?  That's not an Ace and a Joker."

                The King looked down in surprise at the cards on the table.  Then he checked the deck from which he'd drawn them, confirming that, yes, the Ace of Spades and both Jokers were still present there.  He glanced down again, at the Queen of Spades and the Two of Hearts that rested face-up before him, and gave a weak laugh.  "I don't know how that happened.  I suppose I must be more tired than I thought.  I'll see you tomorrow."

***************

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung stood facing resolutely forward.  The morning light gleamed in their eyes and glinted off their skin.  Their faces were set like flint, fairly radiating determination and resolve as they stared forward into the ascending sun.

                "Ling-Ling?  Lung-Lung?  What are you doing?  Ukyo's is this way," Ryoga said.

                The Amazons gave a collective sigh, then turned back to face him.  "Is you happy, Airen?  You just ruin our dramatic moment."

                Ryoga let the comment slide, knowing full well the futility of trying to understand girls.  He started walking, the Amazons falling in beside him.  After a few minutes, he asked hesitantly, "So did your great-grandmother give you a hard time after I left last night, about losing all the petty cash in the restaurant?"

                Lung-Lung smiled.  "No.  She say it was worth it to see we learning strategy."

                "What do you mean, strategy?"

                This time, the lime-haired girl actually giggled.  "How we ask you to come back with us last night, be there when we tell her what we do.  She not willing to tear bleeding strips out of our hide in front of husband for try our hardest to help him, after all."

                Ryoga's head was starting to hurt.  "You mean, the Matriarch _knew_ you were trying to manipulate her into not punishing you, and that made her happy enough not to punish you?!"

                "Mm-hm."  Ling-Ling winked at him.  "Because we do good job.  Great-Grandmother say it very very important to make good plans.  Ling-Ling think it is because both she and big sister Shampoo mess things up so bad with Tatewaki."

                "Hmmm.  Speaking of strategy, I don't suppose she had any sneaky suggestions on how to get rid of the King?" he asked hopefully.

                Ling-Ling gave him a triumphant smile, then pulled a piece of paper out of a pocket.  "Look at this."

                He took it and unrolled it, then nearly dropped the paper as he realized what it was.  "Wh- what're you doing with the deed to the Nekohanten?!"

                "Will use that as stakes for bet today, while Airen, sister Lung-Lung, and spatula girl keep watch on King.  With such high price at stake, is for sure his hands shake.  You have to catch him when he cheat."

                Ryoga stared at her, aghast.  "I don't believe this!  How can you risk that much so calmly?!"

                Lung-Lung shrugged.  "So what if we lose?  Whole reason for restaurant in first place was to have base of operations for Great-Grandmother to help big sister Shampoo.  Is no big deal if lose that particular place.  Would just get other one if Great-Grandmother decide she still need be here for us.  It not like she would have to make decision quickly, after all.  Not with plans we have for summer."

                Normally mention of said plans was more than enough to bring Ryoga's spirits up dramatically, but this time there was just too much of an immediate concern.  "But... even still... I don't know if I'm up to this," he confessed.  "I watched him cheat against you two all yesterday afternoon, and I never realized it was happening.  Why can't your granny come along too?  I bet she'd have better luck than the rest of us put together at catching that jerk!"

                "Great-Grandmother would smack you on the head for imply she use luck instead of skill," Lung-Lung warned with a smile.  Neither she nor her sister seemed to be feeling any of the tension that was churning through their Airen.  "And she going to be busy today, training big sister Shampoo with new shiatsu points."

                "But..." Ryoga's protest was cut off as Ling-Ling put a hand over his mouth.

                "Airen worry too much," she said.  She trailed her finger down his neck, then shifted her grip to his arm.  Lung-Lung took the other.

                'Maybe I do.  Like right now I'm worrying about how Ukyo is going to react when we walk up to her place like this,' Ryoga thought.  He couldn't quite find the willingness to speak the thought aloud, though, or to disengage from the Amazons.

                Fortunately for their husband's peace of mind, the twins let go on their own when the three were a few blocks away from Ukyo's.  It was just as well, for a minute later they found the chef waiting for them in the lane.

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung might not have been holding onto Ryoga, but they were still walking closer to him than Ukyo liked.  "Good morning, Ryoga."  The smile she offered him vanished as she looked away to the Amazons.  "Oh.  You two again."

                "If spatula girl no see us til just now, maybe she need glasses.  Ling-Ling know good eye doctor on other side of Tokyo.  If you leave now, could get to his place before it close today," Ling-Ling said sweetly.

                "Ling-Ling, why don't you tell Ukyo about the new plan," Ryoga said, breaking in before tensions could rise any farther.

                The redhead did so.  Ukyo's face wore a look of blank shock by the time she'd finished.  "You'd risk that much for this?!"

                "That right," Lung-Lung said cheerfully, meeting Ukyo's gaze.  "Amazons not do things by half measures, especially not fight against enemy.  Gambling King be very very sorry he go up against us."

                "Is he here yet, Ukyo?" Ryoga asked.

                Turning back to face him (though she'd never have admitted she was glad of the excuse to look away from Lung-Lung), Ukyo said, "Yeah, he just got here a little while ago.  Probably still setting things up."

                "Then let us finish this."  Ling-Ling led the way as the group turned down the lane.  True enough, the King was still spreading out blankets and gambling paraphernalia.

                He looked up as they drew next to him.  "I haven't opened just yet."

                Ling-Ling gave a sugary smile, then with a flourish set the deed down on the table in front of him.  His eyes widened as he read it.  "I not want to wait," she said.  "This is stake for new game of Old Maid."

                "Well, you certainly are bold.  I like that in a vict-*ahem*, opponent."  The King grinned back at her, with all the warmth of a shark.  "What stake of mine do you wish?"

                "Like I say yesterday, you lose, you go away and not bother spatula girl anymore.  Can set up somewhere else if you like.  If you win, you get deed to Nekohanten, and make it you new gambling place.  You not bother spatula girl in that case either."

                "Hmmm.  That sounds acceptable, but if I lose I'm going to need some proof that this was a genuine deed rather than a forgery."  Of course, the King had no intention of losing.

                "Can take to present owner when that happen.  She will confirm," Ling-Ling said.  "Now, deal the cards."

***************

                The battle was long and arduous.  For a grueling forty-five minutes the two combatants struggled.  More and more children showed up, chattering and kibitzing as the Joker made its way from one hand back to the other over and over.  Though Ukyo caught a blurring motion in the King's fingers several times, neither she nor either of the other observers were able to actually catch the King in the act of cheating.  On the other hand, Ling-Ling had finally figured out that if she held the Joker a little higher than the other cards, the King would inevitably take it when it was his turn to draw from her hand.  And so the long weary morning wore on.

                Nothing can last forever, of course.  Sooner or later one of them had to make a mistake.  The strain from such a long streak of brilliant cheating could have made the King's fingers slip at a crucial moment.  The onlookers' vigilance might have lapsed, allowing the King to pull off a more extravagant trick.  But what actually happened was that Ling-Ling, her impatience beginning to get the better of her, raised the Joker too obviously high in her hand... and her opponent took another card.

                With that advantage, the game swiftly drew to a close, leaving the Amazon holding the fatal card.  "It's been a pleasure doing business with you," the King said cheerfully, standing up and stretching the kinks out of his legs.  "I think I'd like to go look over my newest acquisition now."  He quickly bundled up his various supplies, folding them into an amazingly small packet that fit into his suitcase, and walked away.

                Ryoga just stood there, a look of devastation on his face, feeling about two inches tall.  Ukyo had trusted him to help her deal with the Gambling King, and he'd been no help to her at all.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had trusted him to help them in this most crucial battle, and he'd failed them completely, losing them their home.  He wasn't sure he could bear the sight of their faces, but he turned anyway, to try and comfort them in their loss.

                Lung-Lung faced the crowd of children and gave a shrill whistle.  "Listen up, kids!  You want to see something funny, come to Nekohanten with us right now!"

                On hearing that, the pieces clicked into place for Ryoga.  "This is part of the plan too, isn't it?" he demanded.  "Your great-granny is about to chew him up and spit him out.  You knew you weren't really going to lose anything.  Why didn't you tell me the truth?!"

                Ling-Ling sighed forlornly.  "Because we hope it not needed.  We wanted to beat him on our own, not have to rely on Great-Grandmother always.  We not tell Airen rest of plan so you watch stupid card king man as close as you can, to catch him cheating.  Would have tell you afterward if we win.  But it not work out.  Will have to let Great-Grandmother get us out of trouble instead."

                The disappointment in her tone and posture shattered any annoyance Ryoga might otherwise have felt.  "Don't feel bad, Ling-Ling," he said earnestly.  "It was a good plan.  It wasn't your fault he was such a good cheater."

                'Damn, she's good,' Ukyo thought sourly as Ling-Ling perked up under her Airen's comforting words.

***************

                Because the Gambling King didn't know the shortest route to the Nekohanten, whereas Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung did, he and the crowd reached the restaurant at the same time.  "Why exactly are you here?" he asked the Amazons suspiciously.

                "We live... lived... here.  Need to pack up personal belongings," Lung-Lung said.  "Ryoga is here to comfort us in hard time.  Children want to gamble once you get set up in new place.  I think spatula girl is just along for the ride."

                'This better be some kind of payback the old mummy dishes out to him, to make up for me having to put up with this much junk,' Ukyo thought darkly.

                "I see," the King said, not moved in the slightest by Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung's supposed homelessness, and walked into the restaurant.  Everyone else followed him.

                Cologne was standing on a table, using her stick to designate various points on a large shiatsu chart to Shampoo.  For just a second, her gaze rested on the King, shrewd and implacable... and then a remarkable transformation seemed to take place.  Her eyelids drooped, her wrinkles deepened, and her whole posture seemed to shift from controlled to frail.  As everyone who'd just come in from the bright outdoors was still waiting for their vision to adjust, the only one to see this was Shampoo.  "Dearie me, Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, what's all the commotion?"

                Ryoga's jaw nearly hit the floor at hearing that quavering, age-weakened voice proceeding from the Matriarch.  However, he was standing behind the Gambling King, so the other couldn't see his expression.

                "We sorry, Great-Grandmother," Ling-Ling said.  "We lose restaurant in game of cards.  Remember we tell you about game we going to play this morning?"

                Cologne blinked several times, as if struggling to understand.  "But child, how could you lose the restaurant when I have the deed right... here..." she began patting through her robes absently, becoming more and more agitated as the search didn't reveal what she was looking for.  "The deed!  Where is it?!"

                "G- Great-Grandmother, you give to me this morning.  Is his property now," Lung-Lung said tremulously.

                The King held up the paper.  Cologne leaned forward, peering at the paper.  "Oh, there it is!  I was afraid it was lost again."

                Shampoo turned away, her shoulders beginning to tremble as if she were fighting sobs.  In point of fact, she was trying to keep from bursting out laughing.  By concentrating on Ranma's memories of how he'd felt after his little dip in the Nyannichuan, she was able to regain her composure.

                "It not missing.  It his.  We lose to him," Ling-Ling choked out, looking down in shame.

                "You... played cards with him, and lost the deed?" Cologne asked vaguely.  "But child, where will we live?  This is our home."  She looked from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to the deed, then around the dining room of the restaurant, her gaze shifting from target to target for almost a minute.  At last she said, "Shampoo, please open the safe on the wall."

                The lavender-haired girl did so, to reveal a huge cache of jewelry.  Her great-grandmother pointed with one trembling hand toward the treasure trove, looking back to the King.  "Would you let me try and win our home back?  I can put up my heirloom jewelry against the deed."

                "Do you know how to play cards?" the Gambling King asked.

                "I'm afraid I'm a little rusty.  Could you go over the rules again?" Cologne asked politely.

                He sighed.  "Do you take me for a fool, old woman?  I know how this story goes.  The harmless little old lady who doesn't even know how to play sits down with the card shark, and takes him for everything he's got... even the clothes on his back.  No thank you."

                Cologne straightened up, the vitality rushing back into her as if by magic.  There was a look of irritation in her eyes that boded ill for her adversary.  "Then you refuse my challenge?"

                "That's right.  I do."

                "Shampoo, pay close attention."  Cologne's staff shot out, slicing away the cloth covering the King's right shoulder, then stabbing at three points located very close together.  "That is the Never Say Die shiatsu strike.  One afflicted becomes completely incapable of refusing a challenge."  She turned back to face the King.  "I challenge you to a game of blackjack.  I'll offer ten yen as my stake, versus the deed to this restaurant as yours."

                "Agreed!" the King shouted.  His eyes were all wild and terrible, his brow wrinkled and wet with sweat, but he could no more stop himself than he could lift Mt Fuji on his back.  Shampoo made appropriate noises of awe and appreciation at the sight of her great-grandmother's technique, and began searching through Ranma's memories.  If his father had repeatedly used this on him in his childhood and the effect had stuck, it would explain a lot.

***************

                Cologne didn't cheat, though even she would have been hard-pressed to do so while at the same time blocking the King's attempted trickery.  Nevertheless, it didn't take long before she had won back the deed, all the yen that the twins had lost the previous day, her opponent's gambling equipment and his clothes (though she left those in place for the time being), and a promise from the King not to show his face in Nerima for the next five years.  She smiled toothily at him, nearly making the poor fool lose control of his bodily functions.  "Let's see now.  I really don't think you have much left worth gambling for, do you?"

                The Gambling King didn't respond.  He was busy trying to convince himself that this was all just a bad dream.

                The Matriarch continued.  "But I could use your services for the remainder of this day.  I'm teaching various shiatsu techniques to my great-granddaughter, and it would be ever so helpful to have a live target for her to practice on.  Of course, if she fumbles the strikes, it could cause unpleasant side effects, but I'm sure you're brave enough to risk that.  Aren't you?"

                "Are you out of your mind?!  Just let me out of this hell-hole!" the King shouted.

                "I challenge you to a game of seven card draw.  I'll give you TWENTY yen if you win, but if I do, you're Shampoo's practice dummy for the day."

                "Agreed!"  The word escaped despite the King's best efforts to hold it back.  How much longer was this nightmare going to last?!

***************

                Most of the rest of the day.  It was late afternoon when Cologne finally pronounced the lesson done, raising a huge groan from all the children.  They had had a great time watching the silly man do silly things all day long.

                Cologne didn't particularly want the Gambling King's clothes... after all, they were in near tatters from the swatches she'd cut away to make the shiatsu training go more smoothly... but there was a form to be observed.  And so, as the King trudged wearily toward the door of the Nekohanten, he was wearing nothing but a large barrel.

                "Oh, that's right, I almost forgot," Cologne cackled.  She leaped over to the table nearest the King, then struck with her staff.  The tip impacted against the nape of the Gambling King's neck.  "That was the Walk, Don't Run point, Shampoo.  For the next thirty minutes he won't be able to move at any pace greater than a slow walk.  It's not generally useful in a fight, though, as it won't affect anyone with a reasonably high level of chi."

                "Can I go now?" the King all but snarled.

                "Don't get an attitude with me, sonny boy," Cologne snapped back, all good humor gone from her expression.  "I don't much care for someone who makes a living by cheating children out of their allowances."  She raised her voice, turning back to face the audience.  "That's right, the reason he always won when he played against you was that he was cheating."

                Recognizing her cue, Shampoo walked into the kitchen, returning a moment later with several crates of eggs.  "These are for whoever want to take a shot at stupid cheating man," she said with a smile.  "But wait until you outside before you start to throw them."

*******************

"Thanks for helping me today, sugar."

                It was the evening of the following day.  Business at Ukyo's had taken a while to pick back up, but word of the huge discount she was offering for the weekend had eventually brought the customers back.  And when they arrived, they learned the reason for the special was to 'celebrate the downfall of the Gambling King.'  Ukyo figured that within a week, word would have reached pretty much everybody who'd been duped into thinking she was responsible for the King's predations.  Once they knew she was innocent, she'd have all her regulars back.  Some of them might even be remorseful enough over not having given her a chance to explain that they'd come more frequently than before.  The thought that the King might eventually be responsible for her business doing _better_ put a big smile on Ukyo's face.

                Ryoga had helped her with the crowds for most of the day (which had also added to the smile).  The hard work made him feel better about how little he'd done to help her with the actual crisis.  Still, he was glad to see the last customers ambling out the door.  "You're welcome, Ukyo.  It was the least I could do."

                "What do you mean, the least you could do?"

                He shrugged sheepishly.  "Well, I sure didn't do much to actually help get rid of that Gambling King creep, did I?"

                Ukyo sighed.  "Don't tell me you're feeling bad about that?"  At his nod, she continued.  "Ryoga honey, you jackass, without you he'd still be out there.  _I'm_ the one who was really useless in getting rid of him."****

"What're you talking about?" Ryoga asked incredulously.  "I didn't do anything!"

                "Really, sugar?" Ukyo asked.  "Then let me ask you a question.  When the Amazons got involved, do you think they were trying to do something nice for me, or to impress you?"

                Ryoga chewed the thought over in silence.  The answer was obvious even to him; it was the implications that Ukyo seemed to be driving at that weren't quite so clear-cut.  At last he said, "So even though I personally didn't do anything I should still feel better?  The credit should go to me because Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung wouldn't have gotten rid of him without me?"

                "You got it, Ryoga-kun.  Nice to see the kids were useful for once, at least," Ukyo said.

                He sighed.  "Ukyo, just once, could you let a chance to say something bad about them go by without taking it?!"

                If Ryoga had known how much would change because of that one question, he'd never have had the guts to open his mouth.

                A portentous quiet fell over the restaurant.  Echoes of Ryoga's request seemed to rebound in the stillness.  Ukyo swallowed, trying to remove a sudden feeling of tightness in her throat.  'Ryoga... defending them?' she thought.  'No, get a hold of yourself, stupid, it doesn't mean anything like that!'  Aloud she said, "What do you mean by that?"

                Already beginning to regret saying anything, but not seeing any way out of it now, he forged on.  "Maybe they didn't do it because they wanted to help you.  But they got rid of the Gambling King before he could do too much damage to your business.  Couldn't you feel just a little grateful?  At least enough to not bad-mouth them in front of me?"

                Another few gulps on Ukyo's part.  Why did it feel like suddenly, everything was changing?  She countered with, "Why should you care what I say about them?"

                Ryoga was silent for a few moments.  At last he said, "Because it hurts, getting pulled like this.  I know how you feel about them, but they are my friends at least.  I'm not asking you to like them.  But could you do your complaining about them when I'm not around?"

                Ukyo looked down at her hands, distantly surprised to see how tightly clenched they were.  'Maybe it is time for something different, though.  Let's try the truth.'   At last she said, "Ryoga, I'm scared."

                He blinked.  That didn't seem to fit with the conversation they'd been having at all.

                Before he could ask what she meant, Ukyo continued.  "I used to think they were just a nuisance.  Not something to take seriously, even if they did beat me once.  I was sure that if we went head-to-head again, I could take them.  In _any_ kind of fight.

                "But now... I don't know.  I haven't seen them lose yet.  They want the Gambling King gone... *Poof!*  He's outta here.  They want you... well, hey, they're Amazons and Amazons stick together, right?  They give you an illegitimate Kiss of Marriage and their granny tricks you into agreeing to it.  With that dried-up old crone backing them up, I'm not sure I can win anymore.  If there really is a fight, I mean, and push comes to shove.  I'm scared, and it hurts.  I guess that's why I talk bad about them sometimes."

                "Ukyo... this isn't... I don't..." Ryoga's voice trailed off as he realized he had no idea what he was trying to say.

                The chef got up from where she was sitting.  Placing one hand on Ryoga's shoulder, she pulled him up from his seat and guided him to the door.  They stopped there, and Ukyo looked Ryoga dead in the eyes.

                "Neither one of us has ever said anything, Ryoga-kun.  It's always been there, for me, in the background and between the lines.  So I'm going to say it now.  I know you're not free, and there's still most of a year left before you will be, but when you are... I want to be the one with you."

                "I... I..." Ryoga couldn't find any words.  He felt himself falling... sinking down into the blue-green sea depths of Ukyo's eyes.

                And then the contact was broken as the chef leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him.

                He was stiff at first, not responding, and Ukyo felt her heart skip a beat.  Then he relaxed, and, ever so hesitantly, his arms went up and around her back.  They stood there for a full minute, with no more words to speak, no promises to offer that had not already been given.

                At last, Ukyo ended the embrace.  She stepped back, taking another good look at his face.  She wasn't sure what she'd find there... would it be the frustration of one whose passion can't be expressed until most of another year has passed?  Would it be the pity of a friend who was about to give bad news to someone who'd hoped for so much more?

                What she saw was a Ryoga too dazed for any conscious thought.

                If she had affected him that much, then Ukyo was willing to consign the 'just friends' fear to its final grave.  With a smile now securely in place she reached behind him, opened the door, and gently but firmly guided him through it.  "Good night, Ryoga honey."

***************

                Ryoga was dimly aware when the door opened, but he didn't let it distract him from his kata.  He continued through the forms, pushing himself as hard as he ever had, striving to move just a little faster, with a bit more power than before.

                If nothing else, the mental turmoil he'd been experiencing lately had been an excellent motivation to go further with the Art.  In training, when he strove against the ragged edges of his limits, every breath searing his lungs and every muscle protesting at the rigors with which he drove them, there were moments when he could forget, and just be.

                Not often over the past three days, but they had been there occasionally.

                Tatewaki waited for Ryoga to stop.  After a few moments, he cleared his throat loudly.  When that produced no response either, he called out, "Ryoga!"

                Reluctantly, the former lost boy came to a halt.  "What is it?" he asked between deep breaths.

                Kuno gave him a broad smile.  "We just received a phone call from my sister.  They found the kidnapped girls safe and sound, set them and their families free, and, to quote her words, 'thrashed the vermin who were responsible for the abduction to within an inch of their pitiful lives'."

                Ryoga smiled wanly in return.  "That's great.  I knew they'd come through for the Sakuras."

                "And the Matriarch is throwing a celebratory party at the Nekohanten tonight.  We're all invited."

                "We are?"  Ryoga considered that, then shook his head.  "I don't think I'll be going.  Unlike some lucky skunks, I didn't get excused from the end-of-year exams.  I need to study tonight."

                "Really."  After saying that, Kuno just stood in silence for a bit, regarding the other with a careful scrutiny.

                "Is something wrong, Tatewaki?" Ryoga asked uncomfortably, after the silence had stretched for more than a minute.

                "I'm not sure," he answered.  "Ryoga, for the past several days, I've noticed you have seemed preoccupied and troubled.  I had thought it was just that you were worried over the kidnapped girls.  But my news does not seem to have lifted any of the weight from your shoulders."

                'Great,' Ryoga thought to himself, 'on top of everything else now I can feel guilty about worrying for myself instead of the people who were REALLY in trouble.'  Aloud, he said, "Sure, I'm glad the girls are safe and all.  It's just... I've got some problems of my own."

                "Are you that worried about the end-of-year exams?" Kuno asked incredulously.

                "Of course not!  I'm talking about the... the situation... I mean..."  Ryoga exhaled loudly, still finding it hard to believe that HE had gotten into a predicament like this, "Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung, and what's going to happen with my future."

                Tatewaki blinked.  There must have been developments he hadn't heard about on that front.  Not that this was surprising... he and Nabiki both had paid rather less attention to the outside world than usual over the last month, and what little concern Kuno had spared had mostly gone to Ranma's search for the missing girls.  "The last I heard, you would have to wait a year until the Matriarch would give you a quest to perform, that you might be free of their snares.  What has changed?"

                "Nothing.  Everything."  Ryoga gave an exasperated sigh.  "You think I should just not worry about it for the next year?"

                "That seems like the most sensible thing to me," Tatewaki admitted.  "You can't do anything to free yourself until then anyway."

                "I can't do that." Ryoga looked down.  "I thought I could, but I was wrong.  I can't just let it slide.  I need to know what to do before things get any worse."

                Tatewaki considered him for a bit.  "Ryoga," he said at last, "are you seriously considering going through with it?  Taking the both of them as your wives?"

                The incredulity with which Kuno had spoken bothered Ryoga for some reason.  "Is it _that_ hard for you to believe?  Even after you saw Ranma's choice?"

                "That's completely different!  Unless they used the Heart Link on you and I never heard of it?"

                "No, no Heart Link.  No magic.  Just caring for me and wanting to be with me."  Ryoga gave the kendoist a determined look.  "Whatever else I may or may not feel for them, they're my friends.  And I don't want to hurt them."

                Kuno paused, then his expression hardened.  "Ryoga," he said as authoritatively as he could manage, "that isn't enough.  You can't build a life with someone based on pity, on 'not wanting to hurt them'."

                "Hey!"  Ryoga was more than willing to listen to advice, but he wanted it delivered with sympathy, not a side-order of scorn.

                The other continued, overriding his protest.  "It sounds to me like you're just too gutless to tell it to them like it is.  The truth does hurt sometimes, but the longer you let it lie, the worse it hurts when it finally comes out."

                "It's not that simple, dammit!"  Ryoga felt his temper beginning to slip away from him.  With a valiant effort, he drew it back in.

                "I think it is EXACTLY that simple," Kuno continued inexorably.  "You don't have the courage to tell Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to their faces that you don't love them, you won't love them, and they'd be better off if they started looking for another man now.  Instead of wasting the next eleven months hoping for something that isn't going to happen.

                "I realize it's hard.  Remember, I've been where you are."  Kuno laid a hand on Ryoga's shoulder.  "I've had my share of Amazon troubles.  If you like, I'll go to them for you.  I can tell them bluntly that you'd never be able to love a couple of pathetic manipulative little nuisances like them."

                At this point Kuno pulled his hand back from Ryoga's shoulder.

                He wasn't quite quick enough.

                Ryoga's hand shot out, grabbing Kuno by the wrist.  "Don't. Call. Them. That."

                Tatewaki did his best not to flinch.  He could distinctly feel the bones in his wrist grating together.  "Ryoga, if you apply any more pressure I'll be wearing a cast and a sling for the next little while," he said as calmly as he could.

                The former lost boy growled, then let go of his hand and turned away.  Tatewaki massaged his wrist gingerly, then called out, "You're welcome!" before Ryoga could make it to the door.

                "Tatewaki, I am NOT in the mood for this," he warned.  "What the HELL am I supposed to be thanking you for?!"

                "For making you face your true feelings," Kuno said quietly.  "Now you can stop worrying about whether you feel more for them than friendship and pity."

                Ryoga counted to ten, while reminding himself that the other had meant well.  "Thanks for the thought," he said at last, "but I'd already worked that much out for myself."

                "What?!  Then why..." Kuno stopped as the obvious occurred to him.  "Does this have something to do with Ukyo?"

                "Yes!"  The tortured syllable burst from Ryoga's lips like the opening shot of a volley of cannon fire.  "It's the same damn thing with her!  She's my friend, wants to be more, and heaven help me, part of me wants that too!  Just like the other part wants to be closer to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung!  I'm caught in the middle and I can't fall for either side any further than I already have because the other is pulling too hard!"

                'I wish he'd said that BEFORE I nearly lost my hand at the wrist,' Kuno thought irritably.  He considered his response, then, reluctantly, said, "I never thought I'd suggest this, but you know Amazon law does allow a man to take more wives than just two..."

                "That's not an option," Ryoga declared emphatically.  "Ukyo will never, EVER get along with Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  And the feeling is mutual on their side."  He sighed forlornly.  "Besides, even if they were all really good friends, I just don't think I could handle it.  I mean, I can barely get my mind around the thought of both Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  I couldn't handle three.  No way.  Not a chance."

                "Is that why you haven't asked Ranma for his advice on this?  Because he would just say 'all of the above'?"

                Ryoga frowned.  "I don't think you're giving him enough credit there, Kuno.  I'm pretty sure he'd understand.  I just haven't asked him because he's been busy with the hunt for the Sakuras.

                "And anyway, what could he do?  He doesn't have the experience he needs to help me.  He didn't have to make a choice like I do.  But you did."  Ryoga paused, giving the kendoist a hopeful look.  "I don't suppose you could give me some advice?  Now that you know the real problem, I mean."

                "Because I already came through a trial like this one?"  Ryoga nodded.  Tatewaki continued reluctantly, "I don't think so.  My situation was different.  I loved Nabiki before Shampoo ever came into my life.  She never had a chance to get a foothold in my heart.  But yours is actually divided between Ukyo and the Amazons.

                "I made my decision for love, but if what you say is true, that isn't an option for you..." Kuno let the sentence trail off as his words sparked a new train of thought.  At last he said, "I may have a solution for you.  Or at least a new way of looking at the problem."

                "Let's hear it, then!"

                "If the scales are balanced too finely when you look into your heart, then you have to look elsewhere to find that which shall tip them."  Kuno paused.  "Tell me now and tell me truly, could you love either Ukyo or the Amazon twins?  If the choice were already made, could you go on to love your chosen partner or partners?"

                "I... I... I..." Ryoga gulped, then, in a faltering voice, choked out, "yes."

                "Then let your honor be your guide."  Kuno placed a hand (the one that wasn't hurting) on Ryoga's shoulder.  In genuine sympathy this time, rather than an obnoxious false cheer.  "If I remember correctly the details of your agreement with the Matriarch, you would take a year to get to know Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  And she would set you a quest to free yourself at the end of that time, but only if you had determined you would never be able to love them.  That not being the case, the Kiss of Marriage stands.  By your agreement and your honor."

                "But... but what about Ukyo?!"

                "Ryoga... is she an honorable person?"

                "Yes!"

                "Then let her accept the dictates of honor as the cause of your actions, and settle for friendship with you."

                "I..."  Ryoga sighed.  "I don't know.  I don't know if I can do that.  Remember what happened when she was a little girl?  I don't know what would happen if she got rejected again.  And I don't want to have to find out.

                "That's the other side of the story, isn't it?  Who'll get hurt worse if I don't pick them?  And I think it may be Ukyo.  By a landslide."

                Tatewaki sighed.  "I don't know what else to say.  And I need to get going, anyway... I was supposed to meet Nabiki at her house two minutes ago.  I don't know if I've helped any, Ryoga.  I'm sorry."

                "Don't be.  At least you've given me some other things to think about," Ryoga said.  "Thanks."

                Tatewaki left the room.  Ryoga continued to ponder over the points the other had raised.  Honor DID seem to say he should go ahead and choose Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  Maybe he could tell Ukyo that he'd made the choice he did because honor had forced him to it.  Maybe that would lessen the hurt the chef would experience as a result.

                The trouble was, he didn't think he could bring himself to actually go through with it.

                "There has to be a better way," Ryoga said to himself, more out of desperation than because he really believed it.  "There just has to!"

*********************************************************

                Author's notes

                Many indeed are the fanfics that make use of 'Passion Spice'.  There are so many that you'd think there actually was such a thing in the anime or manga.  But this is not the case.  The scene with Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung teasing Ryoga with this was my way of poking a little fun at the fics that represent Shampoo as constantly sneaking love potions and such into Ranma's food.  She does it ONCE, people.  See Wade Tritschler's Shampoo page for more on this and other myths, if you're interested.  You can get there through the Altered Destinies page:  www.altered-destinies.com (and yes, I haven't forgotten that I had Shampoo preparing to use that tactic in A Cold Wind Blows.  The point there is that it likely _would_ have worked, or at least if it failed this would probably happen by chance rather than Ranma being on his guard. She hadn't pulled anything like that since the post-hypnotic Dim Sum, and Ranma wouldn't be expecting it.)

                It seems to be a law of the Ranmaverse that any disguise, no matter how transparent, will deceive completely whoever is intended to be fooled, until some third party points it out (I read that in someone else's fic, can't remember whose though).  Since Tsubasa's black wig, glasses, etc are intended to fool Ukyo, Ryoga is able to see through them despite his naturally low levels of perception.

                It may seem inconsistent that Ukyo is able to use the threat of force to persuade the Gambling King not to go pester Ranma, when the same method doesn't even faze him when she tells him to leave her alone.  Here's two possible explanations, and you can take your pick of whichever one you want to believe:  1) he's more afraid of the Ukyo-Ranma duo than Ukyo alone  2) after Ukyo scams him out of Ranma's promissory note, and before he sets up camp in the lane outside her place, he slips a bribe to a policeman, to have him standing by out of sight to serve as a witness if the chef assaults him.

                Thanks to Jim Bader and Gregg Sharp for prereading.  Next time:  either Ryoga resolves his romantic difficulties... or he develops a chi attack based on indecision.


	14. Homeward and Beyond

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.  I've heard differing accounts as to how much time Japanese students get for summer vacation, so let me just state that for the purposes of this fic Furinkan's break is six weeks long.

                As before, words in [brackets] indicate spoken English.

********************************************************

                Chapter 13:  Homeward and Beyond

***************

                It was a beautiful summer morning.  A light breeze blew, carrying with it the scent of youth and freedom.  The sun had risen above the horizon, but depending on where you were in Nerima, it might or might not be visible.  Some areas were lit by the clear morning light, but the taller buildings still cast long shadows over much of the district.

                Akane wasn't bothering to keep track of the number of times she'd passed from sunlight to shade and back.  She had more important things on her mind, like keeping the bounding black-and-white fur ball ahead of her in sight.

                They'd been at this for thirty minutes now, roof-hopping all over Nerima.  Before Ranma and Genma had come, Akane would have laughed at someone who told her something like this was possible.  Laughed or gotten annoyed at them for thinking they were making fun of her.

                That was then, and this was now.  Not only did Akane know things were possible that she'd never dreamed of, she could actually do many of them herself.  The Tendo heir could feel the stress of the exercise all through her body, but it was a good kind of strain.  Not the gasping complaints of muscles forced to move far beyond their limits, but a pleasant tiredness which promised next time she'd be able to go just a little farther, run just a little faster, leap just a little higher.

                Akane still wasn't sure why Genma had suddenly decided to intensify her training over the past month.  The youngest Tendo wished he'd picked his timing a little better.  Spending almost all her free time in frantic pursuit of the Art hadn't helped her with her studies, not one bit.  If Genma had started training her this seriously as soon as she got over her post-Oni blues, then eased up on her for the end-of-year exams, her grades would have been a good bit better.

                But she wasn't really that unhappy about it.  The rush of freedom as she sped over the rooftops, leaping three stories without significant effort, was worth a lot more to her than she'd paid for it.  So what if she was probably going to end up with the Japanese equivalent of C+ in a couple of her classes!  THIS was what she really wanted!

                Genma wasn't obvious about it, but he kept track of Akane out of the corner of his eye, watching more closely than a panda ought to have been able to when separated by three city blocks' distance.  He'd had to promise Soun up, down, sideways, and back-to-front that he wouldn't let Akane endanger herself by pushing too far past the boundaries of her strength before the Tendo patriarch would let him up the intensity of her training to this level.  He'd been a bit amused at his friend's overprotectiveness.  As if a martial arts master like Genma Saotome didn't know you had to treat girls delicately with the Art if you didn't want them to break!

                But the elder Saotome would admit, to himself at least, that he'd been pleasantly surprised by Akane's drive and eagerness to learn.  He hadn't even had to use insults and humiliations to motivate her to give as much as he asked of her!  Of course, he wasn't training her at the level he'd demanded of Ranma, but it was still quite a surprise to Genma to see how willing Akane was.

                If the thought crossed his mind that perhaps he could have approached Ranma's training in a different manner, it didn't stay long.

                After another twenty minutes had passed, Genma's trained senses caught the subtle transition as Akane's reserves ran low.  He let her continue for another two minutes, pushing herself through sheer force of will, before calling an end to the exercise.  The elder Saotome was conscious of a grim feeling of satisfaction as he thought back over the progress his student had made over the past month.  A few more days, and she'd be ready.

***************

                "Hey, Ryoga, check it out!"

                Ryoga looked up from the book he was reading ('Indecision:  Beat It Through Self-Hypnosis!') to find Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo had just entered the room.  All three wore big smiles, but in Ranma's case his entire body practically radiated glee.  The Saotome heir held up an envelope, then flicked his fingers, sending the papers sailing gracefully through the air to land in Ryoga's open book.  He took them, closed the volume, set it where the others couldn't make out the title, and opened the envelope.  Inside were...

                "Our itinerary and our tickets," Kodachi said happily.  "Our flight out of Japan leaves in four days.  Of course, we can't fly directly to our final destination, we'll need to travel by train, then bus, and then on foot for a day, but we should arrive at Joketsuzoku no later than a week from tomorrow."

                Shampoo gave a lusty sigh of pleasure.  "Will be so good to get back home, see family and familiar mountains."  She smiled a smile as innocent as Kasumi's.  "Especially looking forward to pounding stupid cousin Xiao Yu into ground."

                "Never gonna be a girl again... never gonna be a girl again... sing it with me, Ryoga!" Ranma said with a grin.

                The former lost boy forced a smile.  "I'll finally be cured of the pig!"

                "Ryoga..." Kodachi asked in a puzzled tone of voice, "you don't seem nearly as happy as I expected.  Is something wrong?"

                The forced smile collapsed.  "I..."  Truth be told, Ryoga couldn't think of even one reason not to tell them.  It was probably too much to hope for, that they might have any constructive advice to offer.  But he would be happy enough if he managed to get a small measure of relief by unburdening himself on his friends.  "Sure, I'll be glad to lose the curse.  But it's not the biggest problem I've got anymore, not by a long shot."

                "Huh?"  The search for the Sakuras had kept Ranma from hearing more than the occasional detail about what had been happening in Ryoga's life over the past month.  "What problem?"

                "Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung, and Ukyo!  Ranma, I'd give ANYthing to have had your problems this last month instead of my own!" Ryoga exclaimed.  "All YOU had to do was skip school, go running all around Tokyo with Kodachi and Shampoo, beat up a few lunatics, and rescue some kidnapped girls.  I've been stuck watching Ukyo and the twins snap and snarl at each other, and pull harder and harder on me.  I can't pick either side without hurting somebody I care about!  And I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!  I already feel lower than dirt for not telling Ukyo yet that I'm going to spend summer break with them in the Amazon village."  He let loose a ragged, desperate sigh.  "I know it's going to hurt her.  The longer I go without telling her, the worse it'll be.  But I can't bring myself to do it.  It's not fair.  It's just not fair."

                A long silence fell in the room.  At last Shampoo broke it.  "So they manage to get you after all," she said in a tone that spoke of stunned wonderment more than anything else.  "All this time, Shampoo try to prepare cousins for when they lose out, try to make it so they not hurt like me when Tatewaki turn away.  But I never think they manage to win."

                Technically this wasn't true, of course; there had been one occasion when Shampoo thought she saw Ryoga sneaking out to spend the night with Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  But after she'd realized just how stupid that assumption had been, the embarrassment she'd felt had actually reinforced her earlier belief that they were fighting a losing battle.  Because of this, it was more of a shock now to hear Ryoga's confession than it would have been without that previous misunderstanding.

                "You're making it sound like I've chosen them over Ukyo, Shampoo," Ryoga said plaintively.  "But that's just it!  I can't make this kind of choice!"

                Shampoo met Ryoga's gaze squarely.  "That what Ryoga say, but it not what it look like to me.  Maybe you not admit it, maybe not even see it for truth, but with what you say about feelings you already have for cousins, summer trip is commitment.  You do this, Ryoga, go home with Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, meet parents and spend month with them, not see Ucchan all that time, you have made choice.  Maybe take long time for truth to come out, but is certain."

                'Is she right?' he thought with dismay.  'Am I letting circumstances make the decision for me?  Damn it all!'

                If, somewhere deep within him, there was a small spark of resentment toward Shampoo for pointing this out and forcing him to make a conscious choice, Ryoga wasn't willing to recognize it.  It would only have made him feel worse anyway.

                Aloud, he said desperately, "So what should I do?!  Stay here and let you guys bring back a barrel of Nannichuan for me like you're already doing for Ranma's father?"

                "It seems to me like that would be making a decision too," Kodachi said reluctantly.  "I mean, in effect you'd be telling Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to go away and leave you alone for a month, so you could spend the time with Ukyo.  That wouldn't exactly preserve the status quo either, if you take my meaning."

                Ryoga did, all too well.  He buried his head in his hands with a groan.  "I can't handle this."

                "Hey, chill out!" Ranma protested.  "It's not as bad as all that."

                Slowly, Ryoga looked up.  The look in his eyes would have made a lesser man back away.  "Not bad?  Not BAD?!"

                "Nope.  So what if you're not ready to decide?  We'll just bring Ucchan along with us."  Ranma was actually glad to have an excuse to do so.  Back when Cologne had first suggested the idea of this summer trip to them, Ranma had wanted to include Ukyo.  The Matriarch had said that it would be better not to bring her, though, as her business was still in the process of getting established.  Leaving for a month would cost Ukyo far more than it would the rest of them.

                Ranma still thought that was probably true, but if the alternative was losing Ryoga, he suspected Ucchan would be willing to make the sacrifice.  "I'm sure Mr Kuno would be willing to pay her way too."  Kodachi, who had her father wrapped around her little finger to a degree of which most daughters could only dream, nodded agreement.

                Ryoga sighed bitterly.  "Yeah, that might work.  IF Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and the Matriarch would let it happen.  Why don't I just wish for the moon while I'm at it."

                Kodachi shook her head decisively.  "No, it really isn't as hopeless as that.  Remember Cologne gave you a year to make your decision.  Well, since leaving Ukyo behind when you travel to Joketsuzoku would be as good as a commitment, she can't force you to do so."

                "Huh.  YOU want to be the one to tell her that?"

                "Actually, yes.  Ranma-kun, Shampoo, and I will break the news to Cologne and the twins.  You go invite Ucchan to come along."

                When she put it like that, the former lost boy found himself believing it could actually happen.  The thought did cross his mind that they were all rather assuming that Ukyo would agree to come.  He tried to imagine her declining, choosing instead to let him go off with the Amazons for a month.

                Ryoga then passed to more serious thoughts.  It didn't take much insight to see a number of potential disasters that could occur with the proposed alteration to their summer plans.  Ukyo in close proximity to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung as they traveled... Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung clashing with Ukyo when they were on their home turf... there were so many ways this could devolve into catastrophe that he didn't even bother to count them all.

                On the other hand, he wouldn't have to make his decision yet.  Ryoga smiled back at Kodachi.  "Sounds like a plan.  Thanks."

***************

                Ranma sensed Shampoo's mental turmoil through the Heart Link even before the Amazon's dragging steps could cause her to fall behind the other two.  It wasn't exactly hard to figure out why she was feeling this way, but for Kodachi's benefit he spoke out loud.  "It's a pain, isn't it, Sham-chan?"

                Shampoo looked up and smiled at him.  For understanding what she was feeling, and for trying to make her feel better.  And she _did_ now, at least a little.  "Yes, Airen."

                Kodachi sighed.  "I know what you mean.  It isn't right, that Ucchan should have to suffer like this."

                The Amazon slowly shook her head.  "This time, Kodachi, you do not understand."  When the other girl blinked in surprise,  Shampoo continued.  "Why you only consider Ucchan's feelings, not Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung's?"

                "Well, really, I can't say I think much of their claim or their tactics," Kodachi responded.  "Ryoga never chose to defeat them.  And when it happened by accident, they tricked him into thinking it was something more."

                "This ain't about Amazon laws, Dachi-chan," Ranma replied.

                "That right," Shampoo agreed.  "They love Ryoga for true.  And he admit he have feelings for them also.  What right we have to support Ucchan over them?"

                "Who said we're doing that?  What we're doing is giving the choice to Ryoga.  Which is as it should be!  I don't see that insisting Ukyo come along with us to China is anything like saying Ryoga should choose her instead of your cousins."

                "But that still how you feel, yes?"  Shampoo didn't wait for an answer.  "I willing to admit it, even though it hurts.  All this time I take for granted Ryoga choose Ucchan.  And during that time, when I think cousins fighting losing battle, those thoughts not hurt near so much as now, when I know he has caring for both and think about how somebody going to lose big."

                "Shampoo, that's only natural," the White Rose said reassuringly.  "Remember how Ukyo was betrayed by Genma.  It's certainly no crime to want her to have some good fortune, to balance that out."

                "That what I tell self, Kodachi.  But when I use as reason to say her feelings matter more than Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, I go too far."

                "An' I did, too," Ranma admitted.  "First thing I did, when I heard from Ryoga about him getting the Kiss of Marriage, was offer to go with him and help him weasel out of it.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung never did me any harm, but I was ready to stab them in the back without a second thought."  He sighed.  "I don't wanna do that anymore.  But I sure as heck can't turn my back on Ucchan either!  Especially not after she kept the Gambling King creep off my neck and set herself up for all that trouble!"

                "What we trying to say is, it hard to get used to, hard to know what to do about it, that Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung have just as strong tie to Ryoga as Ukyo.  That they just as likely to be ones what he end up with."  Shampoo sighed.  "Maybe more likely," she said morosely.  "He was ready to go with them, leave Ucchan behind for month until Shampoo point out long-term consequences."

                "Shampoo, are you suggesting we should do anything other than what we agreed to?"  Kodachi's tone made it clear that she for one was not open to leaving Ukyo behind after all.

                "No, that not what Shampoo mean.  Not that simple.  We need to do this, but need to do it because it right thing to do.  Not because we support Ukyo over Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung."

                "Perhaps you're right," Kodachi allowed.

                Ranma examined her closely, with his eyes and through their link.  "But you're not convinced," he said.  It wasn't a question.

                The White Rose shook her head.  "I resent the way they have twisted their laws to make Ryoga think he has some obligation to them.  Whatever he may feel for them now, the fact remains that they established their claim under false pretenses."

                "You say that like it's more important than what he feels for them now, Dachi-chan," Ranma said gently.  "Do you really think that?"

                They stood in silence for a while, before Kodachi reluctantly answered, "No.  But Ranma-sama, I don't want to see Ucchan get hurt!"

                "Me neither," her boyfriend agreed wholeheartedly.  He let out a mirthless laugh.  "Ryoga was right.  Heck if I _wouldn't_ rather deal with another buncha kidnappers than something like this."

                "But all we can do is try best to do what right, and keep anybody from get hurt more than they have to," Shampoo sighed.

***************

                The timing worked out pretty well for Ryoga.  Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo had gotten back with the airline tickets just after lunch.  As a result, the former lost boy's arrival at Ukyo's coincided with the post-lunch-rush slack time.  There was nobody but the chef herself in the dining room as he came through the door.

                Ukyo beamed at him.  "Hey, Ryoga, how's it going?"

                He smiled back, not having to force the expression this time.  There was a part of his mind that was worrying what would happen once Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung learned of the addition to the summer plans, but mostly he was still riding the high of his relief at not yet being forced to the point of no return.  "Fine," he said.  "Ukyo, could you close the shop for awhile?  I've got a surprise for you."

                She gave him a quizzical look, then stepped to the door, rolled up and removed her banner, and flipped the sign that hung from the doorknob.  "A good kind of surprise?"

                "Pretty good," he said.  "You didn't have any special plans for this summer, right?"

                "Nope.  I've sure been looking forward to having more free time without school to keep me busy."  Ukyo looked away, but kept her gaze on him out of the corner of her eye.  'Is he about to invite me to go on vacation with him or something?' she thought hopefully.

                "Well, how'd you like to come with me and Ranma and everybody on a trip?  I know it's short notice, but the Kunos will pick up your tab.  You don't have to worry about plane tickets or anything like that--they'll take care of it."

                "P- plane tickets?!"  Ukyo had been imagining a weekend at a hot springs resort, or something similar.  Sometimes she forgot that Kodachi was filthy stinking rich.  "What kind of a vacation are we talking about here, exactly?"

                Ryoga braced himself.  "We're going to spend a month in China, at the Amazon village."

                After a few moments, Ukyo found her voice.  "Is this a joke?!"

                He shook his head.  "No.  Our plane leaves in four days."

                "Ryoga..." Ukyo clutched at her forehead.  "You're asking me to spend my whole summer surrounded by Amazons?!  Why don't I just knock myself out, seal myself in a box, put wrapping paper and a tag that says 'to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, do not open til Christmas' on it, and dump myself in the basement of the Nekohanten?!  I'd rather go five rounds with Ranchan when he didn't know I was a girl and thought I'd really tried to hurt Kodachi!"

                "Come on, Ukyo, it won't be that bad!  You're making it sound like Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung are gonna ask around for people to give you a hard time, and everyone in the village will jump to it.  That's really pretty silly if you stop and think about it."

                She grimaced.  "Ryoga, this doesn't sound like any kind of fun.  Why couldn't you guys have picked some other spot to go for your vacation?"

                "Like where?  The whole point of this trip is to cure me and Ranma of our curses.  There aren't all that many places we could go to do that," Ryoga pointed out.

                'Dang, I didn't even think about that.'  This would have been the perfect opportunity for Ukyo to rattle off a list of half a dozen places that had the power to break curses or grant wishes.  Unfortunately, she didn't know of any of them.  The chef frowned.  "Couldn't they just bring back a jug of water from the Spring of Drowned Man for you or something?"

                "Cologne already tried," Ryoga said.  He was a little hurt that she'd imply he ought to stay behind like that, but he could understand her point of view.  "Last time she came back from China, she didn't just bring Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung with her.  She also had a big barrel of Nannichuan for me and Ranma."  He sighed.  "It didn't even make it out of the Nerima airport."

                That pretty much put paid to the last of Ukyo's objections.  'Well, I can understand that he wouldn't want to miss this chance.  Heck, _I_ don't want him to miss his chance for a cure!  But did it have to happen like this?!'  The chef indulged in a sigh of her own, closing her eyes and massaging her temples.  'At least I don't have to let those little witches have him all to themselves for the summer.'  Ukyo already knew she was going to accept Ryoga's invitation.  That didn't mean she had to like it.

                Her silence was beginning to worry the former lost boy.  "Ukyo?" he said hesitantly.  "I know this isn't your idea of the perfect summer getaway.  But I'd really like for you to come."

                Ukyo opened her eyes.  "Oh, I'm coming all right," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.  "There's no way in heaven or hell that I'd let those two little... I mean, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung have a full solid month to drive you crazy.  I'm just trying to psyche myself up to face the next few weeks, that's all."

                "I promise it won't be that bad, Ukyo," Ryoga said.  "Remember, you'll have Ranma, and Kodachi, and Shampoo as well as me to be there for you."

                "Yeah, that's true."  Ukyo hummed a few bars of 'I get by with a little help from my friends.'

***************

                 The same timing that had benefited Ryoga also worked in the favor of Ranma and company.  There were very few customers at the Nekohanten when they arrived.  In addition, the delay caused by their conversation on the way here meant that they just missed Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, who had left on a round of deliveries.

                If asked, Ranma would have admitted that not all the coincidences in his life were bad.  Just most of them.

                "Great-Grandmother, we need to talk," Shampoo said, after the greetings had been exchanged.

                "About what, child?" Cologne asked mildly.  From the amount of turmoil she sensed in their auras, she was fairly confident this was something important, but there was no point in getting worked up until she'd heard the details.

                "About trip to China."  Shampoo took a deep breath.  "We buy tickets today, Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, Ryoga already have theirs, and here are other three for Great-Grandmother, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung."  She held out the items in question.  Cologne took them and slipped them into a pocket in the interior of her robe.  "But we going out again to airline office after this, pick up one more ticket.  For Ukyo."

                The Matriarch stiffened ever so imperceptibly, then said, "Shampoo, you seem to be forgetting something.  This restaurant is just a hobby of mine, a headquarters while I stay in Japan to help you and your sister Amazons.  We operate at a net loss most weeks.  Just because you've seen me close shop whenever I wish and spend as much time away as I like doesn't mean Miss Kuonji can afford to do the same.  Her business is in a crucial state of growth right now, and if she leaves for a month she'll cost herself hundreds of thousands of yen in the long run."

                "Great-Grandmother know very well there are things more important than yen," Shampoo returned.

                Ranma spoke up, his patience for the indirect approach already exhausted.  "Like Ucchan not getting left out in the cold, when Ryoga cares just as much for her as he does for the twins.  It ain't fair to leave her behind, and it ain't gonna happen either."

                So.  It was out in the open.  Cologne's eyes narrowed as she swept her gaze from Ranma, to Shampoo, and finally to Kodachi.  The White Rose seemed the most adamant of the three, which was only natural... she was the only one without memories of being raised by Cologne.  But Ranma and even Shampoo were steadfast enough that Cologne didn't think she'd be able to overpower them through sheer force of will.

                And the Matriarch would frankly have been disappointed in the youngsters if things had been otherwise.  Nonetheless, this time the strength of their spirits was less of a pleasure to the ancient Amazon than usual.  Spirit combined with the idealism of youth can sometimes blind people to reality, making things harder than they have to be.

                Because Cologne understood that, and because loyalty to one's friends was a virtue highly valued by the Amazon tribe, she spoke gently.  "Are you so sure that this would be in her best interests?"

                "I am quite certain Ukyo would cast her restaurant away entirely if that was what it took not to lose Ryoga," Kodachi replied.

                Cologne waved her hand irritatedly.  "This isn't about the monetary issue anymore.  Although what I said was true, I'm perfectly willing to acknowledge that it was just a smokescreen to cover the heart of the matter.

                "I believe it will be for the best to end this affair now, not let it drag on and on.  Better for the child to accept defeat and move on, instead of clinging to a vain hope and hurting more in the end.  Better for Ryoga to have a month to spend with Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung without anyone else getting in the way of their relationship."

                "So now Ucchan is 'getting in the way of their relationship'?!  How can you treat the matter as if it's that simple?!" Kodachi demanded.  "Ryoga knew her before ever the twins entered his life!"

                "Indeed.  Ukyo Kuonji had time to spend with Ryoga without any interference from Ling-Ling or Lung-Lung.  And yet they don't deserve the same consideration?"

                Kodachi flushed, uncomfortably aware that she'd just lost ground in the debate.   If she countered by saying that Ukyo had only known Ryoga a few days before the Amazon twins first met him, then she'd be undercutting her first objection.

                Ranma sighed.  "Look, Granny," he said, not disrespectfully, but not hesitantly either, "I'm gonna ask YOU a question.  I know you know if Ucchan doesn't come with us, Ryoga's choice is as good as made.  Do you think she doesn't deserve a chance?"

                Cologne sighed right back at him.  "Son-in-law, it's not that simple... No, I'm sorry, I misspoke.  It IS simple, but you're looking at it from the wrong angle.

                "The basic problem here is that none of you realize Ryoga has already as good as made his choice.  Our agreement was that he take a year to get to know Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung; if... and _only_ if... at the end of that time he had determined he would never be able to love them, I would set a quest for him to win freedom from the law.  That isn't going to happen.  It may take some time, and it may be a painful process, but in the end, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung will have their husband.  If you know Ryoga as well as you should, surely you must see his honor will prevent him from leaving them to face the consequences of failure."

                Shampoo flinched, suddenly not knowing what to say.  If Ryoga truly did care for Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, and though she was still trying to get used to the idea she didn't really doubt it, then there wasn't any way he was going to reject them.  Not when the penalties of Amazon law were at stake.  Shampoo wasn't familiar with the details of quests to put oneself outside the marriage laws, but she knew her great-grandmother well enough to be certain that Cologne would keep her word.  Ryoga would only have been offered that chance if he truly didn't care for her cousins.

                Though she didn't know them nearly as well as Shampoo or Ranma, Kodachi was also aware of the severity with which tribal laws could strike.  However, there were many nuances she didn't understand or even know existed.  "Elder, that isn't going to work!  We haven't forgotten that YOU manipulated Ryoga into agreeing to that deal by deceiving him!  If he had known there wasn't really any measure of validity to the Kisses of Marriage he received, he never would have done so!"

                Cologne frowned.  "Deceiving him?  No validity?" she said in a low, dangerous tone.  "And where exactly did you get that idea?"

                Ranma didn't flinch.  "C'mon, Ryoga told me point-blank that you didn't make any kind of official decision as the Matriarch.  You didn't issue a formal ruling or nothin'."

                This did quench most of the Matriarch's rising anger, though she was left with a good bit of irritation.  However, this was directed toward the person who hadn't spoken on this subject yet.  "Shampoo, would you please explain why Ranma's deduction is flawed?"

                "Huh?"  Shampoo hadn't expected this question.  "Is flawed?  What you mean?"

                Her great-grandmother took several deep breaths.  "Child, I know you have never been particularly interested in the Law, but that is no excuse for a mistake like this.  Do you truly know so little about the marriage statutes?"

                "Great-Grandmother, I not know what you talking!" the lavender-haired girl protested.  "Shampoo remember very well!  When Amazon is defeated, but there question about whether was fair defeat, is matter for Elders to decide, work out problem and decide what is path to take.  There many many laws to cover different kind of situations, like group defeat law what you use piece of back when Shampoo not know whether Ranma or Tatewaki was rightful Airen!"

                "Is that so, Great-Granddaughter?  Every time an Amazon is beaten and there might be some question about the defeat, she must take the matter to the Council of Elders?"

                "Yes, unless she..." Shampoo's eyes widened.  She let out a stunned "Aiyah."

                Kodachi looked from Shampoo's face to Ranma's.  Both were registering dismay.  "What is it?  What's wrong?!"

                Ranma gulped.  "What Shampoo just described... that's what happens when an Amazon gets defeated unfairly.  She lodges a protest with the Council of Elders and they work through what happened, to decide whether she really has to marry the guy, or fight a rematch, or just blow him off.

                "Except, that only happens when she doesn't want to marry him.  If she gives the Kiss of Marriage willingly, it's settled right then and there."

                "But... but..." Kodachi gaped like a fish out of water.  Then, recovering a bit of poise, she turned to face the Matriarch.  "But that isn't the situation here!  Ryoga didn't use some underhanded trick to beat them.  He never CHOSE to defeat them at all!"

                "Child, I'm afraid the Law doesn't make those kinds of provisions for mind-control.  It explicitly states that if there is some question about the validity of her defeat, an Amazon has the right to request judgment from the Council.  But if she accepts the defeat as valid, all questions are settled with the Kiss of Marriage."

                Silence fell.  The customers in the dining area pricked up their ears, waiting for the next development.  The White Rose was the next to speak, as she attempted to drag the conversation back to what she viewed as the heart of the matter.  "This shouldn't be about the Law," she said forcefully.

                "The Law exists.  The consequences are real.  And not you, nor Ranma, nor I have any power to change those facts."

                "I'm not sure I believe you're telling the whole truth here, Elder."  Kodachi glanced to Ranma and Shampoo, wishing they'd come out of their shock and resume backing her up.  "If matters were truly so cut and dried, why did you offer as much as you did to Ryoga?"

                "What exactly are you asking here, Kodachi?" Cologne asked pointedly.  "Why did I give him time to gradually grow used to his situation?  Why did I secure an agreement from him to give Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung an honest chance?  Why did I acknowledge that for his marriage to work, he would have to accept it?  Or perhaps why did I tell him that if he found he could never love the twins, I would offer him a chance to leave without hurting them more than absolutely necessary?"

                Kodachi bit her lip.  She didn't know what else to say at this point.

                Ranma spoke up then.  "I owe you an apology, Granny, for thinking you shafted Ryoga back then.  I didn't think things through.  I'm sorry."

                "Apology accepted," Cologne returned gracefully.

                "But..." Ranma took a deep breath.  "I understand what you're saying.  But I still think Ucchan should come with us."

                "I assume you're going to explain your reasoning?"

                "Yeah, I am."  He met her gaze unflinchingly.  "Everything you said checks out.  It don't look like there's any way for a happy ending here.  But you know what?  I ain't about to give up fighting for one anyway.  That's just not who Ranma Saotome is.

                "Tell me something, Elder.  Way back when Sham-chan was still chasin' Tatewaki, did you ever think things would turn out like this?"

                "I don't claim to be prescient," Cologne returned.  "No, I never would have guessed it."

                "So we've already got one happy ending that none of us were expecting."  Shampoo took Ranma's hand and gave it a grateful squeeze.  He smiled at her, then returned his attention to Cologne.  "Just cause you or I or anybody can't see a way outta this mess, that doesn't mean there isn't one.  And I'm gonna keep hoping for it, and looking for it, until I KNOW there's no chance left!!"

                The dining room erupted in a shower of applause.  Everyone in the kitchen jumped, suddenly realizing that they weren't exactly in the midst of privacy.  More customers had come in while the four had been talking, and the dining room was nearly half-filled.  And every last soul in there was hanging on every word the martial artists exchanged.

                Cologne jumped to the counter of the window that connected the kitchen to the dining area, and let her battle aura swell menacingly.  Once the last panicked eavesdropper had fled screaming into the street, she turned back to face the others.  "Ranma, I must say I admire your attitude.  Nonetheless, I don't think you've thought this through enough.  Given that Ryoga is NOT going to cast Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung aside, don't you think that bringing Ukyo along on this trip will just make it harder in the long run for her to let go?"

                "I don't know," he admitted.  "I ain't good at that kinda stuff anyway.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Maybe she'll learn to get along with Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, and them with her, and the problem will go away."  Cologne successfully held back a snort of derision.  Even if his youthful idealism was misplaced, she still had no desire to heap scorn on him for it.  He continued.  "Maybe if she spends time in the village, and meets more of your people who aren't out to get her, she might get more respect for your laws, and then even if she does lose out it wouldn't hurt so much."

                Cologne blinked.  "For someone who's not 'good at that kinda stuff' you just made a pretty convincing argument, son-in-law."  She considered for a moment, holding up one hand imperiously for silence when Kodachi would have said something else.  "Very well," she said at last.  "Ukyo Kuonji may accompany us and shelter among our people.  I will convince Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to go along with this peacefully, and to refrain from starting any trouble.  And it will be the responsibility of you three to make sure she returns the favor, and doesn't transgress against our ways."

***************

                Considering what they had to look forward to, the next few days ought to have seemed to pass much more slowly than they did.  However, enough minor things happened to keep everyone busy.  Ryoga finally succeeded in seeing through the Dance of the Hidden Chameleon.  Ukyo spent a good bit of time working on her defensive combat skills.  Ranma had to defeat Usagi after she challenged him to a rematch.  Kodachi received word that she'd won a million yen sweepstakes prize, but would forfeit it unless she skipped the trip to be present to receive the check in person.  That thought had been worth a good laugh.

                It was the morning of their departure, now, and everyone who was traveling had gathered at the Kuno mansion.  Kodachi was conscious of a slight feeling of uneasiness as she noted the tension between Ukyo, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung.  The chef was sitting on a chair not far away from Ryoga's left side, whereas Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were on a couch to his right.  Ryoga himself was standing, talking with Ranma.

                "So how'd the rematch with Usagi go, yesterday?"

                Ranma shook his head.  "That is one chick who should definitely have been born an Amazon," he said frankly.  "You'd think that this time, when she wasn't mad at me or nothin', she'd have eased up a bit in the fight.  But she gave it every bit of what she had, pushed so hard that I ended up winning when she ran outta strength and collapsed."  He gave an aggravated sigh.  "I am SO glad Cologne made her promise not to chase after me.  After the fight, when I gave her a hand getting up from the floor and back on her feet, she was giving me 'the look'.  I'd almost be willing to bet that if Cologne hadn't been watching, she would've tried the 'Wo de Airen... Wo ai ni!' routine."

                "Wait a minute," Ryoga protested.  "I thought Shampoo settled that when she told her you already had Kodachi."

                The pig-tailed boy gave his friend an incredulous look.  "You honestly think she didn't pick up on the Amazon multi-marriage customs after seeing how Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were goin' after you together?"

                Ryoga laughed sheepishly.  "Guess I just didn't think about that.  It's not like she's around all that often, you know.  I haven't even met the girl yet."

                Ranma almost pointed out that that was probably for the best, considering that Usagi apparently wanted a strong fighter for a boyfriend, couldn't have Ranma, and Ryoga already had more than enough girl troubles as it was.  However, the Saotome heir had just barely enough tact to realize this probably wouldn't be a good thing to say within earshot of Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and Ucchan.

                What he said instead was, "She wanted to come along with us, but her father said no way was he gonna let her skip the family summer trip to go off to China with a bunch of people he'd never met."  He had felt kind of sorry for Usagi, when she'd explained that to Cologne, but couldn't find any actual regret that the Sailor Moon look-alike wouldn't be joining them.  Things were going to be difficult enough, with the situation with Ryoga, the twins, and Ukyo, without adding someone that volatile into the mixture.  "Not like that stopped her from asking the Matriarch to bring her along anyway.  Said that since she'd just lost to me, it was obvious she needed more training, and what did her old man know about the path of the warrior anyway?"

                "If it weren't for the trouble she would likely have caused, I might well have brought her along.  It's a pleasure to teach a pupil with that much drive to learn," Cologne said, walking over to join them.  "Though I would have secured her father's permission first.  I don't have any intention of opening myself up to kidnap charges.  However, after thinking it over I decided it would be best to leave her behind this once.  She can visit Joketsuzoku some other time."

                Cologne shifted her gaze from Ryoga to Ranma.  "Don't be surprised, son-in-law, if she challenges you again as soon as you get back.  Before we left, I consoled her by showing her the Amaguriken and instructing her in how to train for it.  I'm certain she'll have mastered it by the time we return."

                "As good as she is, I bet it won't even take her half that time," Ranma said with a frown.  "You DID get her to promise not to use it on anybody that makes a Sailor Moon remark, right?"

                The Matriarch froze for a moment, then spoke briskly.  "If I don't meet you before the plane leaves, look for me to catch up somewhere along the way to the village."  And with that, she was gone.

                Ling-Ling got up and walked over.  "Where Great-Grandmother go in such hurry?"

                "There was something she forgot to tell Usagi," Ryoga said dryly.

                "Is near time to leave.  When she be back?" the cherry-haired girl asked.

                "I don't know.  She said if she couldn't meet us at the airport, she'd catch up somewhere on the way."  Ryoga shrugged.  "I guess it all depends on how fast she can track down Usagi."

                Behind him, the door swung open.

                Cologne was fast, but she wasn't _that_ fast.  A number of people entered the room then, but the Matriarch wasn't among them.

                Godai and Hitome were the first through the doorway.  Hitome gave Ranma a sympathetic look, while Godai presented an inscrutable mask of calmness.  Behind them came two people no one in the room would have expected... Genma and Akane.  Each clad in a gi.

                The elder Saotome's expression of quiet control nearly matched Godai's.  Akane seemed to be striving for the same effect, but nervousness warring with excitement and determination were clearly visible on her face.

                Not that Ranma gave her more than a cursory look before returning his attention to his father.  That one glance was all he'd needed to determine what was going on here.  "So.  That's how it is, huh, old man?"

                Genma nodded solemnly.  "Indeed.  Akane is here to challenge you, boy."

                His son sighed.  "Well, Pop, at least I gotta give you a little credit.  This is more creative than I thought you'd be.  I figured if you learned about the Amazon laws you'd just come TELL me I had to take Akane too.  Getting her to challenge me is at least better than that."  He fixed Genma with a glare.  "How'd you find out, anyway?  Was it Nabiki?"

                "What does it matter how I found out, boy?" Genma asked.

                "Because Tatewaki swore Nabiki to secrecy, that's why!"

                "I see.  Well, it wasn't her.  Or him."

                "Good."  Ranma cranked up the intensity of his stare.  "Then who?!"

                "Why do you care, anyway?!" Genma snapped back.

                "Cause I know I ain't never gonna have a normal life, but I'd still rather not have it spread all over Furinkan that Amazon laws let a guy marry more than one girl!  Now cough it up, old man, how'd you find out?!  Does everybody know already?!"

                There was silence in the room for the next minute.  At last Akane spoke in a sort of frozen calm.  "Mr Saotome?  Is there something you didn't tell me?"

                Genma didn't even hear her.  His mouth was gaping open and closed like that of a fish cast onto dry land.  "Boy, what are you talking about?!" he managed at last, too off-balance to bluff any further.

                Ranma blinked, beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of his gut.  "Why exactly did you bring Akane here to challenge me?" he asked.

                "Because I've been training her in Anything Goes, and I wanted to show her just how far she's come along."  Genma swallowed the next prerehearsed part of his speech.  There were more important matters to go into now.  "What did you think was the reason?!"

                "Ah heh heh... forget I said anything.  Okay?!"

                "No, Ranma, I don't think so."  This was Akane.  "What did you mean, about Amazon laws letting you have more than one wife?"  She looked around the room with deepening suspicion, counting the relative number of guys vs girls present.  "And why would Mr Saotome think you'd go along with that anyway?!"

                "Look, Akane, it ain't any of your business.  You wanted to spar, right?  C'mon, let's go to one of the training halls!"  Akane didn't budge, just fixed Ranma with a determined stare.

                Kodachi sighed, then walked over and laid her hand on Ranma's arm.  "Ranma-sama... let it go.  It's not fair to Shampoo anyway, to keep hiding this," she said.

                Ranma had actually been feeling that for a while now, since shortly after his first kiss with Shampoo.  If it had just been the three of them that were affected, he wouldn't still be bothering to hide the truth, but there was another side to the matter.  "What about fairness to Principal Fujima, Dachi-chan?  Remember what he said about how much trouble it'd cause at Furinkan, if the truth got out?"

                The White Rose waved her free hand airily.  "Pish-tosh.  I feel certain he was exaggerating.  Furinkan is already so chaotic, I don't really think it could get worse."

                "I..." Ranma sighed.  "What the heck."  Turning back to face Akane, he braced himself--it still wasn't easy to say something like this.  But it wasn't so hard as it once would have been.  "Akane, I love Kodachi.  I love Shampoo.  Amazon law lets multiple women share the same guy, so I don't have to choose between them or hurt anybody."

                The youngest Tendo blanched.  "And... and you thought I was here to challenge you... like if an Amazon loses a fight, she has to marry the guy that beat her?!  Ranma... you... you... I was right about you the first time!  You really are a pervert!!"

                "And you're an uncute tomboy," Ranma said flatly, "but at least it looks like you've gotten better at the Art since I left."  The change was subtle, but as a premier martial artist he was able to read the little ways in which Akane moved with more control and grace.  She still wouldn't be anything like a challenge, not with the way he'd improved since leaving the Tendos, but she was way beyond the level she'd been at then.

                "That's right!"  Genma pushed his way past the whirling confusion filling his thoughts, latching back onto the plan as he'd rehearsed it.  "Akane has trained hard to get to where she is.  When she defeats you, boy, she'll understand just how far she's come better than anything I could say to her."

                "Excuse me?"  Some things are too ridiculous even to laugh at.  The only emotional reaction Ranma had to this was blank disbelief.  "You think she's gonna _beat_ me, old man?!  Have you lost what feeble wits you used ta have?!"

                "Bah.  Pride goes before a fall, Ranma.  While you've been living it up in the lap of luxury, lazing around, getting soft, and forgetting the Art while you let your girlfriend support you, Akane has been training harder than she ever has before."  Genma's glasses gleamed.  "And she WILL beat you, you foolish, lazy boy."

                The elder Saotome was particularly proud of this plan.  Without him around to ensure Ranma kept to the proper level of discipline, his son had undoubtedly let his training slide.  Genma had worked too hard, for too long, pushing and forcing Ranma toward the greatness he could see was within the boy's reach, to let him slack off now.  That was why he had trained Akane so diligently over the last month.  To lose to her would surely be more than Ranma's pride could bear.  He'd accept Genma back as his sensei, and never let his training lapse again.

                "Foolish?  Lazy?" Ranma gritted through his teeth.  His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his jaw was clenched, and a murderous scowl lit his face like a thundercloud.  "Getting soft?!  Leeching off Dachi-chan?!  Let's get one thing straight, old man!"  He shot forward so fast that for a moment, there seemed to be two pigtailed martial artists present.  The afterimage faded as Ranma spoke again, his father's gi clutched in both hands.  "I am NOT you!  Not some lazy old fool who sits around on his fat butt all day, doing just what he can't get out of!  That's not who I am, and it never will be.  I'm Ranma Saotome, and I'm the best damn martial artist in this room!"

                "Is good for Ranma that Great-Grandmother leave awhile back, right, big sister Shampoo?" Lung-Lung remarked.

                Ranma overheard, and, recognizing the justice in the remark, forced himself to calm down.  "I'm though takin' the insults and garbage from you, old man.  I'll fight you myself.  Then we'll see who's soft and lazy!"

                "Are you ignoring Akane's challenge then, boy?  Have you already forgotten such a basic part of the Anything Goes school?!  All challenges must be answered!"

                "I remember," he growled, "but she ain't given one yet.  YOU said that's what she was here for, but she didn't say it herself.  An' since I already challenged you, that one comes first."

                Genma inclined his head.  "Very well, Ranma, I suppose Akane will have to wait until you heal up from the beating I'll be giving you.  It'll only make her victory easier, though, as she'll have more time to train while you're flat on your back."

                Of course Genma wouldn't _really_ thrash Ranma that thoroughly, but the madder he was now the worse he'd do in their fight.  The elder Saotome held back a sigh of resignation at seeing his son's reaction to the words.  It seemed as if Ranma had completely forgotten the basic principle of using insults to make one's opponent lose their center and attack without control.  Well, his upcoming loss would drive the lesson home again.

                Under other circumstances, Ukyo would definitely have been upset at the way Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung immediately slipped to either side of Ryoga as everyone walked to the nearest training room.  She didn't give it more than a token glower this time, though, as she was more focused on anger toward Genma.  Watching this was going to be fun.

                By the time they'd reached their destination, Genma's fighting expertise had begun to make itself heard over the stifling of his preconceptions.  Ranma wasn't moving with the awkward gait of a martial artist who'd let his training get rusty.   His battle aura was present, and it was very strong, but not with the wild burning evidenced by lack of control.  Genma had thought otherwise, at first, back when the insults were flying, but now that he'd had a little time to look more closely, he realized that he'd jumped to the wrong conclusion on first seeing his son putting out more energy than ever before.

                As they entered the hall, Genma spared a moment to look around.  The room was broad and spacious, with a high ceiling and plenty of room to maneuver around.  On the other hand, it was also bare, uniform in its freedom from obstacle or hindrance.  In Genma's opinion, this setup was a good place to start, but you weren't really training in Anything Goes unless there was some sort of variety present to contend with.  If Ranma had kept up his training, but forgotten the basic adaptability that lay at the core of the Saotome style, then as far as his father was concerned it would be worse than just slacking off.

                He didn't realize just how many training halls there were at the Kuno mansion, of course.

                Everyone else lined up along one wall as Ranma and Genma proceeded to the center of the room.  Ranma took a basic stance from traditional Kenpo rather than one of the Anything Goes variants.  Genma frowned at the sight, but didn't say anything about his son's sloppy form.

                "Begin!" cried Kodachi.

                Genma made the first move, exploding forward with a high/low attack combination, against which Ranma's chosen stance had almost no defense.

                One moment his target was standing there waiting for him, the next he was gone.  Genma felt a light stinging in his lower ribs--the only evidence of Ranma's counterattack.  He certainly hadn't seen it.

                "Too predictable," Ranma said tauntingly from ten feet behind Genma, then resumed his original stance.  The expression on his face made it clear this was a deliberate insult.

                Genma hid his surprise.  When he'd attacked, he had halfway _expected_ his son was using a feint.  He had thought he'd been prepared to counter whatever the boy would try.  His face set like stone, he advanced again, but slowly, his own defenses more solidly in place.

                Again Ranma shot forward.  Genma halted his forward momentum and shifted completely into defense.  It didn't seem to help much... for every blow he blocked, another two got through.  But his son was striking with just enough strength to make the blows sting, not to do any real damage.

                As Genma realized that, he dropped the pointless defense and counterattacked.  His left fist shot out, a powerful sweeping blow that clipped Ranma's shoulder.  The younger Saotome staggered, losing the rhythm of his attacks.  Genma was quick to take advantage of the opening, surging forward with a flurry of punches.

                However, Ranma wasn't about to let one miscalculation decide the fight.  Instead of trying to regain his balance while staying on his feet, he turned his stumble into a controlled fall, pivoting and swinging one leg too quickly to be seen.  Genma crashed to the floor.  By the time he'd gotten back on his feet, Ranma was several yards away, back in his original stance, with the same mocking expression on his face.

                "Too slow," Ranma pronounced.

                Genma's face twisted in rage.  He raced forward, only to stumble to a halt three paces later.  His face shifted from fury to shock.  "Look!  A hundred yen coin!" he yelled, pointing off to one side of Ranma.

                The younger Saotome gaped in disbelief.  Did his idiotic old man really think that was gonna--Oof!

                Genma proved his son wasn't the only Saotome who could move faster than should be possible.  Ranma's dropped jaw and incredulous stare were all the cue he needed to blast forward and slam a hard punch into his son's gut.  Ranma was knocked completely off his feet.  He twisted before he could hit the ground, though, turning the energy of his fall into a roll that shot him away at a greater velocity than Genma had used in his charge.

                When he'd gained enough distance, Ranma jumped back to his feet... to find Genma hadn't even bothered to press the attack.  Instead, his father was standing in the same basic Kenpo stance Ranma had been using.

                "Too easily distracted," Genma said disgustedly.

                The pigtailed martial artist gritted his teeth.  "That one was free, old man.  You better enjoy it, cause you ain't gonna get any more."

                "Talk is cheap," Genma returned.  He shifted, as if preparing to charge... then, with a loud kiai, lifted his foot and brought it down in a chi-enhanced stomp.  The end of a floorboard slammed down beneath his foot, with its far end rising directly under his son.  Ranma was catapulted into the air.

                The ceiling was high, but not several stories high.  By rights he ought to have slammed into it, then crashed to the ground.  However, Ranma twisted in midair, putting himself perpendicular to the ceiling, head pointed toward the floor, catching his feet under him and then pushing off, shooting down toward Genma with the power and fury of a diving hawk.

                Genma dodged to one side, putting just enough distance to keep himself out of arm's reach, ready to launch his own attack in the momentary window of opportunity he'd have when Ranma shot helplessly by.

                He didn't expect his son to whip a gymnastics club out of his shirt.  The added reach was just enough for Ranma to tag his father in the ribs with the ball of the weapon.  Hard.

                Genma doubled up, wheezing and choking.  Ranma somersaulted away, burning off the extra momentum, regained his feet, and turned back to face him.  An expression of disgust crossed his face at the sight before him.  "Give it up, old man.  I know good and darn well I didn't hit you that hard."

                His father didn't respond, except to clutch harder at his side and sink to one knee.  Ranma hesitated, as if unsure of himself... then pulled out a second club and threw the both of them straight at his father's head.

                Genma blocked both strikes, suddenly free from the need to clutch at his side.  "Oh, what an ungrateful son I've raised," he wailed to the heavens, his voice remarkably free from any strain or pain.  "To attack his wounded father when he was down."

                Ranma just shook his head, then made a gesture to Kodachi.  She blinked, not having expected him to use a Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics signal.  But of course Ranma-sama knew them as well as she did.  The motion had been a request of a teammate in the ring to her second, to pass her a ribbon.  Kodachi produced hers and tossed it to her boyfriend.

                "Hey old man, if you're gonna complain about something, how about the fact that I'm using *gasp* WEAPONS!!"  Ranma charged forward, spinning the ribbon in the pattern Kodachi would use for a Horizontal Shear.  He couldn't pull off an effect like that, of course, but that wasn't what he was trying for.  That particular form needed only a slight infusion of chi to turn the ribbon into an overwhelming whirlwind of force, so long as your target was close enough for the weapon to actually connect.  Which Genma was.  Temporarily.

                The force of the attack sent the older Saotome shooting backward, tumbling completely out of control.  Ranma himself was a bit surprised at the result.  He hadn't expected quite THAT strong a reaction.  Deciding it was probably just his old man hamming it up again, he pushed forward, striking quick, light blows with the ribbon.

                While it was true that Anything Goes didn't scorn the _use_ of weapons so much as _dependence___ on them, Genma was still pretty angry at this point.  That fall had hurt, and the blasted ribbon STUNG, especially when it lashed against his ear or nose!  He growled, focusing his chi.  It wasn't easy to manage two separate effects at once, but he'd need to boost his speed for this to work.

                Whatever else was true about him, Genma was a talented and highly skilled martial artist.  His hand moved faster and with more precision than the darting end of Ranma's weapon, as he lashed out with his own attack.  "CLOTHRAZOR FIST!!"

                Kodachi winced to see her ribbon explode in tatters of useless thread.  It wasn't like she didn't have replacements, but there was a _reason_ she'd been carrying that one:  it was her favorite.  Oh, well.  Perhaps Genma would use that attack against Ranma's shirt if the battle lasted much longer.

                "All, right, boy, I'm through holding back for your sake!" Genma snapped.

                "Like that's gonna make a difference or something!" his son retorted.  The two held motionless for a few more seconds, then, as if on some signal apparent only to the two of them, each shot forward in an attack.

                Akane stared in awe for the next several minutes.  Later, other emotions would make themselves known, but for now she was caught up in the sheer wonder of the sight before her.  Ranma and Genma shot around the room at an insane speed, bouncing off walls and the ceiling at least as often as they touched down on the floor.  Blows were delivered, blocked, and dodged far too quickly for the youngest Tendo to keep track of them all.  She'd known that Mr Saotome was good, and that he'd never gone full out when he sparred with her, but the sight of the stocky man moving with THIS much grace, speed, and power... it was just unreal.

                And yet, for all Genma's skill and ferocity, it was clear that the younger combatant had the advantage.  Akane could tell that Ranma was under matched in power; the battle was taking place at too high a level for her to judge who had the greater skill; but it was obvious that Ranma's speed outstripped his father's by a significant measure.  

                Even now it looked like he was playing with Genma, slipping through the older martial artist's attacks and defenses to strike only glancing blows and teasing pokes.  And yet the expression on Ranma's face was of intense focus, not the taunting Akane would have expected to accompany a tactic like that.

                She didn't think about shiatsu, of course.

                One last pass, one last strike by Ranma that broke through his father's guard... and Genma felt his entire body seize up.  Ranma had timed his attack perfectly; the sudden disability occurred just after Genma landed from a jump.  Consequently, though he tumbled to the ground and impacted painfully, the experience wasn't nearly as dangerous as an uncontrolled fall from midair would have been.

                "Strike of the constrictor," Ranma said curtly, naming the attack that Shampoo had used on Kodachi at their first meeting so long ago.  He walked over to his father's side and bent down next to him.  "Good night, Pop.  Look me up again when you've learned how to do something other than dump garbage on me."  One last poke of a fingertip, this one against Genma's Instant Unconsciousness point.

                A moment of stillness hung in the air, quiet except for a long, drawn-out sigh from Ranma.  Then Shampoo burst out with a loud cheer and bounded over to her Airen, giving him a fierce hug.  If Kodachi and Ranma didn't think it was worth hiding his relationship to her any more, there was NO WAY she was going to hold back on giving him the congratulations he deserved.  Not after a brilliant performance like that.

                Kodachi wasn't far behind Shampoo, though her intent was more to offer comfort than congratulations.  She knew this confrontation had hurt Ranma, hurt him and left him disappointed that his father thought so little of him.  The Amazon shifted to one side, to make room for her sister in the hug.

                Akane did her best not to scowl at the pervert.  Perverts.  Whatever.  She glanced away, only to find her eyes stopping on Ryoga... and on Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, on either side of him, each resting a hand on his arm and their heads on his shoulders.  That Ryoga was sweating like crazy and not particularly comfortable escaped Akane's notice completely.  All she saw was that he wasn't pulling away.  The youngest Tendo jerked her eyes away again, finding some dubious measure of safety in regarding Godai and Hitome.  Though Akane found herself wondering, a little hysterically, whether the Kuno patriarch might just have left the rest of HIS harem in some other part of the Kuno mansion.

***************

                The battle hadn't taken all that long, but it had still delayed them past the time they'd intended to leave for the airport.  The scurrying bustle as the various teens gathered up their luggage was almost more frantic than the duel that had just ended.  Quick goodbyes were said, and then the limousines pulled away, leaving Godai, Hitome, and Akane standing behind watching them go.

                After the last car was out of sight, the Kuno parents turned and went back inside.  Akane tagged along, feeling rather awkward.  She hadn't particularly wanted to watch everybody leave, but it would have been worse to just sit behind in the room where Genma's unconscious form had been laid on a couch.  Hitome led the group back there.

                "How long will he be asleep, dear?" she asked.

                Godai walked over and gave Genma a quick, searching examination.  "It could be anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half."

                "That wasn't very considerate of Ranma, to knock Genma out like that," Hitome remarked mildly.  "Akane is stuck here until he wakes up."

                "It's not as bad as it could have been," Godai argued.  "That first attack he used would have left Genma paralyzed for several hours.  By following up with the Instant Unconsciousness attack, Ranma overrode that.  Genma may be a little stiff when he wakes up, but he'll be able to move under his own power."

                "Hmm.  Then I suppose he did as well as he could.  And he _did_ need to finish the fight quickly, so they could all leave for the airport."  Hitome turned to Akane and smiled.  "Would you like some company until your sensei comes to?"

                "Um... that'd be nice, Mrs Kuno," Akane said politely, though she still felt awkward and out of place.

                Hitome summoned a servant, who shortly reappeared with tea for three.  As the three in question seated themselves at a table, Hitome noticed her guest wasn't really feeling at ease.  This didn't surprise her.  She knew there was no love lost between her daughter and Akane, which would hardly help the girl be comfortable taking tea with Kodachi's parents.

                However, the Kuno matriarch wasn't one to allow her daughter's opinion of someone to decide her own.  She knew the teenage years were hard.  She understood very well that after how things had gone with Ranma, Kodachi and Akane would likely never be good friends.  But that was no reason for Hitome not to treat Akane kindly now.

                It should be mentioned here that Kodachi had never seen fit to inform her parents about her close encounter with Akane's bedroom window.

                Since Hitome had no desire to see Akane uncomfortable, she attempted to draw out her guest with friendly chitchat.  Over the course of a few minutes, she realized that something else seemed to be bothering the girl, something deeper than just a little social awkwardness.

                "Miss Tendo, is something wrong?" Godai asked frankly.  "You're acting as moody as a dragon that thinks it's lost something from its horde, but can't be sure."

                "W- what?  I, I mean..." Akane was more than a little flustered by the odd comment, but tried to regain her balance.  "It's nothing important."

                "Dear, if you're feeling bad, that isn't 'nothing important'," Hitome said gently.  "Are you sure you wouldn't like to talk about it?"

                "I... I don't think I should," Akane muttered, coloring with embarrassment.  "Could we talk about something else?"

                Hitome took a sip of her tea, keeping her eyes on her young guest, then asked calmly, "Does it bother you, the way Ranma is being unfaithful to my daughter?"

                "What?!  I... yes!  No!  Oh, I don't know!!" Akane burst out.  "What bothers me the most is that JERK just ASSUMED I was trying to get a piece of him too!  Like I don't have any more self-respect than that, like he's such a _wonderful_ prize that why _wouldn't_ I be willing to share him with two other girls?!  That's what really makes me mad about this!"

                "That wasn't how it seemed to me," Godai replied.  "I didn't see Ranma imply anything at all about you.  What I saw was him accusing his father of hatching a plan to force the two of you together."

                "You think Ranma just thought Mr Saotome was tricking me into losing, so we'd have to get married?"  Akane chewed her lower lip while she considered his words.  She had thought that herself, or near enough, when Ranma made his comment about Amazon laws.  Maybe he _had_ just been thinking about his father and not her...

                The Kuno matriarch watched as a number of emotions chased themselves across Akane's face.  From the irritation she'd started with, to thoughtfulness as she considered Godai's comment, to a brief moment of calmness as she decided she agreed with it.  But the youngest Tendo's expression almost immediately shifted into melancholy after that.

                Hitome wasn't positive she knew why, but she could make a good guess.  "I've gotten to know Ranma fairly well, Akane, over the time he's stayed in our home.  He's still a little rough around the edges, but he's kind and honorable and caring.  I'm certain he didn't mean to imply those things about you that you said."

                "I guess you're probably right," Akane said.  Her expression of sadness didn't change, which strengthened Hitome's suspicion.

                "And even if he _had_ thought that you wanted to be with him too, that wouldn't have meant any insult to you."  Hitome spoke briskly now.  "Ranma did not come easily or lightly to where he is now.  He had a hard time accepting his feelings for Shampoo, because he felt like he was betraying Kodachi.  I honestly think he hurt more than she did, because of that."

                "Mrs Kuno... doesn't it bother you?!  Or you, Mr Kuno?!" She knew the question couldn't even remotely be considered polite, but then again, her hosts had brought this up.  "I mean, the Amazon laws may say this is okay, but we're in Japan!  Doesn't it matter how Ranma SAYS he loves Kodachi, but doesn't mind dishonoring her at all?"

                Godai shrugged.  "Miss Tendo, you may or may not know this already, but my wife and I regularly travel all over the world.  To be perfectly honest, the two of us don't view Japanese culture as the be-all and end-all of perfection.  How common is it for men to marry women for whom they feel nothing, for monetary or other reasons, and then take on a mistress who will receive their real affections?  Ranma at least is not guilty of hypocrisy.  He truly does love Kodachi and Shampoo both."

                "It did indeed bother me when I first learned that Ranma meant to have Shampoo as well as my daughter," Hitome admitted, "but not because I was worried about dishonor.  I thought she would be heartbroken at finding Ranma didn't love only her.

                "But I was wrong.  I underestimated my dear little Kodachi's strength of character.  She and Shampoo had become close friends before ever Shampoo realized she'd fallen in love with Ranma.  When Ranma found he returned those feelings, Kodachi was willing to accept the Amazon way over the Japanese."  Hitome smiled.  "I am proud of my daughter for the decision she made.  And I don't believe for one moment that any shame should attach to her, or Shampoo, for both loving Ranma and being willing to share him."

                She paused, then said meaningfully, "And I wouldn't think it was shameful for someone else to wonder if she might want in as well."

                "Hey!  Are you saying I..." Akane's protest ran out of energy before she could even fully form it.  She held her peace for a moment, then said, reluctantly, "All right.  I admit I did think about it.  Just for a second, maybe.  But I DON'T want it!  I DON'T want to play third string all my life!  I want somebody to want ME, not to be just one of a crowd!"

                Hitome regarded the girl closely, and found she believed her.  Apparently her suspicion as to the cause of Akane's melancholia had been wrong.  The Kuno matriarch felt a moment's relief at this... whatever the problem was, at least it wasn't Akane wanting something she wasn't going to be able to have.  But what could it be?

                "Then it was something else bothering you.  Is it disappointment, Miss Tendo?"  Godai nodded toward the recumbent Genma.  "At seeing Ranma's actual skill level after his father filled your head with promises and expectations, leading you to believe you'd be able to beat him?"

                That wasn't the main source of her unhappiness, but it was a contributing factor.  Slowly, Akane nodded.  "Yes, I... I am disappointed.  Guess it was stupid of me to think that, huh."

                "Not at all," Godai said briskly.  "You believed what he told you.  It was Genma Saotome's stupidity to underestimate his son as he did."  He winked at her.  "From what Ranma said, it's obvious you've been learning a lot since he left your home.  Lessons are where you find them, Miss Tendo, and the one you should take home with you today is this:  don't listen to Genma Saotome unless he's giving you actual martial arts instruction.  And even then, think twice."

                Akane giggled.  "Thank you, sensei."

                Godai put on his best stoic face of wisdom, stood up, bowed to her, and sat back down with a smile.  "You're welcome."

                The youngest Tendo did feel better now.  Tatewaki and Kodachi sure were lucky to have caring and understanding parents like this, she thought.  Akane hesitated for a minute, wondering whether to bring up the thing that was bothering her the most.

                Still uncertain, but thinking maybe she could ease into it, she said, "I never heard anything about this trip to China.  Why didn't you guys go?  Or Tatewaki and Nabiki?"

                "My son didn't feel as if he had the right, after the way he treated Shampoo," Hitome said.  She turned and regarded her husband with an arch look.  "As for the two of us... well, I'd have _liked_ to go..."

                "Nine years ago I passed through the Amazon lands," Godai said.  "While I managed to get out without tripping over the marriage laws, going back would be pushing my luck a little too far."

                "Was that when you were looking for a cure for your daughter?"  Akane had heard the general story from Nabiki, but not many details.

                "That's right."  The elder Kuno hesitated.  Akane's good humor of a few minutes past had faded into unhappiness again.  This time he had no idea what could be the cause.  Had he said something wrong?

                Akane looked down at the empty teacup in her hands.  "And now she's off on her own adventures.  Along with everybody else.  Except me."

                Hitome's eyes widened as she put the pieces together.  She reached out and gently patted Akane's hand.

                The youngest Tendo smiled at the gesture, but there was sadness in her expression.  "A whole lot has happened since the Saotomes came to Nerima.  Some of it's good," thinking of her new skills, "and some of it hurt a lot," remembering Ryoga-Oni.  "That's just the stuff I was there for.  And I know there's a lot I _haven't_ heard about.  Exciting things and adventures that didn't have anything to do with me.  And that's how it's going to keep on going, isn't it?"

                Akane sighed.  "That's what really hurts the most," she said morosely.  "Things could have been different.  I could have _made_ them different.  I could have been Ranma's friend, or even Ryoga's maybe.  That'd be a lot better than trying to be a girlfriend when they've both got multiple girls for that already.  And I could have been going with them now, going off to China to see things most everybody else wouldn't even dream of.

                "Instead, I'm stuck here.   I guess I shouldn't complain... I mean, I've got Mr Saotome to train me, so what does it matter that I don't get a chance to learn secret Amazon techniques?  But I still wish things had turned out differently.  I wish I could have adventures too."

                "This one's in your court, dear," Hitome said dryly.

                Akane looked up with a questioning expression.  Godai stretched his right arm out in front of him on the table, and slowly removed the bracer he wore from wrist to elbow.  Akane stared in shock at the sight that was revealed.  A long, jagged scar traced its way along two thirds of his lower arm.  It ended some centimeters above his wrist, but not in a normal termination.  The upper end of the scar tapered off as one would expect, but the lower end halted abruptly, as if cut short by a knife.

                Godai placed his left forefinger at the top of the mark.  "I received this when I was searching for a cure for my daughter, in a land VERY far away."  He traced his finger down the scar, continuing past the point where it ended.  "It used to be longer."  His forefinger was resting on the third knuckle of his hand.  "Until I lost the hand a year later.  Magic allowed it to be regenerated, but my traveling companions from that time still call me their equivalent of Lefty."

                After staring at the limb and blinking for a bit, Akane asked, "Why haven't you told this to hospitals and stuff?!  I bet there's other people who'd like to grow a hand back!"

                "I can't really go into details, Miss Tendo.  But what was used to heal me is not something that can be made available to the public."  At least not in this world.  "I'm afraid you'll just have to take my word for that."

                Godai fell silent, while Akane chewed his words over.  At last, she said, tentatively, "Did it... hurt?"

                "It was excruciating," Godai said matter-of-factly.  "I thought I was going to die.  If not for the friends fighting at my side, I would have."  The Kuno patriarch wasn't one for false bravado.

                He also wasn't one for false modesty.  In the same matter-of-fact tone, he continued, "But I don't regret it, or any of the other scars I carry, or the times I was in danger.  It was worth it all, to finally come back home to see my little Dachi-chan smile, after she was cured."

                There were other things he'd accomplished on his journey, many things of which he was proud.  They weren't necessary for the point he was trying to make here, though, so he didn't bother to mention them.  "I showed you this so that you'd understand what adventures truly are.  They're dangerous, and painful.  Though they offer great rewards that you couldn't otherwise attain, they take you through places no one would willingly visit in order to earn them.  And they always... _always_..." Godai paused, watching as Akane hung on his words, "...make one late for dinner."

                Akane hadn't read 'The Hobbit', so she didn't facefault at that.  She just gave him an odd look.

                "I don't suppose that this trip to Joketsuzoku will carry any particular risk," Hitome said seriously, "but already Ranma and his friends have had a brush with death.  Shampoo would have died in the mountains, fighting against Ryoga's dark side, if things had turned out just a little differently.  Adventures aren't all fun and games, dear."

                "I didn't think they were," Akane protested.  Then justice forced her to add, "But I wasn't thinking about that time, either."

                "It's better to see things as they really are, not as you imagine them to be," Godai said, replacing the bracer.  "I'm not saying it's not _possible_ to have adventure without the serious risks.  If you're careful, you can often find opportunities like that.  But there's always the chance, when you're out there, that something you didn't know about is going to bite you in the... ahem, will take you by surprise."

                "Kind of like this trip?" Akane asked.  "Whenever Ranma's around, there's a chance things will go crazy.  It probably won't happen, but you can't be absolutely sure Kodachi won't come back with a Jusenkyo curse of her own.  Is that the kind of thing you mean?"

                "Well, I'd like to think she'd have the good sense to jump in the Nyannichuan before it came to that," Godai said.  "But yes, you get the idea."  He fixed her with a challenging stare.  "Are you still so sure adventure is something you want in your life, Miss Tendo?"

                Akane was quiet as she thought.  Was she being foolish?  With what she already had, her new skills and her determination to keep improving them, with her friends and her family, DID she really want anything else?  Or was it just a stupid case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence?

                Not an easy question to answer.  Akane thought back to the time Hitome had mentioned, when she'd been kidnapped.  She had heard some details of the rescue from Nabiki, who had gotten them from Tatewaki.  Akane didn't know everything that had happened, but she knew enough to see that occasion had been everything Godai had said for those who'd gone after her, exciting and terrifying, with a goal that could only be achieved by Ranma and company putting their lives on the line.  And the price they'd paid almost _had_ been that high.

                To rescue her.  Akane knew Ranma and Kodachi didn't much like her, and Shampoo presumably felt the same way after the Martial Arts Take-Out Race.  Tatewaki didn't DISlike her, but his affections were for another Tendo daughter.  Of the five who'd gone after her, only Ryoga might have had a personal reason to do so.

                But they ALL had gone, all five of them, because Akane was in trouble and couldn't save herself.  That thought still rankled a little (after all it was a martial artist's duty to protect the weak; she wasn't supposed to need protecting herself), but it wasn't really important right now.  The point was, there had been a need, and they, as martial artists, had answered it with courage, and skill, and determination.  And had triumphed.

                And she wanted that.  She knew it now, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  Akane looked the elder Kuno in the eyes, and said, "Yes."

                He smiled gravely back at her.  "Then make your own.  Don't waste time thinking about what might have been.  Don't depend on others to give you opportunities.  Only YOU know what type of life you want to lead.  So go forth and live it."

                Akane took a deep breath.  "Thanks, Mr Kuno.  I think I will."  She smiled at him.  "Any practical tips for a beginner like me?"

                Godai held up the first finger of his left hand.  "Don't court danger, just for the sake of a thrill."  He raised the forefinger of his right hand.  "Don't hold back from necessary risks, out of timidity."  He lowered both fingers, folding his hands together and setting them on the table in front of him.  "The most important thing of all is the middle road, between those two and between all other extremes:  to know yourself, know your limits, know what you want.  If you know yourself, you don't have to take chances to prove anything.  If you know yourself, you're less likely to get in over your head.  If you know yourself, you can make a better job at the beginning of judging whether you even want to start walking down a road at all."

                After mulling over that for a few moments, Akane asked, "It isn't easy, is it?"

                "No, Miss Tendo, it's not.  But it's worth doing."

                This time it was Akane who stood, and executed a formal bow.  There wasn't any hint of a joke to hers, though.  "Thank you very much."

                The conversation paused then, as each was unsure of where to take it next.  Fortunately, Genma chose that moment to groan, and sit up.

***************

                Nothing was said between the two of them, as Akane and Genma walked back to the Tendo residence.  They were each busy with their own thoughts.

                Akane was trying out Godai's advice.  Her thoughts were caught up in attempting to do what he had said, thinking back over her life, examining herself, trying to understand just who she was, where she came from, where she was now, and what she wanted.

                She'd done something like this before, in the aftermath of her abduction by Ryoga-Oni.  It had served her well then, and Akane was confident it would serve her well now.

                It was when they were roughly halfway home that one particular set of memories rose to the top of her mind.  About thirty steps back, Akane had decided that even if she wasn't going to China, she also wasn't going to let this summer slip tamely by.  This was a chance she wasn't about to waste!

                Of course, that left her with the question of what to do.  She'd been mulling over the possibility of a training trip, and wondering where to go.  And then some hazy memories came into the light, memories from when she was just a little girl.  Akane wasn't sure how much they could be trusted by now.  She knew she had been lost in the woods.  There had been a boy, too, hadn't there... a boy who protected her, gave her something... a whistle, to keep the animals away...

                Akane concentrated, trying to remember further.  Were the shadowy memories of giant and fanciful creatures real, or just a child's dream?  Had there really been a boy at all, or had she imagined him and his whistle?  She wasn't, couldn't be, sure of the answers.  But she was certain of one thing.  In Ryugenzawa, she'd had experiences that were truly hers, not borrowed off someone else.  And maybe it was time to go back and see what else might be waiting for her there.

***************

                The stiffness hadn't really left him yet.  His muscles protested with each stride.  Genma could have taken shorter steps and set a more relaxed pace, and he wouldn't have felt any of this ache.  But the elder Saotome chose not to do that, instead striding along more energetically than he would have if he was in top form, accepting the discomfort as penance for his recent miscalculation.

                When Genma had first awakened in the Kuno mansion, he had felt equal parts pride and chagrin.  On the one hand it was embarrassing, losing to the boy after underestimating him so badly.  On the other, obviously Genma had succeeded beyond what he had hoped for.  Even without his father's guiding hand, it was clear Ranma had continued traveling the path of a true martial artist.  Pride at the skill the boy had shown had risen in Genma then, though it wasn't an emotion that the elder Saotome really knew how to express.

                When Godai began to speak, that pride swelled further.  The elder Kuno described Ranma's activities, how he continued to train both to improve his existing skills and to add new ones to his repertoire.  Genma had pretty much guessed that already, after the way the battle had gone between Ranma and himself, but it was still nice to hear.

                Then Godai revealed that Ranma had also been training others, that under the boy's guidance both the Kuno children and others as well had increased markedly in skill.  This was surprising, and an even greater source of pride to Genma.  After all, if being a student of the Art was honorable, then the role of sensei carried even greater honor.  To hear that his son had progressed to that point, even without Genma there to direct him... clearly he'd done a better job of training Ranma than even he knew!

                This was when Godai's voice had hardened, as he related a conversation he had had with Ranma.  It had occurred shortly after the battle with the Oni, when Ryoga was still in the depths of depression over how things had gone afterward.  Godai had congratulated Ranma on how he was helping Ryoga to improve his skill and cope with his grief at one and the same time. He had asked whether Ranma had any previous teaching experience.

                Genma's face hardened just a little more as the next part of Godai's story echoed through his mind.  According to the Kuno patriarch, Ranma had laughed harshly, and said no, not really, but he was able to do a pretty good job by asking himself what his worthless old man would do, then taking a different course.

                The elder Saotome had tried to interrupt then, but Godai had overridden his protests.  In a tone of mounting cold fury, he had proceeded to rip Genma up one side and down the other for the way he'd treated his son.  And today, said Godai, was the final straw.  For the disrespect he had shown to Ranma, for the pain he had caused the boy, Genma would no longer ever be welcome in the Kuno home.

                The bald martial artist had responded with bluster, at first, protesting that he had only come here to see Ranma, not in any way to impose upon them.  They had no right to keep him and his son apart.  Godai had responded with a question, asking curtly when had been the last time that Ranma sought his father out.

                Genma had still been searching for a response when several ninja materialized and escorted him off the grounds.

                As he walked now, Genma tried to convince himself that the Kuno patriarch hadn't known what he was talking about.  Okay, maybe he _had_ misjudged his son a little, but who had been responsible for setting him on the path to greatness?  Genma.  Who had taught him from the earliest age, and shaped the foundation of who he was?  Genma.  Who had given his all to bring Ranma to where he was now?  Genma.

                Perhaps he had made a mistake today, but really that was the least important part of what had occurred at the Kuno mansion.  What truly mattered was how Ranma had triumphed, which in its own way was Genma's triumph too.  The boy might still be a little angry, but surely he'd see that for himself soon enough.  Surely the effort of helping others grow in the Art would eventually leave him with a true appreciation for all his father had done for him.

                Genma concentrated on those thoughts, and eventually managed to bury the quiet nagging fear that perhaps Ranma really _didn't_ want him in his life at all anymore.

***************

                It might have been summer, but here in the mountains the air was crisp and cool.  Except for what they carried with them, Ranma and company had left the last remnants of civilization behind two days ago.  From where they were now, they couldn't even see the village at the foot of the mountains where they'd bid the bus goodbye.  Twists and turns of the trail had hidden it completely from view.

                As everyone rounded the bend, Shampoo called a halt.  By virtue of necessity, she had taken the leader's position; they were getting close to Amazon territory, and it would be a lot better if the first person the border scouts saw in this group of high-powered martial artists was one of their own.  Cologne hadn't yet caught up with everyone else, so this duty fell to the next most senior Amazon present.

                The lavender-haired girl was a bit annoyed at her great-grandmother's continuing nonpresence.  It wasn't like she couldn't guide everyone to Joketsuzoku easily enough by herself, but constantly wondering when the Matriarch was going to pop up was beginning to grate on her nerves.  Plus they'd deliberately traveled more slowly than they'd originally planned, just to make it easier for Cologne to rejoin them.

                Still, the current scene was just too beautiful for irritation.  It was the middle of the morning.  The sun was shining brightly.  There were no clouds to be seen anywhere in the sky, which was that particular shade of blue you only get in the Bayankhala mountains in summer mornings when you're with good friends, and you've been spending many months in a strange land, but now you're going back to the village where you lived the first sixteen years of your life.

                This was probably the only time ever when Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung would take more enjoyment than Ryoga in being in a natural setting.  That's not to say he didn't feel great about being in the mountains rather than a city, but the twins' appreciation had that extra 'on my way home' edge which his lacked.

                Of course, their husband was also feeling the 'soon I'm gonna be cured of my curse' euphoria, and _that_ was a good bit more intense than Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung's homecoming happiness.

                With the last turn of the trail, the rocky walls around them opened up, revealing a panoramic view of the land on the other side of the mountain.  Everyone took a deep breath, drinking in the crisp mountain air along with the sight before them.

                They could almost see Jusenkyo from here.  The valley of cursed springs was a sort of misty dimness, way off to one side.  Ryoga and Ranma stared toward it with expressions of mingled anger, hope, disgust, and desire.  "Jusenkyo," Ranma muttered in his best Rambo impression.  "[I'm comin' for you.]"

                Shampoo, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung were more interested in the view directly before them.  They could see almost all of their home village. A good portion of the cultivated fields in the surrounding lands were visible as well.  Each girl let out a sigh.  Even if not all the memories were good, which was certainly true for Shampoo, it was still a relief to know the Amazon nation was there, not changing as so much else had in their lives.

                Kodachi and Ukyo divided their attention pretty much equally among the various sights, taking in the view of the village, straining their eyes to catch a glimpse of bamboo poles rising out of the far-off mist, looking around at the foothills below them, the mountains to either side, and the river that sparkled in the middle distance.  "What a beautiful view," Kodachi said.

                "You're too kind, child," Cologne cackled.  "It's been well over two hundred years since that was true, I'm afraid."

                Everyone else jumped, wondering how they had managed to overlook the Matriarch.  She was sitting on a large boulder a few feet down the trail.  "Is about time you catch up with us, Great-Grandmother," Shampoo said reprovingly.

                "Yeah, if we hadn't slowed down, we woulda gotten to Joketsuzoku way before you.  Starting to feel your age or something, Granny?" Ranma teased.

                Cologne snorted.  "I made it there last evening, and set everything up for your arrival today.  Just so you know, I passed you lazy layabouts two nights ago.  You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, drowsing the night away while a poor, feeble old woman keeps on going."

                Ryoga snorted, remembering her performance against the Gambling King.  "Poor, feeble old woman?" he asked, shading his eyes theatrically with one hand and peering hither, thither, and yon.  "Where?"

                The Matriarch laughed appreciatively.  Jumping atop her staff, she set off, pogoing down the mountain trail ahead of everyone.  Which just goes to show, even three-hundred-plus-year-old mistresses of ancient skill and lore sometimes can't resist the temptation to show off.

***************

                Akane didn't really need a rest break, but she felt like it was an appropriate time to stop anyway.  She wasn't planning to wait for very long, so she didn't bother to take off her pack.  The youngest Tendo stood there for a few minutes, looking out over the forest before her.

                She wondered again what she would find there, and how much of what she thought she remembered was true.  Absently, she reached up and fingered the object that dangled from a string around her neck.  A simple whistle, carved from horn.

                It had been buried deep among other relics of her childhood.  She thought it was the one she remembered from her time in Ryugenzawa, but there wasn't any way to be sure.  This whistle might have been something she owned long before getting lost in the forest; the memory of the boy giving one to her could even have been a child's fantasy about a toy that was already hers.

                Akane looked down at the instrument, her brow crinkling in thought.  She hoped it wasn't like that.  She hoped at least something of the excitement and wonder she remembered had been true.  She hoped Ryugenzawa wasn't just going to turn out to be another stretch of forest like any other.  She hoped she was going to have some real adventures here.

                Because if not, she'd have to go through a lot of unpleasantness for nothing.  Akane knew she was going to be in quite a bit of trouble when she got back home, after the way she'd spent a few days talking to Genma about training trips to the mountains, then left one morning before even Kasumi was awake.  The ruse had been necessary in order to be able to go on this trip by herself, but she didn't think her father was going to appreciate her steps toward independence.  And she was sure Mr Saotome wasn't going to be happy about getting sent off on a wild goose chase after her.  No, Akane was confident that the first few days after she got back home weren't going to be much fun.  But it would be worth it, if this trip turned out as she hoped it would.

                Deciding that she'd stood in thought for long enough, Akane started walking toward the woods again.  She paused after taking only a few steps, though, and on a whimsical impulse lifted the whistle to her lips.  The heir to the Tendo school of Anything Goes blew as hard as she could, for luck.

                A loud crashing sound could be heard from some distance into the forest.  Treetops swayed back and forth, tracing the path of something very, very large moving in the opposite direction of Akane at a fairly high rate of speed.  The girl just stood there for some minutes longer, before slowly walking forward again.

                Two thoughts were running through her mind just then, namely 'I guess I can probably quit worrying about being bored,' and 'I wish I hadn't watched Jurassic Park with Yuka and Sayuri.'

***************

                With their destination in sight, everyone felt a new surge of energy.  They sped up a bit more, though not to the point of carelessness.  This was a steep mountain trail, after all, more often than not with sheer cliffs to one side or the other.

                Of course, there was one teenager present for whom that caused no concern.  After watching Cologne bounce merrily along for several minutes, Kodachi could no longer resist the urge to show off as well.  With a careless, "See you in a little while," she took a short cut, stepping blithely over the edge of a particularly large drop.  Not until she heard the panicked screams behind her did she realize that Ucchan and the twins had never seen her use her Rotary Ribbon technique.

                And so it was, as the party left the mountains behind and entered the village of the Chinese Amazons, that a penitent Kodachi was carrying not only her own backpack, but also Ukyo's, and Ling-Ling's, and Lung-Lung's to boot.  And reflecting that even a power-up as nice as hers could sometimes be more trouble than it was worth.

                As Cologne had indicated, they were expected.  No official notice was taken of their arrival just yet; there would be a celebration feast in the evening for that purpose.  However, far more people than usual were moving through the streets, ostensibly busy with errands that just happened to bring them near the visitors.  And of course, children were staring openly and whispering among themselves.

                They made their way to a large house about halfway between the outer perimeter and the center of the village.  This was the home of the Matriarch, the single largest residence in the tribe.  The size was both a mark of status and a matter of practicality, since the various treasures that belonged to the Amazon nation as a whole, rather than to individual families, were kept here.  And of course Cologne had accumulated a number of her own possessions over the centuries.

                Even with several rooms used for storage, though, the building was still large enough to house everyone who needed a place to stay.  Ranma and Ryoga would share a bedroom, as would Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were going back to their old room in their parents' home.  The twins weren't all that happy about leaving their Airen under the same roof as Ukyo, but neither one of them had the guts to tell a mother who hadn't seen them in months that they would rather stay somewhere other than with her.

                Kodachi was the first through the door and the first to set down her backpacks.  Carrying that much weight had begun to strain even her.  "Ukyo, I suppose it could have been my imagination, but during the last mile or so it seemed your backpack was heavier than everyone else's put together.  What on earth did you bring with you?"

                Ukyo winced.  "Um... er... hey, it's not like I could just forget my Art for a whole month, right?  So, actually, I kinda packed my mini-grill, two spare tanks of propane, and enough replacement parts to fix just about anything that might break."

                The White Rose looked from Ukyo, to the one-foot-by-one-foot-by-two-feet backpack on the floor, then back to the chef.

                "It's one of my family's secret techniques," Ukyo said apologetically.  "But if you were actually feeling the extra weight, I must've disrupted the balance when I gave you the pack.  Sorry about that, sugar."

                "Oh, don't worry about it," Kodachi said.  "It wasn't TOO much of a strain." Yielding to a sudden naughty impulse, she placed her hands at the small of her back and leaned backward, stretching the muscles and incidentally giving Ranma a good view of the way the move tightened the fabric across her top.

                Ranma had been about to ask Cologne something, but this drove it right out of his mind.  It was left to Shampoo to say, "Great-Grandmother?  Where is Aunt Rouge?"

                Before Cologne could respond, there was a brilliant flash of light and a loud *BANG!*  All the youths jumped in surprise.  Ukyo, who was still a little shell-shocked from seeing Kodachi plunge over the edge of an eighty-foot drop, grabbed tightly onto Ryoga's arm for reassurance.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung gave her a dirty look.

                Pinkish-red smoke billowed out from the point of the explosion.  It cleared a moment later, to reveal a striking woman of indeterminate age.  She seemed to be in her early thirties, with bright green eyes and brown hair with burnt orange highlights.  "Hello, everyone," the mystery woman said cheerfully.  "It's nice to finally meet some of you.  And I'm certainly glad to see you again, Shampoo, Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung."

                "Everybody, this is Aunt Rouge," Shampoo explained.  "Great-Grandmother's heir to be next Matriarch."

                "Well, she's got the melodrama part of the role down pat," Ryoga muttered.  He'd bitten his tongue in surprise, and was slightly annoyed.

                Rouge's eyes focused on him.  Her smile widened, and took on a certain inscrutable quality.  "Ryoga Hibiki, I presume?"

                He gave an awkward bow.  "That's me."

                "Well, I can certainly see why my nieces are interested," she remarked cheerfully.  "By the way, Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, your mother wanted me to send the three of you on to your home as soon as you arrived.  Why don't you take your Airen over there now?"

                The twins thanked her with identical grateful grins, then turned to Ryoga.  "Is okay, Airen?  We no want to keep Mother waiting after she not see us for months."

                "Um... ah... okay..." Ryoga said helplessly as he was herded out the door.

                Shampoo watched them go, then glanced back to Ukyo and the expression of helpless unhappiness on her face.  The lavender-haired girl sighed.  "I need to go too," she said.  "Have business with other cousin.  I see you at welcome feast tonight, okay?"

                "Go do what you must, Shampoo," her aunt said.  "I'll keep everyone else company for this afternoon."

                As the door closed behind Shampoo, Rouge turned to face Cologne with an apologetic smile.  "You might want to go check with a few members of the Council, Great-Grandmother.  It seems that once they learned that the actual Matriarch would be returning, suddenly there were a number of petitions that just HAD to have your personal attention."

                "Isn't that the way it always goes," Cologne sighed.  "At least I didn't give much advance warning of my return.  They won't have had time to pile up too much of that sort of nonsense."

                Rouge kept an innocent expression on her face until the Matriarch was well away.  "Actually, I told them a month ago that she would be coming back now," she eventually said, giving the three remaining teenagers a conspiratorial wink.  "That's what she gets for sticking me with all these administrative duties while she kicks back and relaxes in Japan."

***************

                Considering the nature of the situation he was in, it was no wonder that Ryoga was rather nervous at the prospect of meeting Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung's parents.  Not that he would actually run away, or try to duck out of it, but the pace he set was noticeably slower than the speed with which he'd walked up the mountain the day before.

                The girls didn't really mind the leisurely pace.  Walking through the streets of home beside their husband felt very nice indeed.  Though they were a little disconcerted when, halfway to their destination, he stopped and just stood still for a few minutes.

                "Airen?  Is something matter?" Ling-Ling asked.

                Ryoga gulped.  "Ling-Ling... I know there's a lot I don't know about the Amazons.  And maybe some of the things I thought I knew were wrong?"

                "Why you bring this up now?" Lung-Lung queried.

                "It's just... look, you guys are pretty isolationist, right?  I mean, most of your people don't get out into the outside world, I thought.  And you don't have all the machines and junk that modern Japanese people couldn't live without."

                "That more or less right, Ryoga.  We know some about bigger world, know lot of what out there, just choose not to take it into us.  We have proud history to live up to, after all.  Not even electricity in our homes.  Tribe has no use for things what make you weak and soft," Ling-Ling said, still a little puzzled why he was asking about this.  "Only real modern technology in village is indoor plumbing, and not even everybody have that."

                "That's what I thought."  Ryoga pointed off to one side.  "So what the heck is a suit of POWER ARMOR doing here?!"

                The twins' eyes followed his finger, to rest on the object in question.  A moment later, they broke out in a fit of giggles.  "We sure to tell Hong Wa you think he do good work, Airen."

                "S- somebody here MADE THAT?!"

                Lung-Lung HAD been about to get her laughter under control, but his reaction blew that away.  With a valiant effort, Ling-Ling managed to succeed where her sister had failed, fighting down her mirth and answering, "Yes, Airen.  Hong Wa is best artisan in village at large work.  And statue is his best piece of all."

                Ryoga blinked.  "That's a statue?"

                "Mm-hm.  Made of stone and wood and glass and metal and clay."  Ling-Ling patted him cheerfully on the arm.  "No worry, Airen, it not come to life and start stomping around, destroy village."

                "Dang, but it looks realistic," Ryoga muttered in embarrassment.  "Wait a minute.  If that's a statue, what'd he use for a model?!"

                "Pictures from Japanese comic," Lung-Lung said with a shrug.  "His wife is big manga fan.  Lung-Lung hear he use her favorite as source of inspiration."

                "What you think he use?" Ling-Ling asked curiously.  "It not like such things really exist, right, Airen?"

                This left Ryoga with a bit of a quandary.  Several months before arriving at Jusenkyo, he'd somehow made his way into a facility with VERY functional versions of that statue.  The people in charge of the base hadn't been amused at all by his presence.  Ryoga had promised not to tell anybody about them if they just let him go, but this hadn't seemed to cut any ice.  He'd spent an unpleasant ten minutes dodging explosions and energy beams, eventually losing his pursuit by the cunning strategy of turning a corner and finding himself hip-deep in a swamp.

                Ryoga _could_ have spent some time telling them the story, and more time convincing them that he wasn't pulling their legs, but decided not to delay any further.   After all, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung's parents were waiting for them.  He settled for laughing sheepishly and saying, "Suppose you've got a point there, Ling-Ling."

                The three of them began walking slowly again.  "So I guess he made that for his wife, since she liked those kinds of stories, huh?"

                "That right," Ling-Ling confirmed.  "She was not his wife then, though.  Was actually betrothal gift of Hong Wa to then-girlfriend Talcum."

                "Betrothal gift?" Ryoga asked, his instincts for avoiding potentially dangerous topics failing him once again.

                Ling-Ling nodded enthusiastically.  "When non-warrior man asks woman to be wife, he work hard with own hands, create gift for her what he put all his love and heart into.  Is very romantic custom, yes?"

                "Is not necessary for when marriage happen because of he beat her in combat, but is still very sweet when man do anyway."  Lung-Lung batted her eyes at Ryoga.  "Hint, hint."

                How he would have responded must remain a mystery, for at that moment came a sharp sound like the cracking of a sheet of ice.  Cologne stepped out from behind a wall, an expression of cold displeasure very plain on her face.  Her throat hurt from having cleared it so forcefully, which lent a raspy quality to her voice that only made her sound more fearful.  "Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, I have told you not to push him, but you seem bound and determined to ignore my words."  She turned the full force of her glare on each girl in turn.  They both shrank back, each wanting to hide behind Ryoga or at least take his arm for reassurance, but neither daring to.  "As your parents wished to see you as soon as possible, we will not speak further of this here.  I will see the two of you later."

                Ryoga glanced to either side of him.  The sight of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung ashen-faced and trembling was enough to spur him to action.  "Didn't we go through this once before?" he growled at Cologne before she could turn away.  "Just let it go, Granny."

                This time, he didn't falter as the Matriarch gave him a long, silent, appraising stare.  Eventually she said, "Would you care to elaborate on that?"

                "You heard me," he said.  "You think you're doing me some kind of favor here?  Watching you rip into them hurts a lot worse than just getting teased a little, you know.  So back off and let me handle it!"

                Cologne bounced to the top of her staff, leaning forward and looking him in the eye.  "You think you can, sonny boy?"

                "No," he said flatly.  "I probably will screw up.  But it's my business.  Not yours.  Not your place to interfere.  I appreciate the help you've given me, elder, but you've got to stop coming down so hard on them."

                For another long moment, there was silence.  Then Cologne relaxed a little, and gave Ryoga a wide smile.  This _did_ cause him to flinch back.  "Very well, son-in-law, but don't expect me to just leave you without any advice or counsel.  My family is too important to me.  However, that's all I'll offer from now on.  No more harsh words or orders, and no punishment if they step out of line."

                She leaped back to the ground, and began walking away.  Over her shoulder she called back, "I hope you can handle it, Ryoga."

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung breathed twin sighs of relief.  "Thank you, Airen," Ling-Ling said.  She frowned in the direction the Matriarch had taken.  "She not have to make it sound like that," the cherry-haired girl complained.  "Like she only one holding us back from walking all over you.  We not do that.  All we want is be good wives to you."

                Eventually Ling-Ling would learn that this time, the Matriarch had acted as she did in order to spur Ryoga on to defend her and her sister.  When that happened, the redhead would feel quite guilty for her immediate reaction.  But for now, she was just plain annoyed.

                "Yeah," said Lung-Lung, though Ryoga thought she didn't sound quite as certain as her sister.  A moment later, that impression was confirmed as she spoke again.  "Ryoga?  We know there much difference between Amazon way and Japanese.  We not mean to make you too too uncomfortable.  Did we?"

                "A little, yeah," he admitted.

                Lung-Lung brightened.  "Oh, a little is okay.  Great-Grandmother say, is how things supposed to go between mans and womans, because each is always little bit of mystery to other.  So long as not too bad, is no problem."

***************

                Ryoga's head was still spinning as he entered the twins' parents' home.  At that point, the need to actually focus on what was happening allowed him to push the mental turmoil off to one corner of his mind.  He listened to Ling-Ling introduce her parents, then bowed to them.  "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said nervously.  "I'm Ryoga Hibiki."

                Their father, a brown-haired man of medium height and build, gave Ryoga a critical stare, before smiling and bowing.  Da Bus turned to his daughters and spoke in Mandarin.  "Father is pleased to meet you too, Airen," Ling-Ling translated.  "He looking forward to get to know you."

                "He doesn't speak Japanese?" Ryoga asked, trying for the Stupid Question of the Chapter award.

                "No, neither father nor mother do," Lung-Lung admitted.

                "Okay, _this_ is going to be awkward," he muttered under his breath.

                Da Bus gave Ryoga another smile, then turned back to face his daughters.  His face shifting into a challenging mask of parental authority, he barked another sentence.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung began to protest, but both parents overrode them.  Lung-Lung frowned rebelliously, but turned back to face her Airen.  "Father say he want see right now how bad our fighting skills get rusty while we in Japan," she said reluctantly.  "We have to go spar with him now.  Mother say she stay here with you, keep you company and get to know you."

                "What?  How's she gonna do that if she can't even speak Japanese?!" Ryoga asked helplessly.

                "I not know," Lung-Lung answered.  The lime-haired girl heaved a sigh.  "Lung-Lung think is one of those times when parents think it their job to embarrass daughters."

                The girls followed their father out of the building, leaving Ryoga facing their mother, Li Na.  She was short and slightly built, only an inch taller than her daughters who presumably still had some growing to do, with red hair and eyes about the same color as Kodachi's.  There was a slightly odd cast to her facial features, though Ryoga would have been hard-pressed to describe it more exactly than that.

                Li Na smiled at him, then walked over and seated herself at the nearby table.  She gestured for him to take the seat across from her.  As Ryoga did so, Li Na picked up a sheet of parchment with an elaborate line drawing like a dozen tattered spiderwebs overlaid.  Giving it a strange, wistful glance, she gripped it firmly with both hands, and tore it in half.

                "So, Ryoga, it's nice to meet you," she said in flawless Japanese.

                "H- huh?!  I thought...  I mean, your daughter said you didn't speak my language," Ryoga said bewilderedly.

                "Translation rune," Li Na said, gesturing toward the torn parchment.  Ryoga noticed that the drawing on each piece was very slowly disappearing, the outer fringes of the ink fading into invisibility.  "The effect will last for an hour."

                "Wow, that's convenient," he said.

                "Not when you consider my sister  Rouge spent twenty hours over a period of four days to create two of these for me," Li Na said dryly.  "I hope you appreciate how I set myself up to owe her a huge favor, young man."

                "Uh, yes, thanks."  Ryoga paused, at a loss for words.  Considering how much this one hour of clear communication had cost, he didn't want to waste any of it, but he honestly had no idea what to say next.

                Fortunately, Li Na was seldom at a loss for words.  "I know you haven't seen much of our village yet, but what do you think so far?"

                "It's nice," Ryoga said, grateful to be given a cue.  "I really like the view of the mountains."

                "Not bothered by the primitive conditions or anything?"

                "Not me.  I've spent a lot of my time camping out.  I may have lived in a mansion for the last few months, but there's still a part of me that thinks four walls, a roof, and someone else there with me is luxury," he said thoughtfully.  "I think I always will feel like that."

                "My daughters said something like that in one of their _infrequent_ letters," Li Na replied.  "That you'd spent a lot of time alone, on the road.  They thought you'd be able to appreciate their home a lot more than many people."

                Ryoga shrugged.  "Don't really know about how other people would feel.  But I like it so far."

                "Yes, it does kind of grow on you..." Li Na said softly, her eyes not focused on Ryoga for the moment.  After a bit, she pulled herself together.  "And how about Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, hmmm?" she asked, pretending to ignore the way Ryoga suddenly began to sweat.  "It didn't take many letters for me to get a good idea of how they felt for you.  What do you think about them?"

                "Um... ah..." Ryoga desperately sniffed the air.  "Is that smoke?!  Somebody's house must be on fire!  We've got to go help!"  He started to rise, then made the mistake of making eye-contact with Li Na.  His legs folded, collapsing him back in his chair.

                Li Na kept up the piercing stare for a bit longer, then allowed her face to relax.  "Ryoga, calm down, will you?  I've heard more than just my daughters' version of the story.  Cologne sent word back to me as well.  I know you're in a difficult position.  That's why I wanted to get a chance to talk to you privately.  Tell me how you really feel."

                Ryoga gave a long, drawn-out sigh.  After a while, he said, "I like them.  I care for them.  I honestly can't say more than that.  Not that I love them.  Not that I don't love them.  I feel like I'm caught in a whirlwind, getting pulled around and around.  And I just don't know where or how I'll end up.

                "I don't know how much Cologne told you.  But there's someone else, someone I knew before I met your daughters.  I care about her, too, and just thinking about going to her and telling her we can't be together, that I've chosen Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung..." Ryoga shuddered.  "I'm sorry.  I know you don't want to hear this."

                "Don't want to hear the truth?" Li Na asked sardonically.  Besides, she'd heard it all already from Rouge.  Thanks to the auguries her sister had cast, Li Na probably understood Ryoga's feelings even better than he did himself.  "Let's get one thing straight right now.  What I want for my daughters is for them to be happy.  If you're not ready to go to them and tell them you've chosen them, wholeheartedly, no regrets, then marriage isn't part of the picture yet."

                "No joke," Ryoga muttered.  "I'm only sixteen!  I'm not ready for something like that!"

                "So what _are_ you ready for?" Li Na challenged him.  "What do _you_ want, Ryoga Hibiki?"

                "What do I want," he repeated softly, then sat in silence, considering.  At last, he looked up, and said, "What I want is to get out of this mess without hurting anybody I care about.  Not Ling-Ling, not Lung-Lung, not Ukyo."

                "I notice you didn't mention yourself in that list," Li Na pointed out.

                Ryoga snorted.  "By now I'd walk barefoot over a mile of broken glass if it somehow fixed things without hurting Ukyo or your daughters."

                "Thanks for that lovely image," Li Na replied sarcastically.  Then her expression softened, and she spoke in as sympathetic a tone she could manage.  "And what if there just isn't a way, Ryoga?  What would you do if you HAD to reject somebody?  Would you take the path that caused the least hurt overall?"

                He didn't want to respond, as if doing so was somehow giving up on a perfect solution.  But Li Na's eyes held his, not letting him go without giving an answer.  And what was he supposed to say, anyway?  'No, if I can't find a way to work everything out perfectly I'm not going to worry about how much damage I do'?  At last he said, reluctantly, "If there's really no other way... yes, I'd do whatever I could to cause as little pain as possible."  He hedged by adding, "But I don't even know what that is."

                "Don't worry, Ryoga.  When the time comes, you'll know."  Li Na patted him on the shoulder.

                "Not that I'm giving up on everything working out," Ryoga continued.

                Li Na nodded encouragingly.  'You were right, Rouge,' she thought to herself.  'He'll make a wonderful husband for my daughters when he's ready.'

***************

                Ranma laughed, Ukyo blinked, and Kodachi just gave Rouge a long evaluating look.  Eventually the White Rose said, "If you're the heir to the Matriarchy, there's a question I'd like to ask.  Have you learned some lessons Cologne didn't mean to teach?"

                Rouge chuckled.  "I suppose you could say that."

                "Eh, Cologne knew what she was getting into when she made you her heir," Ranma said.  "Least that's what Shampoo thinks."

                "Ah yes, the Heart Link."  The Amazon matron led the three teens over to a table, directing them to take a seat.  She sat down across from Ranma, and smiled to take the sting out of her next words.  "You do know that's supposed to be a deep, dark secret, right, nephew-in-law?  Once you start going around the village and meeting people, you need to be careful not to let it slip how familiar you already are with them."

                "Huh?  What're you talking about?" Ukyo asked bewilderedly.

                "Good one, Auntie," Ranma chided.  "I hadn't told Ucchan those details, but I guess that just flew out the window, huh?"

                Rouge grimaced.  "Oh well.  Never said I don't make mistakes."

                Taking the Amazon's reaction as permission, Kodachi turned to Ukyo.  "We're sorry we never told you about this before, Ukyo, but it concerns a secret technique of the Amazon Elders.  The Heart Link is more or less what it sounds:  a spiritual tie between two people's souls.  Some months ago, Shampoo was critically injured and would have died, had her great-grandmother not Linked Ranma-kun and myself, and in the process transferred all my excess chi to him, then performed the technique again to tie him to Shampoo.  The infusion of energy saved her life, and left the three of us bound together.

                "As for Rouge's warning to Ranma just now... in the forging of the Link, Ranma and I each relived each other's memories.  And then the same occurred for him and Shampoo.  So he is already as familiar with the home, culture, and laws of the Amazons as Shampoo is herself.  But since the Heart Link is a secret technique, he needs to be careful not to reveal this familiarity, because otherwise he will face some difficult questions."

                "Huh."  Ukyo turned the revelations over in her mind for a few moments.  There had to be more to the story than the ultra-abbreviated version she'd just heard, but maybe it would be best to wait for Shampoo to get back before asking for the whole thing.  But there were a few questions that she just had to ask now.  "I guess this is permanent, right?"  When Kodachi and Ranma nodded, she asked suspiciously, "Did Cologne _tell_ you that before she linked you?"

                "Er, no," Kodachi admitted.  "But there really wasn't time.  It was rather a crucial situation, with Shampoo lying broken on the ground before us, her breath rasping shallowly, her consciousness already fled and her life soon to follow--"

                "Hey hey HEY!!" Ranma shouted, trying to fight off a fit of the shudders.  "Could we talk about something else, please?!  That's kinda just about the worst few minutes of my LIFE you're rehashing there, Dachi-chan!"

                'Okay,' Ukyo thought, 'new plan.  Wait until Ranma and Shampoo both _aren't_ here, _then_ ask Kodachi to tell the full story.'

                "I'm sorry," the White Rose apologized.  "I was just trying to say there was a reason that Cologne did what she did."  This last was uttered in a tone heavy with meaning.  Said meaning being that she hoped Ukyo would consider that the Matriarch might have had a similarly good reason for acting as she did in the matter of Ryoga, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung.

                'Wonder whether she's still trying to convince herself of that,' Ukyo mused, noting the odd tone in which Kodachi had spoken.  Laying that question aside for one that wouldn't be impolite, she turned back to Ranma.  "So you got all Shampoo's memories and she got yours?  How come she's still learning to speak Japanese, then?"

                "It's kinda hard to explain," Ranma admitted.  "She can speak Japanese just as good as me, if she concentrates on my memories and uses them to filter the words through.  An' I can speak Mandarin if I do the same thing.  Understanding it is even easier.  Don't really have to do anything special for that, which I admit seems kind of odd."

                "The Heart Link is a sealed technique.  The last time it was performed was many hundreds of years ago," Rouge said.  "There's still some things we don't really understand about it."

                "Well, that was nice and ominous," Ukyo said, feeling uncomfortable now.  Talking about sealed techniques and forbidden secrets was beginning to make her queasy.  After all, the last time she did that, ignoring the warnings and telling Ryoga about her family's secret history, less than a week later he'd received Kisses of Marriage from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  "How about we change the subject?"

                "That's probably a good idea, Ukyo," Rouge allowed.  "What would you like to talk about?"

                "What was the deal with that entrance you pulled?  I mean, were you just trying to get our attention?"

                "It's part of the whole 'mystique of the Matriarch' thing," Rouge said cheerfully.  "And I was hoping I might catch Great-Grandmother off-guard as well.  That didn't happen, though."

                " 'Great-Grandmother'?"  Ukyo frowned.  "Wait a minute.  If you're Shampoo's aunt, and the old lady is her great-grandmother, wouldn't that just make her your grandma?"  She made a wry face.  "Or are you just saying you think she's a 'great' grandmother?"

                Ranma and Kodachi stifled groans.  Rouge shook her head.  " 'Great-Grandmother' is more a term of affection and respect.  She's a lot farther back than that.  You did know she's over three hundred years old, right?"

                "Get outta town," Ukyo said dismissively.  "I know she looks like something somebody pulled out of a crypt and dusted off a bit, but no WAY is she..."  She stopped as she realized Ranma was nodding his head.  "A- are you serious, Ranchan?  But how?!"

                "Really high-order chi manipulation," he answered.  "Get good enough at controlling your chi, learn the right technique, and you can extend your life by a few centuries."

                "But only if you're the lucky one person in ten thousand born with that kind of talent for chi manipulation," Kodachi amended.  "Most people don't even come close to that kind of potential."

                "It's not nearly that rare among the Amazons, though," Rouge said.  "That's what three thousand years of breeding for strength and fighting potential will do for you.  These days it's even a requirement for a place in the Council of Elders."

                "So I guess that means you've got it too, huh."  Ukyo gave Rouge a long appraising look.  "I gotta admit, you're pretty good at hiding it.  As far as I can see, you look like the weakest fighter in this room, not the strongest."

                "Oh, I'm not much of a fighter at all," the Matriarch-in-training admitted cheerfully.  "I discovered very early on that I had other, more important talents."

                "More important to an Amazon than fighting?" Kodachi said incredulously.  She punched Ranma in the arm.  "You, sir, have obviously not told me everything I need to know."

                "Hey, what's life without a few surprises, Dachi-chan?" Ranma said with a grin.

                Kodachi stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend, then turned back to face Shampoo's aunt.  "And what talents would those be?"

                Rouge held up one hand.  The air around the teenagers seemed to shiver, becoming dry and prickly.  Arcs of electricity crawled up the Amazon's arm to coalesce into a ball in her palm.  "Magic," she said simply.

                Ukyo gave a long, low whistle.  "Guess something like that _would_ make up for not being able to pull off a flying dragon kick."

                "Indeed, Ukyo."  Rouge flexed her fingers a few times, making the lightning ball pulse up and down.  Then, without warning, she tossed it to the chef.  "Catch!"

                "AHHH!" Ukyo shrieked, instinctively complying.  She frantically juggled the ball from hand to hand.  Then, recovering slightly, she threw it away as hard as she could.  The sphere landed in a corner of the room and detonated with a loud crackle.  Sheets of electricity crawled over the walls and floor, then faded away.

                Rouge winced, looking at the scorched floor and charred walls.  "Child, that wouldn't have hurt you.  I just wanted to show you something."

                "Show me WHAT, that Amazons think scaring house-guests to death is funny?!" Ukyo snapped, still trying to get her heart rate under control.

                "No, not that at all.  I'm sorry.  I really did mean for this to be a pleasant surprise."  Rouge produced another ball, turning this time to face the other girl present.  "Please catch this, Kodachi.  Don't worry, it won't hurt you."

                She gently lobbed the orb of energy to Kodachi.  The White Rose cupped her hands beneath it, catching it gingerly... but it winked out as soon as it touched her.  She blinked in surprise.  "Why did that happen?"

                "You have no potential for magic," Rouge said.  "But that isn't the case for you, Ukyo.  You have a very strong talent.  That's what I meant by a pleasant surprise.  And I wouldn't mind giving you a lesson or two, while you're here."

                Ranma frowned.  "How come Ucchan's ball exploded like that, when it just disappeared for Dachi?"

                "Ukyo expected the ball to explode.  She poured power into it without even realizing what she was doing," Rouge said ruefully.  "I didn't expect _that_, let me tell you."

                "Well... sorry," Ukyo said half-reluctantly.  "Maybe I will take you up on that offer.  Let me think about it for a while."

                "It amazes me how much arcane lore and esoteric techniques the Amazons have at their disposal," Kodachi said.  "I suppose that's another thing that piles up over three thousand years of history."

                "Indeed."  A thought occurred to Rouge.  "And speaking of that, we have a great deal to thank you for, Kodachi."

                "Me?" Kodachi said blankly.  "What did I do?"

                "Do you remember that wretched lecher, Happosai?"

                The gymnast winced, and nodded.  Even if it had been justified and unintentional, she still felt guilty about what she'd done to him.  Rouge continued, "He passed through our village a long time ago, when he and Cologne were just a little older than you are now.  And when he left, he stole as many of our treasures as he could get his grubby hands on.  Without your aid, Great-Grandmother might never have recovered them.  And for one in particular, I wanted to thank you personally."

                Rouge got up and walked quickly to another room, returning a moment later with a small, ornate chest.  She set it on the table, then sat back down.  "This sat empty for longer than all four of us put together have been alive," she said.  "But not any more.  Go ahead and open it."

                Kodachi did so, lifting the lid to reveal a silk-swaddled object.  She removed it, then carefully unwrapped the cloth to reveal... a rather tacky-looking hand mirror.

                Ranma stared at the artifact, trying to find some mention of it in Shampoo's memories.  No luck.  Eventually he said, "So does this thing have some kinda secret power or something?  It sure doesn't look like anything special."

                "It's one of the greatest treasures of the Amazons," Rouge said seriously.  "The Nanban mirror.  

Think of a time and place you'd like to visit, allow a tear to fall on its surface, and the magic of the mirror will take you there.  I've used it to keep in touch with Great-Grandmother while she was in Japan.  Much more convenient than hiking over the mountains to get to a telephone, let me assure you."

                Kodachi gulped a few times, looking down at the object in her hands.  At last she found her voice.  "When you said, think of a _time_ and place... do you mean this mirror can actually transport someone into the past?!"

                Rouge nodded an affirmation, then took note of the horrified expression on Kodachi's face.  "Is something wrong?"

                "Well, yes!  How can you let something that dangerous exist?  Some fool or madman could get their hands on it a thousand years from now and completely alter history!"  Kodachi tensed, wondering whether she ought to smash the glass herself.  On the one hand, it would neatly remove a terrible threat.  On the other, she'd probably never make it away from Joketsuzoku alive.

                Unaware of just how much was riding on her answer, Rouge spoke reassuringly.  "Don't worry, dear, that can't actually happen.  The mirror only lets you observe.  No rewriting history allowed."

                Kodachi relaxed slightly.  "You're certain about that?"

                "Quite," Rouge responded.  "History is like a great wheel of stone, massive beyond all belief, with reality like a field of velvet.  Time rolls forward, impressing an indentation in the surface of what is.  The mirror can take you back to a previous point on the track, but it doesn't have the power to alter the path that's already been laid down."

                "But that's..."  Ukyo groped for words, knowing there was something fundamentally wrong with that but not sure exactly what.  Then she realized what was bothering her.  "But that's like saying there's no choice at all.  I mean, if we go back and can't change anything cause the track is already laid down, the same thing's gotta be true for the people around us who lived then!  It isn't their past, it's the present, but they have to just slug on and follow destiny?!  We're all just going through the motions that're already set down in stone for us?!  I don't believe that.  I won't."

                "No, that isn't what I'm saying."  Rouge sighed.  "Okay, brace yourselves, because we're about to get deep into theory here."

                Ranma got up, walked quickly into another room, and came back with a plate of dim sum.  "Ready when you are, Auntie," he said, picking up one and raising it toward his mouth.

                Rouge plucked it out of his hand, and set it on the table before her.  Focusing her will on it, she altered the shape of the dumpling, making it more wheel-like.  She set it upright and began rolling it along, leaving a trail of grease and dimly glowing purple light.  "This represents Now, the Eternal Moment," she said.  "When the wheel of What Has Been is coming into contact with the ground of What Will Be.  Here, at the cusp, is where decisions can be made.  Where the path of the wheel is decided."

                She turned the dumpling a few times, so that its course was a zigzag rather than a straight line.  "It's not following a path that's been set out already.  The path is created by the Moment.  And so Here and Now we can change the world, but we can't use the mirror to go back and alter what once was.  Not in any significant way, I mean.  The wheel has already passed that time by."

                "I don't understand," Kodachi said, frustration evident in her voice.  Hearing this was making her head hurt.  She wasn't sure why, but it felt like what Rouge was saying was only a piece of a greater whole, the sounds entering her ears while unspoken words pushed directly at the back of her mind, clamoring and crying, needing to be understood.  The feeling was intensely annoying.  "If we go back, wouldn't it be Now where and when we were then?"

                Ranma finished one dim sum and picked up another.  If this was making Dachi-chan's head hurt, he knew better than to pay too much attention or try to understand it.

                "No," Rouge said.  "You need to understand that Time as we know it is just a piece of Paratime.  The moment Now is an absolute, regardless of your position in the timestream.  If you go back before Now, all you can make is inconsequential changes.  You might visit your own great-great-great-grandmother, bring her a basket of fruit and alter what she had for lunch on a given day.  But if she was going to go out to meet the man she would eventually marry, you wouldn't be able to stop her no matter how hard you tried.  Actually, the timestream itself would kick you out before you could do anything significant.  You would bounce off the walls of the rut that the wheel has already left behind, so to speak.  You'd wind up right back where and when you were when you used the mirror."

                "So there's no way at all to change the past, but we can still make our own choices in the present, huh?" Ukyo said skeptically.  Sounded like a wishful thinking theory to her.  More likely whoever made the Banana Mirror or whatever it was called just put a 'you can't change history with this thing' clause into the spell.  Kodachi frowned too, still unsure what was bothering her.

                "Well, technically that's not true," Rouge admitted slowly.  "Theoretically it is _possible_ to undo what has been done.  It's not nearly so simple as inserting yourself into the past, though.  Changing things like that isn't an option, but if you could affect the Eternal Moment, halt the wheel entirely and force it to run backward, that method... and _only_ that method... could take the whole world back to a time gone by, with the chance to choose a new path entirely."

                "And the mirror's just not powerful enough to do that?" Ranma asked, spotting his chance to contribute to the conversation without actually having to swallow an entire Metaphysics 101 course in one gulp.

                "Not by several billion orders of magnitude," Rouge said wryly.  "And Kodachi dear, you needn't worry about some fool or madman in the future gaining the power to do this.  It's so astronomically improbable that you'd be far better off worrying about a comet blasting into the earth and reducing it to rubble."

                Kodachi chewed her lower lip.  "I don't know about that... I mean, it seems to me that as time goes by, people become more and more obsessed with power.  Who knows what the generators of the twenty-third century will be like?  What if some techno-sorcerer comes up with a way to slave the output of a municipal power plant to his spell?"

                "Wouldn't work," Rouge said reassuringly.  "What I've told you is a large fraction of all we know of the theory.  Now with that as your reference, think of an aborigine from a tribe with no contact with the outside world.  She watches birds fly through the air, and she realizes that it's their wings that allow them to do so.  In this she understands about as much of the practical science of aerodynamics as we do of temporal metatheory.  And she'd have just as much luck building a jet airplane as a human mage would bending absolute Time to her will."

                "Aren't you mixing your metaphors there a little?" Ukyo pointed out.  "I mean, there's a lot more than just knowing aerodynamics that goes into building a jet.  You gotta have steel, and fuel, and really bad food for during the flight, and a lot of other stuff too."

                "My point exactly," Rouge said with a satisfied look.  "We're getting back into theory now, but don't worry, Ranma, it's almost over.  Because the Eternal Moment is in a way timeless, whereas we humans are bound firmly to time, a human can touch it but not manipulate it.

                "No matter how strong a human might be, she would still need the power and essence of some sort of timeless entity in order to actually affect Time itself.  That could be considered the materials issue in the jet plane construction analogy, Ukyo."

                "What's to stop some powerful entity like that from doing it, then?" Kodachi asked.  "Are we just counting on the fact that they would already have done it if they wanted to?"

                "No.  They simply cannot.  Such creatures cannot survive a direct contact with the Eternal Moment.  They are immortal because Time doesn't touch them."  Rouge shrugged.  "Besides, the entity's position outside of Time would make it impossible to know exactly what it would need to do.  The ever-changing nature of the Eternal Moment means that only a human, positioned within the flow of time, would be able to figure out exactly how it needed to be manipulated.  For some timeless spirit to try would be like trying to open a crate using a crowbar that was shipped inside the box.

                "So you see, it would have to be the work of a human...  and here we reach the last, most impossible hurdle of all.   Assuming someone somehow found a source of all the practical knowledge she would need to successfully warp time, she would be shattered by it like a porcelain doll beneath one of Shampoo's bonbori.  All we know is just a drop of water in the river, just enough to let us dimly see how much is out there that we _don't_ know.  No mortal mind could survive that burden intact."

                "Hmmm..."  Somewhere in Rouge's last few sentences, the annoying clamor at the back of her mind had subsided.  Kodachi decided it had probably just been worry that someone might one day succeed in unraveling the timeline.  And now that she knew just how unrealistic that thought really was, she could stop worrying.  Hence the relief she felt after Rouge had finished her explanation.  "I suppose there really isn't much cause for concern then.  It won't ever happen.  Thank you, Rouge."

                "Yeah, thanks for the lecture.  I was really wishing I was back in school," Ranma said sarcastically, a little disgruntled over the last crack Rouge had shot his way.  "Shampoo doesn't know what she's missing."

***************

                Ranma's lavender-haired love interest moved purposefully through the streets.  The temptation was there to walk slowly, to take her time and look around, to refamiliarize herself with the village after the long months spent in Japan.  She ignored it.  Shampoo didn't think it likely that the other Amazons were going to be all that happy to see the undefeated Champion come back, and she wasn't in the mood to deal with cold stares and the cold shoulder.

                Time enough for that later, when she could show Kodachi and particularly Ranma around the village.  She had heard from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung that when word got back of her first failure with Tatewaki, the main response among the other Amazons had been a sort of satisfied consensus that the high-and-mighty Shampoo had had it coming.

                Learning that had hurt.  Shampoo was just glad the twins hadn't let that slip out until well after the truth of the Heart Link had been revealed.  It would have been much more painful, otherwise.  But with the news coming when it did, her main reaction had been a determination to one day show everyone just what kind of man did think she was worth loving.  Let all those petty, jealous girls turn green from envy!  They couldn't beat her in a fight, and there was no way in the world they'd ever find a man as good as her Airen!

                By her ancestors, if she had to put up with hostility, she was going to EARN it!

                Her quick, determined strides carried her to her destination in very little time.  Shampoo stopped just outside the door of the household of her aunt Jasmine, took a moment to school her face into an impassive mask, and knocked loudly.

                No response.  She knocked again, even more forcefully this time.

                Across the street, the front door of a different house swung open, revealing a tall blonde girl.  "Hello?  Is somebody there?"

                Shampoo heard the question in the background, but didn't pay it any attention, not having any reason to think it had anything to do with her.  The nameless girl looked around, frowned, stepped back inside, and started to close her door.

                Her impassive mask was beginning to slip a bit now.  Shampoo gave the door in front of her one last series of thumps, making absolutely sure that this time there was no way her knocking could go unnoticed.  A few loose tiles dropped from the roof, but that was the only response from the house.

                The lavender-haired girl gave a frustrated sigh.  "I can't believe Aunt Jasmine isn't home at least," she muttered as she turned to go.  "She almost never gets out of the house."

                "You just missed her.  She and her husband are meeting with the parents of the groom this afternoon, to discuss your cousin's upcoming marriage."

                Shampoo blinked, then turned a bit more.  The words had come from another Amazon crossing the street toward her.  The blonde girl wasn't someone Shampoo had ever had much contact with, but it wasn't hard to remember her name.  "What was that, Edelweiss?"

                "I said your aunt and uncle are meeting with Xiao Yu's fiancé's parents this afternoon, to discuss the marriage.  They should be back in a few hours."

                "Oh."  Shampoo gave the other girl a strange look.  "Is there some reason you don't want to say Mousse's name?"

                Edelweiss's jaw dropped.  "Y- you knew?!  Xiao Yu wanted it kept a secret as long as possible, so you didn't try to interfere.  She was worried if you found out time was running out for you, that you'd reverse the Xi Fang Gao before she could marry him."

                Shampoo just stood there for an uncertain amount of time, as the words sunk in.  Then...

                ...Edelweiss was treated to the sight of the Champion of the Amazons down on her knees, holding her sides, laughing hard enough to knock a few more tiles loose from the roof above her.

                Eventually, Shampoo got her mirth under control.  "Wow, Edelweiss, I never knew you had a sense of humor like that.  Thanks.  But seriously, what was the reason?"

                "Um... I was serious, Shampoo."  Edelweiss took one look at the 'yeah, right' expression on Shampoo's face, and continued, "Really!  Xiao Yu really did say that!  But maybe it was a joke on her part?"

                "Guess that makes sense," Shampoo said, though now there was a slight doubt nagging at the back of her mind.  Namely... given that Xiao Yu was crazy enough to want Mousse in the first place, would thinking she might have to worry about Shampoo stealing him back really be all that much worse?  Well, it didn't matter now.  "Anyway, she's the one I'm really looking for.  Is Xiao Yu at the marriage meeting as well?"

                "No..."  Edelweiss hesitated, unsure as to what she ought to do, but eventually continued, "She and Mousse are probably at their favorite date spot."  She went on to give directions to said location.

                Shampoo thanked her and walked off.  Or perhaps 'stalked' would be a better word, Edelweiss mused.  She briefly considered following along and watching what transpired, but then thought better of it.  Judging from the gleam in Shampoo's eyes, it wouldn't be a good idea to risk getting caught up in whatever was going to happen next.

***************

                Mousse's eyesight was just as bad as ever, and anyway he was looking at the river in front of him rather than the girl at his side.  He still didn't miss her shiver, though, since he had his arm around her.  "Delayed reaction?" he asked, pulling her a little closer to him.

                "Hmmm?  What was that, Mousse?" she asked absently.

                "I felt you shiver just now.  Were you thinking about what your mother is going to say this evening?"

                "Don't be silly, Airen.  I love Mom to death, but she's got a real blind spot where you're concerned."  She gave him a quick kiss as apology for the choice of words, then continued.  "I'll just tune her out if she starts ranting and raving, then pay attention again when she says when the wedding will be."

                Mousse shook his head in wonder.  "I can't believe it doesn't bother you at all, that she," he gulped, trying to get the sentence out without actually letting it trigger any memories, "she caught us in bed last night."

                "Well, believe it or not, it's still true."  Xiao Yu gave him an impish smile.  "If you want to spend a few minutes telling me how brave I am and how much you admire it, I wouldn't mind a bit."

                A few minutes later, more or less, Mousse broke off in mid-compliment.  Xiao Yu had just shivered again.  "That's the second time you did that, darling.  Are you cold?"

                "No," she said hesitantly.  "I'm not really sure what it was.  Just felt like there was some vague but horrible doom, creeping closer and closer."

                "Well, well, cousin.  I never knew you were clairvoyant."

                The familiar voice had come from only a few feet behind them, speaking in a velvet purr that practically dripped menace.  Xiao Yu and Mousse leaped to their feet and spun around to face the speaker.  Or at least they tried to.  But since they had been holding hands, and neglected to let go, what actually happened was the two of them knocked their foreheads together, then fell flat on their faces.

                Shampoo shook her head disgustedly.  'Aiyah.  Maybe I shouldn't even bother.  She's punishing herself worse than I ever could.'

                With a groan, the young couple picked themselves up and successfully turned to face the newcomer.  Xiao Yu's face set like stone.  "Well, Shampoo.  What do you want?"

                The other Amazon's gaze flickered from her cousin to Mousse, then back again.  "Is that any way to greet a family member you haven't seen in months, Xiao Yu?"

                A battle aura began to flicker around Xiao Yu.  "If it was anyone other than a family member who was trying to steal my love back, _cousin_, I'd already have a sword in my hands!"

                Shampoo hadn't really expected to maintain her air of cool reproach for the entire confrontation, but she also hadn't thought she would lose it this quickly.  "I don't believe this!  What kind of an idiot are you?!"

                "Not enough of an idiot to let you get your claws back in Mousse!  I knew if I didn't move quickly, you'd eventually come and drag him back.  Well, guess what, Shampoo, you missed your chance!  You threw him away and I'm not letting you play any more games with him.  Mousse is mine now.  He's got someone who really does love him.  We're getting married as soon as possible and there's nothing you can do about it!!"

                "WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU THINK I _WANT_ TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?!" Shampoo screamed.  She took a deep breath, then continued in a marginally more controlled tone, "Far be it from lowly little _me_ to break up two people who are obviously so perfect for each other.  I mean, he's blind as a bat, and if you really think I want to try and take him away from you, you must be too."

                Mousse frowned at this, but held his peace.  He hadn't much cared for the remark about his eyesight.  That didn't mean he was willing to snarl at Shampoo about it, though, not after all the grief he'd given her over the years.  And then there was the fact that, as angry as Shampoo was, it might not be a good idea to take an active part in this confrontation.  No sense sticking his head in a hornets' nest, after all.

                "You really expect me to believe you aren't here to take him back?!"  Xiao Yu's eyes narrowed.  "Then show me you mean it.  Shut up, go away, and leave us alone."

                "Oh, I will.  I will."  Shampoo's voice was back to the velvet purr of death.  "After I do what I came here for, cousin."  Her face twisted.  "All you had to do was tell me you wanted him, she continued in the same menacing tone.  "I'd have given him to you in a heartbeat.  I never wanted Mousse to be anything but a friend, and if I knew how you felt I'd have pushed him toward you until he _had_ to accept it.

                "But what _did_ you do, Xiao Yu?  Instead of letting Mousse know you were interested, you teased him and made fun of him.  You challenged me over and over, and got more and more hostile each time you lost.  I just thought you were acting like everybody else, pouting like spoiled children when they couldn't beat me."

                "How dare you!!"  Xiao Yu's face was pale with fury.  "Do you know what it felt like, watching him fall all over you no matter how badly you treated him?!  Do you know how much it hurt, when he never even noticed me?!"

                "No, I don't!  But I do know this... you deserved every single minute of it, and more!  It happened because you _let_ it happen.  How about you, Xiao Yu, do you even care that he frightened other men away from me?  Do you know how alone I've been?!  I had to go to JAPAN to find people who accepted me for who I was!"

                "And you're blaming me for that?!"

                "It damn well is partly your fault," Shampoo growled back.  "Everyone's always resented me for my skill.  I didn't like it, but at least I had my family there to support me.  Or so I thought.  And then you start acting just like all the rest.  Did it even ONCE cross your mind that what you were saying then was I couldn't even trust my own blood kin?!

                "Ever since then there's been a nagging little whisper in the back of my mind, wondering just when Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were going to turn on me too.  And they didn't deserve that.  They've never done anything but support me.  And I wish to heaven they were the only cousins I had!"

                At this, Xiao Yu did flinch.  But she recovered quickly.  "Don't try to make out like it's all _my_ fault, Shampoo!  You sure didn't ever ask me why I was challenging you!"

                Shampoo's face flushed beet red.  "Do the words, 'I'll prove I'm better than you' ring any bells in your selective memory, cousin?"

                A worse flinch this time.  "That time... I meant... that was for Mousse.  I wanted to prove myself for him, so he'd notice me for once."

                "Just shut up."  Shampoo shook her head disgustedly.  "I don't want to hear any more out of you."  She pulled out her bonbori and assumed a fighting stance.  "This is for all the pain I went through, because you wouldn't just come out and say what you wanted.  I challenge you, Xiao Yu."

                "No."

                A sense of self-preservation had kept Mousse well back from the exchange between the two girls.  But this was enough to get him moving.  He strode forward, stopping between Shampoo and Xiao Yu.  "I won't let you do it, Shampoo."

                Shampoo bit back her instinctive response.  She looked at him silently for a long moment, then said, "You know, it's actually nice to see you stand up to me instead of curling up into a little ball.  That frown looks a whole lot better than the pleading looks you used to give me.  I'm glad the Xi Fang Gao worked this well, Mousse, and I'm glad you finally grew a spine.  Now GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

                His expression didn't change.  "I said no.  I won't let you hurt her.  Don't make me stop you."

                "Threats now, Mousse?"  Shampoo glared fiercely at him.  "You owe me too, you know.  Even more than she does.  All those years when you never listened and never worried about what _I_ wanted.  Well, you can pay some of that debt now, by not sticking your nose into my personal business."

                Mousse heaved a ragged sigh.  She certainly knew how to fight dirty.  "I... I can't deny it.  I do owe you.  But if you think that's going to make me just step aside and let you fight the woman I love, then I guess you don't know me very well at all."

                All the fire seemed to go out of Shampoo at once.  She sagged, and her bonbori dropped from her hands.  "I really can't convince you, can I?  And it's not like I can just go through you.  After all, you won our last fight, didn't you?"

                Xiao Yu had been content to stay behind Mousse for the last little while, enjoying a warm fuzzy glow as she watched him defy Shampoo for her sake.  At this, though, she snapped back to reality.  Surely he couldn't...

                Mousse relaxed.  "I'm sorry about that, Shampoo.  But I couldn't just stand by and--"

                "Mousse, what do you think you're doing?!  Don't fall for her tricks!" Xiao Yu cried, clutching his arm.

                "Huh?  What...?" Mousse asked, his train of thought effectively derailed.  He half-turned to face the girl at his side.

                Quicker than thought, Shampoo whipped out a long hollow tube and raised it to her lips.  A powerful exhalation sent a dart flying through the air to lodge itself in Mousse's shoulder.  He staggered, then slumped to the ground, falling rapidly toward unconsciousness.  The last thing he heard for some time was Shampoo's curtly uttered, "THAT was for HOW you won our fight, Mousse.  And no, I didn't really think you'd let honor make you do something you didn't want."

                "Mousse!" Xiao Yu shrieked as his eyes closed, falling to her knees beside him and frantically checking his vital signs.

                "Oh, come ON, Xiao Yu, do you really think I'd kill him?  He'll wake up in a few hours."  Shampoo tossed the tube off into the bushes, and picked up her bonbori.  She assumed a ready stance again.  "And he'll be feeling a lot better then than you will."

                Xiao Yu carefully pulled Mousse some distance away from the soon-to-be battleground, then produced her own weapon and charged.

***************

                A party thrown by Amazons is a party that lasts well into the night, so it wasn't until midmorning the next day that everyone set out for Jusenkyo.  Even so, there were still several aching heads among the group.

                Kodachi's head wasn't hurting, of course, but nonetheless something seemed to be bothering her.  Ranma noticed after the group had traveled about a mile.  "Something wrong, Dachi-chan?"

                "Well... it's just..." she sighed.  "Maybe it was my imagination," spoken in a tone that indicated she didn't believe it for a second, "but last night, as the party wore on, it seemed as if more and more people were staring at me.  I did hope that things might be different here.  I mean, I even saw some other people at the party with white hair.  I don't know why I should still stand out."

                Shampoo shook her head in disbelief, then winced as her skull protested the motion.  "If you no want to attract attention, Kodachi, why you have five mugs of festival mead?"

                The White Rose blinked in surprise.  "What are you talking about?  That fruit punch drink?"

                "Fruit punch she say," Ling-Ling muttered.  She and her sister had only managed one mug each and were still feeling the effects.

                "That 'fruit punch' was a LOT stronger than sake, Dachi," Ranma explained.

                "And you drink five mugs like they nothing.  Of course you get attention for that.  But most of it was stares of respect," Shampoo said.

                "Oops.  Why didn't someone tell me?" Kodachi asked plaintively.

                "How could you not know by the taste?" Ukyo countered.

                "Oh, never mind."

                A little farther up the trail, Li Na, Rouge, and Cologne were engaged in their own conversation.  "I still say it's ridiculous to take so many people to Jusenkyo," Cologne grumbled.  "We three may all be agreed that the current ruling to keep the place secret from the tribe as a whole is foolish, but we are still bound by it.  Such a large group disappearing for the day is bound to raise questions."

                Li Na shrugged.  "So who would you have left behind, Great-Grandmother?  Kodachi and Shampoo want to be there to see Ranma get cured.  My daughters are determined to share the moment with Ryoga, and since he'll eventually be my son-in-law I want to as well.  It would be needlessly cruel to leave Ukyo behind.  We need Rouge in case the guide is elsewhere, so we'll have someone who can find the Nannichuan.  That really just leaves you."

                "True, true."  Cologne shot an unpleasant glance toward Rouge, who looked off into the distance, whistling innocently.  "But it seems a rather large pile of requests and petitions _just for me_ has accumulated over the last month.  If you think I'm going to miss my chance to put that aside for a day, you must have had as much to drink last night as Kodachi."

***************

                It was the middle of the afternoon by the time they reached Jusenkyo.  Everyone stopped and just stood still for a few minutes, regarding the sight before them.  The warm summer sunlight sparkled off the various pools of water.  The bamboo poles stood invitingly tall and straight, as if crying out to any passing martial artist to try their skill at balancing.  There was a sense of drowsy calmness in the air, and all in all the Valley of Cursed Springs seemed beautiful and welcoming.  Amazing how deceiving looks could be, Ukyo mused.

                As if echoing her thought, Rouge spoke up.  "Everyone, remember that this place is dangerous.  A few of these springs carry curses that can't be overridden by the Nannichuan or Nyannichuan.  Keep on your guard and stay away from the water."

                Ranma snorted.  "Ya really think you needed to tell us that?"

                "Better safe than sorry," she replied.

                They skirted around the springs, making their way to the Jusenkyo guide's hut.  On arriving there, they found he was indeed absent.  "Time for me to do my stuff," Rouge said, walking through the door.  The others waited outside for her, as the building was too small for everyone to fit inside comfortably.  A few minutes later, she emerged, with a large sheet of paper rolled up in her hand.  "Found it."

                "Found what?" Shampoo asked.

                "The map that labels each spring with its curse."

                Ukyo rolled her eyes.  "So much for having to use magic to find the Spring of Drowned Man if the guide wasn't here."

                "Well, locating the map amounted to the same thing," Rouge said.  "You have no idea how cluttered that place is."

                Not much else was said as the group threaded their way through the various springs.  There was a feeling of mounting tension in the air.  Ranma and Ryoga felt it most keenly, of course, but all the others recognized the sensation as well.  Each step they took was bringing them a bit closer to the end of an era.

                They reached their goal at last.  Everyone else stopped well back from the water's edge, leaving Ranma and Ryoga to slowly continue forward.  "Seems like just yesterday I was popping up out of another one of these," Ranma said with a grimace.  "Funny to look at this one now, and think that Jusenkyo is finally gonna undo the damage Jusenkyo did in the first place."

                "I know what you mean," Ryoga said.  He gave Ranma a mock scowl.  "Feels like just yesterday for me, too, when a redheaded jerk of a girl knocked me into the Spring of Drowned Pig."

                "Yeah, yeah, P-chan, give it a rest al- WHAT'S THAT?!" Ranma shouted, pivoting and pointing off to one side of Ryoga.

                "What?!  Where?!"  The former lost boy turned, seeing only empty terrain and bamboo poles.  "I don't see any--"

                Without warning, a foot impacted on his hip, throwing him into the air.  Ryoga windmilled his arms helplessly, as if that was going to do any good.  His flight was brief, though, and before he really had time to even realize it, he'd left one element behind for immersion in another.

                The water twisted and spun around him.  Ryoga felt the same dizzy shifting that he'd experienced once before.  Trying not to panic, he surged desperately up and toward the light, breaking the surface of the water with a gasp.  "Ranma, you jerk!  What'd you do that for?!" he cried.

                And then, it dawned on him.  He had SPOKEN, not squealed or roared or chirped or barked.  He was standing in waist-deep water... COLD water... and he was still balancing on two legs, his clothes still in place and fitting properly.  Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and Ukyo were giving him big encouraging smiles.

                He was in the Nannichuan.  And he'd never, ever, EVER turn into a pig again.

                Ranma gave him a cocky grin.  "Figured since I was the one who bumped ya into the first spring, I ought to make up for it by knocking you into the one that cured you."

                Ryoga snorted in exasperation.  Then he put on his best expression of deceptive innocence.  "Oh.  Okay.  Well, could you give me a hand getting out, here?"

                The Saotome heir smiled resignedly.  "Sure," he said, taking Ryoga's hand, not even bothering to brace himself against the sudden pull that would send him into the drink.

                After a couple of seconds, Ryoga frowned and said, "So are you gonna pull me out or what?"

                "Um, yeah, sure," a still-dry-and-now-extremely-puzzled Ranma replied.  He hauled Ryoga out without further ado.  "I was kinda expecting you to pull me in, though."

                "Would I do a thing like that?" Ryoga asked.  "Besides, this is your big moment, right Ranma?  Kodachi and Shampoo are waiting for you."  He put one hand on his friend's shoulder.  "Congratulations... you'll finally be a whole man for them."  THAT was when he shoved out, sending Ranma flying headfirst into the Nannichuan.  And he just laughed when some of the spray hit him, with no transformatory effect at all.

                Ranma was a little more prepared than Ryoga had been, of course, and before he even broke the surface of the water he had one hand on his chest.  Nothing there that shouldn't be, after immersion.  He smiled, no, _grinned_ in delight, got his feet beneath him, and stood up.  Facing everybody, with a gleam of triumph in his eye, he shouted, "All RIGHT!  I'm one hundred percent guy again!!"  His eyes sought out Kodachi and Shampoo, wanting to share the moment of glory with them.

                Hang on.  Something was wrong... where were...

                He distinctly felt his heart skip a beat as he finally located them.  They were standing just where they had been before he took his plunge, Kodachi next to Ukyo and Shampoo next to the White Rose, with Cologne standing to the other side of her great-granddaughter.

                Kodachi's hair was still the same snow-white color he knew so well, but Shampoo's had darkened to a deep burgundy shade.  Both of them were standing several inches taller, much more obviously muscular, and both of them were undeniably male.

***************

                The next quarter hour passed in a sort of blur to the various teens.  Cologne, Rouge, and Li Na managed to get everyone back to the dubious safety of the guide's hut without anyone falling into another spring.  Once they arrived, Cologne and Rouge ushered the three nearly-catatonic teenagers inside.  The Matriarch spun her staff and whipped up a wind that blew enough of the clutter out of the way for them to sit down on a bench.  And then she and Rouge went to work.

                It didn't take long before they knew what had happened.  A quick application of hot chi to a panful of water, followed by application of that water to Shampoo-kun and Kodachi-kun, and then the three were all back in their birth forms.  The changes kick-started the teenagers' mental processes again, though it was still another minute or two before they could really think coherently.

                When Cologne judged they had reached that point, she spoke softly.  "I'm sure you have already guessed this, but it appears that Jusenkyo curses propagate along the Heart Link.  I am sorry."

                "You're sorry," Ranma repeated.  "_You're_ sorry."  With an effort, he swallowed the hysteria that was rising toward the surface, choked it back down as hard as he could.  Turning to Rouge, he asked desperately, "Is there any way to stop that from happening?"

                She slowly shook her head.  "There's nothing I can do.  And I don't think there's anybody else who could help you either.  The Heart Link is an Amazon technique, after all... we may not fully understand its intricacies, but there's nobody else who knows anything about it at all.  I'm sorry, Ranma, but there's just no way to use Jusenkyo to leave all three of you uncursed."

                Ranma trembled, his fists balling up in helpless rage and sorrow.  Kodachi and Shampoo each put a hand on one of his shoulders.  Before either of them could say anything, Rouge continued.  "There is one spring that could eliminate most of your problems, though."

                "What that?" Shampoo asked, trying to be hopeful, but doubting in her heart that Jusenkyo would relent at this point.

                "A spring that would leave each of you in your true sexes all the time, no matter what temperature of water you might encounter.  There wouldn't usually be any visible effects at all when you were splashed.  There would be a small portion of the time when that wouldn't be true, and you couldn't go out in public then, but you might think it less of a problem than what you're currently facing."

                "That sounds almost too good to be true," Ranma said suspiciously.  "What's the catch?"

                "Not such a bad catch, if you're trustworthy.  As I believe you are," Rouge said seriously.  "The spring is sealed because there's too much potential for chaos if it weren't.  But you three are capable of handling the power it would give you."

                "Fine, okay, _what spring_?"

                "The Spring of Drowned Weretiger," Rouge answered.

                Kodachi and Shampoo both had been pressed up against Ranma for the last minute or so, for his comfort and for their own.  Synchronized shudders nearly shook the three of them off the bench on which they sat.  "No," they said at once, more implacable in their refusal than the stone of the Bayankhala mountains.

                Rouge blinked, not having expected that response.  Cologne drew her back, and whispered, "Cat-Fist," in her ear.

                The mage blanched.  'Well, scratch _that_ idea,' she thought.

                Ranma choked down his reaction to physically becoming part cat.  "Is there any other spring that'd do the same kinda thing?" he asked desperately.  "Leave us all pretty much human an' the right sex too?"

                It was almost physically painful for Rouge to shake her head, and watch his reaction.  Ranma slumped, his arms tightening around Kodachi and Shampoo, pulling them close to himself.  They sat like that for a long moment.

                Eventually he raised his head again, and gave a bone-weary sigh.  "Then I guess I need ya to get that map out again, Auntie, cause it's been a while and I don't think I know which one is the Nyannichuan any more."

                Rouge started to say that she'd left it outside, with Li Na, but before she could even open her mouth Shampoo was speaking.  "Airen?  Is you sure?"

                He turned to face her, speaking gently.  "That's a silly question, Sham-chan."  Ranma slid off the bench, turning so he could face both girls at once.  So quietly that none of the teens realized it, Cologne and Rouge slipped out the door.

                Deliberately blanking from his mind the thought that Cologne and Rouge were watching, Ranma reached out to tenderly touch each girl's cheek.  "Do you know how bad I felt, that first horrible moment when I saw you two, standing there in shock?  I didn't even recognize ya at first!  The two most beautiful girls I know, an' Jusenkyo took that away.  Well, I'll be DAMNED if I won't take it right back from those stupid pools!"

                "Ranma-sama..." Kodachi choked out, reaching out herself and laying her hand on his arm.

                "It's okay," he said.  "It's okay.  We're gonna go back out there, and I'll get in the spring, and then things'll be back like... like they were."

                She sniffled in response.  Neither she nor Shampoo could manage any words just then.  Tears traced silvery lines down both girls' cheeks.

                "Don't cry for me," Ranma said, fighting back tears of his own.  "It's not so bad.  I mean, I'm kinda used to the curse and all by now."

                "Oh, you idiot," Kodachi choked, smiling through her sadness.  "I won't cry because you turn into a girl, Ranma-sama.  It doesn't matter to me.  You're still the best man I know, the man I love."

                "And same goes for Shampoo, too," the Amazon said.  "We will cry for you, because you is hurting, but you should not be.  We never, ever, EVER love you less because of curse.  If anything, Airen, we love you more, because you not even think of taking cure at our cost."

                "You better believe I wouldn't do that to ya," Ranma replied.  He leaned forward, as did Kodachi and Shampoo, each giving and receiving comfort as best they could.

***************

                After a while, the door opened, and the three exited the hut again.  Ranma looked around, seeing pity and sympathy on all the faces around him, especially Ryoga's.  There was a long, awkward moment of silence, which the Saotome heir eventually broke with a sigh.  "Let's get moving," he said.  "I got business with one other spring while we're here."

                This time there was no particular feeling of tension, just a sort of leaden dullness that hung in the air.  As they neared the spring and stopped, Ranma kept right on walking, not pausing or hesitating as he stepped into the waters of the Nyannichuan.  A moment later, she broke the surface, glanced resignedly down at her chest, allowed herself one last sigh of disgust, then climbed out.  Kodachi and Shampoo were right there waiting, one with hot water, the other holding a towel.  Ranma-chan made use of both, and the group began walking back toward the guide's hut to return the things they'd borrowed.

                Li Na walked over to Ryoga's side, pulling out and activating the second translation rune she'd mentioned to him the previous day.  "This visit hasn't turned out nearly as well as we hoped," she said sadly.  "At least we were able to use Jusenkyo to solve your problem, though."

                Ryoga snorted.  "Yeah.  Of course, Jusenkyo _caused_ the problem in the first place.  Guess I should be happy just to break even, though, huh?"

                Li Na put one arm across Ryoga's shoulders in a companionable gesture.  "That isn't really what I meant."

                Then... focus the chi to boost strength... pivot on one leg... the right arm swings forward while the left comes around to redirect the sudden momentum... once again Ryoga found himself flying through the air.  Once again he splashed down in a spring before he could recover enough to begin to react.  Once again the sensation of twisting and shifting crawled over him.  Once again he reared out of the water, more than a little annoyed at what had just been done to him.

                "What was THAT for?!"  "What was THAT for?!"

                Ryoga stiffened, and turned, and stared.  He wasn't the only one standing in the pool of water.  And yet, on the other hand, he _was_ the only one standing in the pool of water.

                "Spring of Drowned Twins," Li Na said, with just a touch of smugness.  It felt good to be able to end on a positive note.  "Terrible tragic story of boy who not have to break anybody's heart."

*********************************************************

                Author's notes

                Ah, the long dramatic buildup of tragic inevitability, as it becomes more and more clear that Ukyo must lose out to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung... and then seven measly paragraphs at the end of a fifty-page chapter change everything.

                When I originally plotted Chapter 7 (the one in which Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung first show up and begin pursuing Ryoga, in case you've forgotten), the intent was to have Ukyo win the final battle with the twins.  She would receive a Kiss of Death and not run, thus gaining entry into the Amazon tribe and using that to nullify Ling-Ling's and Lung-Lung's hopes to win Ryoga for themselves.  This would really have been the only feasible way to resolve things quickly, and at the time I was planning to have Chapter 8 be the last one.  However, by the time I actually began writing Chapter 7, two things had become apparent.  One, I was going to continue the fic much farther than I'd originally planned.  Two, I didn't have the heart to treat Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung as harshly as I had their 'big sister Shampoo.'  And so it doesn't come easily, but they do eventually achieve what they long for.  Without breaking Ukyo's heart in the process.

                Ryoga-Ukyo is one of the most common conventions for Ranma fanfics, as is Nabiki-Tatewaki.  I hope that in this story I've shown that even such widely-used ideas can still be given a fresh, creative spin.

                Speaking of Ukyo, were you surprised at how little learning about her strong magical talent seemed to impact her?  Remember that she already knew magic was tied into her family's bloodline.  And when Rouge offered to give her lessons in magecraft, I'm afraid she was pretty suspicious that this was mainly a ploy to get her out of the way while the twins spent as much time with Ryoga as they wanted.

By the way, those familiar with the manga probably know there's already a character named Rouge.  But it was such an appropriate Amazon name that I couldn't resist using it.  Besides, this story is based on the anime, which means anything that only appears in the manga I'm treating as optional, probably not to be included at all.

                One other point that might not have been explained sufficiently clearly in the story:  when Ranma thinks Genma has brought Akane to fight him in an attempt to get the two of them together under Amazon law, that's not to say that is a correct application of the marriage statutes.  Ranma thinks his father is misinterpreting things.  Note that Akane makes the same misinterpretation of the defeat-in-combat law just a little later.

                Another mistake that should be mentioned here... Chapter 8 established clearly that the plan of the original Black Rose, though for the most part effective, was far from perfect.  Here we see another flaw in it.  She was forced to guess at what her father's personality would be like, with his mind not shattered by the tragic death of his wife, and failed to fully take into account the determination he would have to see his little girl healed.  The long and short of this is Godai is much more willing to take risks than the original Kodachi thought he would be.  She didn't want him risking his life on the journey that would eventually take him to Elminster, but that happened quite a number of times.  However, he doesn't regret having endangered himself, as stated in this chapter, and if the new Kodachi knew all the things he accomplished in his travels, neither would she.

                One last thing before I go... I know the confrontation scene between Shampoo and Xiao Yu seems harsh.  To anybody who's disappointed in Shampoo for not simply taking the high road and forgiving her cousin, I'm sorry.  It's not my intention to portray any of the characters as saints.  They still have failings, and here's one of Shampoo's.  At the same time, though, I tried to show just how deeply Shampoo had been hurt by her cousin.  If anyone didn't pick up on that, let me clarify here:  in Shampoo's eyes, Xiao Yu did nothing short of betraying her.  And it hurt her worse than any three other experiences of rejection she ever had in her village.

                Thanks to Jim Bader, Gregg Sharpe, and James Merritt for prereading.  Next time:  another round of adjustments and resolutions.


	15. Summer Days

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.

                Words in ~tildes~ indicate English song lyrics.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 14:  Summer Days

***************

                Ryoga paused at the top of the gorge.  The clanging and crashing sounds that he'd been following for the past several minutes were still ringing forth.  He sat down and waited a bit longer, until one last gigantic explosion of sound rent the air.

                In the silence that followed, he got back to his feet and looked over the lip of the chasm.  Ukyo was standing ankle-deep in a pile of rubble, gasping and panting for breath.  Said rubble was all that remained of the huge boulder she'd been attacking with her combat spatula when he'd first arrived.  Although the chef was obviously quite tired from her exertions, Ryoga noticed her eyes were already beginning to rove around, evaluating other boulders scattered along the floor of the gorge.

                Rather than letting her push herself to the point of exhaustion, Ryoga opted at this point to begin climbing down the slope.  Ukyo whirled at the sound of falling pebbles, her eyes widening as she saw who was approaching.  She slung her combat spatula back into place at her back, then waited uneasily for him to finish his descent.

                Once he'd done so, and started walking over toward her, Ryoga began to feel an all-too-familiar sensation of being out of his depth.  Okay, that Ukyo might have been angry at Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung's good fortune he could understand, even if smashing boulders seemed a little extreme of a reaction.  But that didn't come close to explaining the pain and desperation he thought he could see in her eyes.  Ryoga nearly began to panic.  What was wrong now?  He'd thought all his problems on this front had been solved!

                And then the obvious answer hit him.  He exhaled a long, relieved breath, and picked up the pace a little, walking quickly over to her and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.  "Don't worry, Ukyo, it's not like that."

                This did remove most of the aforementioned pain and desperation from Ukyo's expression.  They were displaced by confusion.  "H- huh?  What do you mean, Ryoga-kun?"

                "Um, you know..." Ryoga suddenly realized just what he was going to have to put into words.  He gulped, wishing for Ranma's cool savoir-faire in talking about feelings and commitment and stuff.  "I mean... why Li Na pushed me into the spring and all... it wasn't... you know... so her daughters could each have their own... I mean... we don't have to wait a year now, anyway!"

                While Ryoga might have thought he was being perfectly clear, it still took several seconds of puzzlement before Ukyo grasped the gist of what he was saying.  "Wait a minute, sugar.  You thought I thought the reason she shoved you into the Spring of Drowned Twins was so there'd be two of you for her two daughters?"

                "Well, yeah, that is what I thought when I saw you looking so upset," Ryoga said bewilderedly.  Then he blushed.  "I mean, not like I'm trying to say that would be a good reason to get upset, just because we weren't going to be able to... which isn't what happened anyway... but if it had, I'm not some kind of great prize that anybody should get all worked up over not winning..."

                "Ryoga, stop babbling," the chef said flatly.  He'd taken his hand off her shoulder a while back, to nervously push his index fingers together.  Ukyo countered this by placing her hand on his arm.  "That isn't what I was thinking, sugar," she said, pain beginning to creep back into her voice.  "It was... I mean... I'm sorry!"

                It was Ryoga's turn for puzzlement.  If the measure of how good a couple two people make is how much they share, he and Ukyo were certainly off to a good start.  "Sorry for what?"

                "I... I tried..."  She gulped.  "When that witch threw you toward the spring, I tried to run forward and keep you from landing in it.  I could have done it.  I could have kept this from happening.  But all I could think about was what was happening to you, and I forgot to watch my back, and Rouge tripped me before I could do anything.  I'm sorry, Ryoga honey."

                "Ukyo."  She looked up from the ground at which she'd been staring for her last few sentences.  Meeting Ryoga's gaze, she found only confusion.  "I still don't understand why you're apologizing," he confessed, honest bewilderment clear on his face.

                Ukyo hadn't expected this.  But then again, it had been less than a day since Jusenkyo, she reminded herself.  Maybe he was still in shock or something.  "Doesn't it bother you, sugar?" she asked, her tone indicating the question was more rhetorical than not.  "I mean, if suddenly there were two of me running around, I know I'd be having a tough time, wondering whether I was real or not.  But those damn Amazons didn't even worry about that for a minute.  Just dunked you in the spring without even asking what you wanted.  Not that they ever do."

                "Oh, so that's what the problem is," Ryoga said, smiling in relief.  "Don't worry about it, Ukyo.  I'm not gonna have an identity crisis or anything like that."

                'Yep, definitely still in shock,' Ukyo thought sadly.  "Okay, sugar, but if you ever feel like talking, promise you'll come to me, okay?"

                He nodded.  "Sure thing.  But remember, I've already been through learning I originally had an Oni soul, and then FIGHTING that part of myself.  Compared to that, this is nothing."

                Ukyo frowned slightly.  This did open up new avenues of thought  "You really mean it?  I mean, this doesn't bother you at all?"

                "No, not really.  What's to bother me?  When you get right down to it, there's only two questions that this could bring up.  'Am I real?' and 'Who am I?'.  Well, the first one's gotta be 'yes', cause 'I think, therefore I am', and the answer to the other one is the same as it was day before yesterday.  I've still got the same hopes and needs and thoughts and dreams as I did before."

                The chef realized her jaw was hanging wide open.  With an effort, she closed it.  "When did you get so philosophical, Ryoga-kun?"

                He shrugged.  "A little after that time I rescued your cousin from those street punks, I ran into this guy who fought with Martial Arts Philosophy.  It was the lamest fighting style I've ever seen, but I still learned some stuff.  This is the first time I've really had a use for it."

                "You're putting me on," Ukyo accused.

                "No, I'm serious," he protested.  "He was this really scrawny little guy, which was why the style worked for him.  He made sure to only challenge people who didn't have the heart to beat up a wimp like that, then he would drone on and on about philosophical questions and the ways different people have tried to answer them, and eventually his opponent would either give up in disgust or fall asleep.  If that happened, he'd roll them out of wherever the 'fight' was happening, and win by ring out."

                "Riiiiight," Ukyo chuckled, caught halfway between full-blown amusement and uncertainty as to whether Ryoga was making this up.

                "I lasted longer than his usual opponents, which is how I know so much philosophy, but he got me in the end," Ryoga admitted.  "But I won the rematch.  Brought a pair of earplugs, picked him up by the back of his shirt, and dropped him outside the ring without hurting him."

                "Earplugs... something no martial artist should be without," Ukyo joked, thinking about Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  Which of course ruined the good humor Ryoga had managed to evoke with his story.

                She sighed, then continued speaking.  "I guess I'm glad you're not having trouble adjusting, sugar.  But that doesn't make everything all right, does it?  There's another Ryoga who's now stuck for good and all with Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  The price of your freedom was him getting tied down forever.

                "That's the other thing that has me down.  One more time, we see Amazons deciding what they want to happen, and doing what they want without even asking.  This last trick... I mean, it's basically as good as saying, 'Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung are going to get what they want, if we have to break the actual laws of REALITY to make it happen!'  Because I wasn't fast enough to stop it, you have a brother who's never gonna get free of Amazon snares.  There's nothing I can do about it now.  And it hurts."

                Ryoga was quiet for a while, trying to decide what needed to be said in response.  Eventually, he said, "Ukyo, I don't know if you're gonna want to hear this.  But I need to say it anyway.

                "You remember a while back, when I said there was only one thing I really wanted to change in my life?  The way I never got to see my parents?  Well, that was true then, and it's true now, but over the last month it wasn't.  My biggest wish, up until yesterday anyway, was to get out of this trap I was in without hurting anybody I cared about."

                He looked into her eyes.  "Without hurting anybody I cared about," he repeated.  "That means you, AND Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  I know how you feel about them.  I know how they feel about you.  But do any of you know how I feel?  Did you expect me to be happy about this, that there's a way out without having to turn anyone down?  Because I am.  And so is the other Ryoga."

                "Happy?!" Ukyo demanded.  "Happy that he's gonna be forced into _marrying_ those two now?!"

                "He won't be," Ryoga answered soberly.  "Remember Cologne's deal?  If he doesn't learn to love them, there's a way out."  He hesitated, then continued, "But it isn't going to come to that.  This has been tearing me up inside for too long now.  I've wanted what you want, Ukyo, to... get closer to you... but being with the twins and seeing how much they cared for me, it made me care right back.  If you and I had never met, I... I actually would have been in love with them by now."

                Ukyo flinched, which he hadn't expected.  "Ryoga..." she said after an uncomfortable period of silence, "...if this hadn't happened... would you have chosen..." another long pause, then with a gulp she forced out the last word, "...them?"

                Ryoga spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.  "If this hadn't happened... I wouldn't have been able to choose.  Couldn't bear to hurt you, couldn't bear to hurt them.  I don't know what would've happened.  But it wouldn't have been pretty."

                "So they really did have just as much chance as me," Ukyo said bitterly, looking away.  "That doesn't do my ego a whole lot of good, you know, sugar.  To find out I couldn't even beat out a couple of little kids."

                "Ukyo... is it some kind of crime, that I thought it was nice to be wanted?" Ryoga asked helplessly.  "They showed up right after I met you.  I've been alone my whole life.  They scared me at first by coming on too strong, but then they toned it down and just showed me caring and consideration.  Oh sure, sometimes they teased me and made me uncomfortable, but all those times put together don't even compare to what I felt after they got their granny to try and find my parents!"

                "Say what?!"  This startled Ukyo out of her blue funk.  "They tried to find your parents?!"

                "Yeah, with Amazon magic, but so far each time the Matriarch has checked for them they've been way too far away to try and go catch up with either of them."  But at least he knew they were still alive and in good health.

                "I... I never knew that..." the chef admitted.  Neither of them said anything for a while, as Ukyo turned the new revelation over in her mind.  Reluctantly, she began to consider that there must be more to the Amazon twins than she had given them credit for.  What else had Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung done, that she hadn't seen?

                Ryoga took a deep breath.  "Ukyo... do you remember that night... at your restaurant... you know, right after they got rid of the Gambling King..."

                "Yeah, I remember," she said, blushing at the memory.

                "When you... hugged me..." Ryoga was blushing too, more fiercely than Ukyo by a fair measure, "...was it easy?  To just let go, and... and show what you were feeling like that?"

                Ukyo mutely shook her head.

                "Same for me... it's hard..."  He wiped some sweat from his brow as if in testimony to this fact.  "But not for Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  They don't hold back or keep a reserve.  They show you how they really feel.  And what they showed me... how they felt for me... it was enough for part of me to feel the same way back."

                Silence again for a while, before Ukyo asked, hesitantly, "Are you gonna be able to let go of them?"

                "Yes," Ryoga answered her, no hesitation or uncertainty in his voice.  "I wasn't trying to say I was in love with them.  I wasn't.  But that other me... who doesn't have to worry about hurting anybody else... he can take them up on their offer.  He can afford to give them what they want.  And since they're not going to get hurt, I can walk away with no regrets."

                "No regrets?  That he's got somebody and you don't?"  Even as the words left her mouth, Ukyo had a sense that that wasn't really the best way to lead into what she was trying to say.  As a look of sick panic started to rise in Ryoga's eyes, her suspicion was confirmed.  She smacked herself on the forehead.  "Sorry, sugar, that didn't come out right.  What I meant was... you know... Oh, heck!"  Ukyo stamped her foot in sudden exasperation.  "You were right, Ryoga honey.  It's hard to just let go.  Even if I have before.

                "But... I'm glad I don't have to fight over you any more... I'm glad that, like you said, we... we don't have to wait til the Matriarch's year is up..."

                "You know... it really should be my turn now," Ryoga said nervously, as Ukyo seemed to run out of courage.  He gathered what there was of his, then awkwardly reached out and pulled her to him in a hug.  Ukyo didn't take nearly as long to respond as he had the first time she'd reached out to him.

                Whether either of them would have had the guts to take it farther must remain a mystery, for at that point a loud cry, followed by a scrabbling sound, marked the descent of another person into the gorge.  Ryoga and Ukyo ended the embrace, neither particularly happy at the interruption, and turned to see just who had come butting in.

***************

                Ryoga was starting to get a little frustrated.  He'd been looking for Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung for the last twenty minutes.  The last fifteen of these had been spent wandering around in circles, trying to track down just _where_ that elusive music was coming from.

                His search had led him back to where the melody seemed strongest:  just outside the Matriarch's home.  Ryoga had already passed by here six times in the last quarter-hour, and had even gone inside and checked the entire place thoroughly for the twins.  Twice.  No Ling-Ling or Lung-Lung, or anybody else who could tell him where they might be.

                At this point he was beginning to wonder whether it was really the twins he was hearing, though.  While the music was as beautiful as he'd only heard from them, it didn't sound particularly cheerful.  More somber and melancholy.  Not actually a dirge of mourning, but certainly no anthem of jubilation and celebration.  Plus there was the fact that avoiding him was definitely NOT Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung's usual modus operandi.

                Ryoga groaned in frustration, and began to gently hit his head against the side of the house, trying to dislodge some inspiration.  He supposed he could always shout, "LING-LING!  LUNG-LUNG!  IS THAT YOU?  WHERE ARE YOU, ANYWAY?!" at the top of his lungs, but somehow that option didn't seem too appealing at the moment.  Perhaps a better one would be to jump to the roof and see if he could see anything from there.  The height of the tallest building in the village would give him a better vantage point than just walking through the streets.  He tensed, then leaped...

                ...nearly squashing Ling-Ling flat in his landing.

                The cherry-haired girl was caught so much by surprise that she almost didn't manage to get out of the way at all.  At the last moment she rolled frantically to one side, lamenting not having been quicker to react.  If she'd been faster, there would have been time to 'accidentally' clip his ankle with hers as he landed and send the two of them rolling along together.  The rooftop was flat and she and her sister had been in the center of it, so there was no danger that this maneuver would have sent her or Ryoga over the edge.  And it would have worn away just a little bit more of his cute-but-sometimes-frustrating shyness.

                "Oh, gosh!  I'm sorry, Ling-Ling!  Are you okay?!"  At least this time he hadn't actually smacked into her, Ryoga thought.

                "Am fine," she reassured him.  "Is good to see you, Airen."

                "Same to you," he said.  "Man, I can't believe I didn't think to check the rooftops.  If Ranma were here he'd laugh himself sick."

                "What you mean?"

                "I've been looking for you for a while now.  I kept hearing you play, but I couldn't quite figure out where the music was coming from."  Ryoga laughed sheepishly.  "I came up here to get a better view of the streets below us."

                "Well, it still work, yes?  From rooftop you able to see where we is," Ling-Ling said with a faint smile.

                "Hmmm... when you put it that way..."

                "So how you doing?" Lung-Lung asked.  "Is you get used to have twin brother now yet?"

                "It's still pretty odd, to see another Ryoga walking around and everything.  Probably it'll take me a while to really get used to it.  But I'm sure glad it happened," Ryoga said with feeling.

                Both Amazons blinked.  "Really?  You is glad?"

                "Yeah, I'm glad," he confirmed, puzzled at their reaction.  "Why wouldn't I be?"

                "You no think he maybe get hurt?" Ling-Ling said quietly.  "Maybe you not hear yet, Airen.  But Mother, Aunt Rouge, and Great-Grandmother all tell us same thing, we have to stay with you, stay away from him.  Can not even be his friend for at least next month."

                "We understand why we have to do it, after what Mother do.  So he able to let go of us and move on," Lung-Lung said morosely.  Then her eyes seemed to flash fire.  "Lung-Lung not know what she thinking!  We never want to hurt you.  Just want to be happy together with you forever.  But now there one Ryoga Hibiki that no can be part of that no more."

                "Is it really bothering you that much?" Ryoga asked gently.  "I was kind of surprised when I heard the music.  I thought you'd be all happy and excited about what your mother did."

                "Happy and excited?  What we gain from this?  We already going to win sooner or later.  Okay, maybe this make things little bit sooner, but price is you now have brother who going to be alone."

                "Alone?!"  He hadn't expected this.  Just why did Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung think their mother had done what she did anyway?!  "Come on, Ling-Ling.  I know you and Lung-Lung aren't blind.  How do you think he's going to wind up alone?"

                "No, we not blind, Airen.  We know spatula girl now think she have go-ahead signal to go after other Ryoga, and will leave you alone."  Lung-Lung looked him dead in the eye.  "We also know Ryoga not want same thing as she want.  Want to be friend only."

                "How'd you figure that?" Ryoga asked, not realizing that the way he'd phrased the question could be mistaken for agreement with her statement.

                Lung-Lung hesitated, trying to decide how much to say.  At last, thinking the Amazon equivalent of 'What the heck', she said, "Airen, you remember times we eat lunch together back in Japan?  Especially time we kid you about Passion Spice?"  He nodded, unsure what that had to do with anything.  She continued, "Why you think we do that joke anyway?"

                Ryoga shrugged.   "To tease me?" he hazarded a guess.  "I mean, I must've looked pretty funny, with the way you two were giggling then."

                "That was just unexpected side bonus," Ling-Ling said, patting him on the arm.  "Real reason was subtle.  Is strategy Great-Grandmother help us with."

                "What strategy?" he prompted, after a few moments of silence.

                Lung-Lung reached out and took his hand, twining her fingers through his.  She glanced at the sweat suddenly breaking out on Ryoga's forehead, then deliberately removed the bandana she was wearing and used it to wipe her Airen's brow.  Given that this action only made him perspire more freely, one might think it was a wasted effort.  One would be wrong.

                She let go of his hand and tied the bandana back into its place in her hair.  "Airen... you just lose cool because Lung-Lung get close and do something romantic.  But few seconds back, Ling-Ling pat you on arm and you not even flinch.  Why you think that is?"

                "A little pat on the arm is nothing, compared to some of the stuff... you've done..."  Ryoga's voice trailed off as the beginnings of understanding began to glimmer on his face.

                "Mm-hm," Lung-Lung confirmed.  "We sorry we make you uncomfortable sometimes, Airen.  We not ever want it to be too bad.  But little bit is okay, is even good, Great-Grandmother say.  She think you is much shy, need help to get over.  So we take slow steps to make you more comfortable with get close."

                "Is hard to be patient," Ling-Ling said, looking at Ryoga with a somber expression.  Then her whole face shifted, lighting up with a big smile.  "But now we understand better what big sister Shampoo tell us long back.  Good man is worth wait."

                While he _had_ come a good ways under the twins' subtle (or not-so-subtle) prodding, Ryoga was still a little too flustered to enjoy a conversation like this as much as he would in later days.  Besides, they hadn't really answered his first question yet.  "You haven't really answered my first question yet."

                "What was... oh, yeah.  How we know you only wanted to be friend with spatula girl."  Lung-Lung hesitated, but decided there wasn't any good way of avoiding this admission.  "Not too long ago, Airen... we see you off in distance with her... we follow you with Dance of Hidden Chameleon.  Watch you go on walk and eat lunch at nice restaurant."

                "This was after we tell you we had no been using to follow you," Ling-Ling broke in.  "We tell truth then."

                "Anyway, we see spatula girl try do same thing we do, try come-on tricks to get Ryoga to get closer to her.  But you not respond at all.  You not go along with it, and you not even get nervous.  That how we know, Airen.  If there was feeling on your side, would at least get nervous when she try like that.  Like you do with us."

                Ryoga blinked.  "Wait a minute... you're telling me Ukyo was trying to do the same thing you do?  Why didn't I notice anything?"

                Stunned silence for a moment, then a delayed facefault from the twins.

                "Never mind, I don't guess that was the smartest question I've ever asked," he admitted.  "Remember, Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, some of the things you girls understand are a mystery to us guys.  Or at least to me.  Whatever Ukyo did, it couldn't have been as obvious as the stuff you pull sometimes."

                "And what if had been?" Lung-Lung demanded, getting back up.  "What if she not too too bashful Japanese that no can come out and show what want?  What if she make obvious, hug you even or something like that?"

                "She actually did that once," Ryoga admitted nervously.  "Right after the Gambling King left.  I probably would've freaked out completely if you two hadn't softened me up for that kinda stuff."  He said the last in the hope that it would calm Lung-Lung down.

                "Spatula girl go too far this time!" Lung-Lung snarled.  "We never EVER let her steal you away from us!  Will beat her into ground if have to!"

                At this point Ling-Ling smacked her sister on the head, ending her tirade.  "Earth to Lung-Lung," she said sarcastically.  "Thanks to Mother, is no question of spatula girl try to steal Airen away, remember?  She have own."

                "Oh... yeah.  That right."  The lime-haired girl laughed sheepishly.  "Lung-Lung forget in heat of moment.  Sorry about that, Airen."

                "Ranma, prepare to die!" Ryoga muttered under his breath, a wry grin on his face.  "Talk about déjà vu."  When the twins looked at him strangely, he smiled and said, "It's nothing."

                The three were quiet for a minute or two, before Ling-Ling spoke up again.  "So other Ryoga will not be alone after all?  Not even for small time it would take good man like him to find somebody in village what interested?  He will go right to her?"

                "Yeah, that's right," Ryoga confirmed.

                Lung-Lung hesitated, obviously wanting to ask a question but unsure how to phrase it.  At last she said, "Airen... you and he is same person, more or less.  Will become different as time go by, at least that what Mother said, but right now you know what he would feel like and he know same for you.  Will he... be happy with her?"

                Ryoga took a deep breath.  "Yes, I think so," he said.  "Are you okay with that?"

                Both Amazons looked downcast.  "Is man we care about, who we have to let go because there only one for us," Ling-Ling said.  "We want him be happy.  We no like Ukyo, as Airen well know.  But if she make other Ryoga happy, then... then that okay with us.  Even if we not think she deserve get lucky like that."

                "I wouldn't be surprised if she felt the exact same way about you two," Ryoga said, wisely NOT going on to add, "You and her have a lot more in common than any of you realize."

                "Hmmph.  Spatula girl would never have good sense like that," Lung-Lung huffed.  "But... at least other Ryoga not be lonely..."

                "Yeah..." Ryoga said, suddenly noticing that somehow, without appearing to move, both girls had gotten quite a bit closer.  He gulped, then said, "Being lonely sucks... I'm glad I'm not anymore..."

                Restraining themselves until _he_ made the next move was one of the hardest things Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had ever done.  But they were rewarded as Ryoga finally leaned forward and put his arms around both of them.

                Whether the Amazons would have been able to hold themselves back from going any further and probably spooking their Airen must remain a mystery, for at that moment the trap door to the roof opened and someone climbed out.  As the newcomer was behind Ryoga, he remained unaware of this (and Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were certainly not paying enough attention to notice) until an exclamation came from behind the three of them.

***************

                They hadn't intended to break off practice this soon.  Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo had started their day by heading to an open area on the outskirts of the village, and engaging in some free-for-all sparring.  Unfortunately, they found reason to cut it short before any of them had really gotten their fill of the fun.

                Ranma had thought that the earliness of the hour would have been enough to guarantee some privacy.  Although most everybody in the tribe would probably have been awake by now, there shouldn't have been any reason to bring anyone out in this direction.  But apparently he'd underestimated the curiosity of the Amazons toward the newcomers.

                He didn't quite become aware of the sensation of danger quickly enough.  As often happened in situations like this, the fight had shifted into both girls vs Ranma.  He had just twisted to one side, grabbing Shampoo by the arm as she inadvertently presented a minuscule opening in her defenses, and spinning her into the path of Kodachi's ribbon strike which his initial shift had dodged.  As the girls were temporarily stymied, Shampoo because she was completely entangled, Kodachi because her faithful ribbon was out of commission and Ranma had already disarmed her of everything else, the Anything-Goes heir was able to relax for a moment.

                And that was when the hairs at the back of his neck stirred with a feeling of peril.  He tensed, then spun around, halfway expecting a sneak-attack from some unknown assailant.

                No attack was forthcoming.  Nobody was anywhere near his back.  But there were a number of Amazons standing a good distance away, watching the battle with an unmistakable gleam in their eyes.

                'Oh, crud,' Ranma thought.  Desperately he spun back to face the girls.  Shampoo was now untangled, and Kodachi had recovered most of her weapons.  Both braced themselves to resume combat.

                "Well, that's about enough for today, don't you think?" the pig-tailed martial artist asked loudly, making sure his voice would carry to his unanticipated audience.

                Kodachi, who was focused too much on her boyfriend to have noticed the newcomers yet, blinked in surprise.  "Enough for _today_?  Only thirty minutes of sparring?  Are you feeling all right, Ranma-kun?  You're usually the last one of us to call it quits when we train."

                "Ha, ha, ha!  You're such a kidder, Dachi-chan!" Ranma said desperately.  "You know this is just a hobby for me!"  Under his breath he hissed, "play along, play along already!" and jerked his head toward the Amazon audience.

                The White Rose's eyes widened as she finally noticed the others, and the looks they were giving Ranma.  After a long moment of glaring at them and debating whether or not to walk over and administer a judicious Spirit Ribbon Storm, she eventually said, "Of course, you're right, Ranma-sama.  It wouldn't do to think of this as something serious, now would it?!"

                Shampoo just shook her head.  'Who do they think they're going to fool with that pathetic act anyway?  And have they forgotten most of those girls don't speak Japanese?'  Oh well, better to play along.  Given how the other Amazons were staring at her Airen, she was pretty sure the damage had already been done, but continuing to dangle his true prowess in front of their eyes would only make things worse.  Now that the moment had actually come, she felt like an idiot for all the times she'd fantasized about showing Ranma off to the rest of the Amazons.  What had she been _thinking_ when she'd imagined them just walking away in despair at not having a chance at someone that good?!

                And so it was that the three of them headed back to the village much earlier than they had thought to.  They were quiet for awhile, but as they reached the first few houses, Ranma spoke up.  "Do ya think they bought that, Shampoo?"

                "Hmmm, let Shampoo think.  Would Amazon sisters believe that man what only think of the Art as hobby get good enough to move so fast warrior's eye can not follow, and trap Shampoo in attack what other top-notch fighter meant for him?"  Shampoo shook her head.  "Not a chance in the world, Airen.  We should have go farther to find training ground.  Sorry I not see that in first place."

                "Like it's any less my fault?"  Ranma sighed.  "Man, I've never felt so much like a piece of meat with a buncha hungry wolves staring at it.  Furinkan wasn't nearly this bad."

                "Furinkan know better than to cross Shampoo's sister.  Right, Kodachi?"  Shampoo didn't actually wait for a response before turning back to Ranma.  "But you say you never, ever feel like that, Airen?"  Her lips curved into a sultry smile.  "Not even when Shampoo look at you like that?  Then I guess I just have to try harder."

                "Hey, it's different when it's you guys," Ranma pointed out.

                "Indeed.  It IS different with us."  By now Kodachi had had time to calm down, and to think a few things over.  "We share a bond with you that none of them can ever hope for, a bond so strong it even outweighs Amazon marriage laws.  So why don't we ask the Matriarch to spread the word that you're off-limits, Ranma-sama?"

                "That maybe work, but maybe not," Shampoo cautioned.  "Probably will reduce heat, but not get rid of everyone."

                "Whyever not?"  That didn't seem to make much sense to the White Rose.

                "They already know Ranma is outside of marriage law.  Because he have Shampoo, he not count as outsider, and defeat other Amazon not mean anything unless is actual marriage challenge he made.  But that not stop them from try to make him want to choose them.  Because Heart Link is secret, can no tell them why they not really have any chance at that."

                Kodachi frowned thoughtfully.  "Then is there nothing we could do?  Ultimately these girls' intentions would have the same impact on us as on you, Ranma dear.  Shouldn't Shampoo and I be able to do something?"

                "Yes and no," Shampoo answered for him, looking uncomfortable.  "Could put out public word that we absolutely not accept any more candidates for fellow wives to Ranma.  That probably get rid of just about everyone."  Left unspoken was the thought that they would be able to do what Ranma himself couldn't, and be unmoved by the sorrow of disappointed cute girls.

                The White Rose sighed as she took in the expression on Shampoo's face.  "And what's the downside that makes this approach unfeasible?"

                "What it would say about what Ranma is to us.  Would be saying to everybody, what Ranma maybe, maybe not want doesn't matter to us, we is only ones what have right to make decision.  Is you willing to put that out to whole village?"

                Kodachi recoiled at the implication.  "Of course not!"

                Shampoo smirked.  "I know.  Was rhetorical question."

                Another approach had occurred to Ranma by now.  "But maybe we could get the other Elders to step in an' tell everybody not to waste their time.  Whaddaya think about that, Sham-chan?  I mean, they all know about the Heart Link.  They can just tell all the girls that I'm not interested in anybody else; they don't haveta say WHY.  I'd think that if there's anybody that could get something like that taken on faith, it'd be the Council of Elders."

                Shampoo gave him a strange look.  "Does you really think all those girls would believe?  Would give up just like that for such vague statement?  Ranma never have trouble not thinking with hormones?"

                Ranma, remembering back to a certain moonlit episode, blushed fiercely enough to pique Kodachi's curiosity.  But it obviously wasn't the right time to ask for details such as those.  They were well inside the village now, and people were moving about in the streets around them.

                As they approached the Matriarch's house, Ranma suddenly stopped dead, and gave a groan.  "Oh, man, we gotta warn Ryoga!  Soon as somebody sees him... er, them, going all out in practice, he'll... THEY'LL be up to their necks in girl troubles just when they thought they were in the clear!"  Fortunately none of the Amazons within earshot spoke Japanese well enough to follow this, or it would have become a moot point.

                "Aiyah!  That right!" Shampoo said, dismayed that she hadn't thought of that herself.  "Either of you know where Ryogas is?"

                Kodachi pointed down the street.  "Actually, there's one of them now, coming this way with Ukyo and someone else."  Her brow crinkled in puzzlement.  "Something certainly seems to have excited them.  I wonder what?"

                The question was answered quickly enough, as Ryoga, Ukyo, and the man with them came over to where Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo were standing.  Ryoga grinned like a loon as he put his arm around the man's shoulders.  "Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, may I introduce Ichiro Hibiki.  My father."

                Seen from this close, the family resemblence was so obvious that Ryoga might not have even needed to say anything.  Ichiro was a man in his early thirties, with the same black hair and powerful build as his son.  He stood a few inches taller than Ranma.  His eyes were brown, not that far off in hue from his skin, which was sun-darkened and weathered as if he had spent many years traveling under the open sky.  His dusty clothing and large backpack further added to that impression.

                Though appearances can be deceiving, what you see is usually what you get with a Hibiki.

                It was somewhat disconcerting for Ranma and Kodachi to see the fangs that Ryoga had lost so long ago still gleamed in his father's broad smile.  "I'm always glad to meet friends of my son."

                Ranma managed to recover enough composure to bow.  "Y- you're his father?  Where'd you come from, anyway?!"

                The teenagers were struck with a bizarre sensation of déjà vu as Ichiro put one hand behind his head and laughed embarrassedly.  "That's one question I've never been able to answer very well.  I don't even know where I am now.  Just that I was looking down a cliff, hoping there'd be a spring or stream at the bottom, and recognized my boy down there."

                "Oh!  Are you thirsty, Dad?" Ryoga asked.  "C'mon inside and we'll get you something to drink.  This is where I'm staying right now anyway."

                Ryoga led the way inside, Ichiro following him and Ukyo following the elder Hibiki, with the chef making sure to keep him in her sight at all times.  From the stories Ryoga honey had told her, she was pretty sure that was the only way to ensure his half-Oni directionlessness didn't suddenly kick in and shift him to Australia.

                Because she was paying such close attention, Ukyo was able to stop in time to avoid running into Ichiro's back when he suddenly came to a halt.  However, the same wasn't true of Shampoo, Ranma, or Kodachi, who piled up behind the chef and knocked her forward into Ryoga's father anyway.  The entire mass of people stumbled forward into the large greeting room.

                Ichiro absentmindedly halted his forward momentum by quickly shifting one foot in front of him and bracing himself.  As the elder Hibiki in front of them went from stumbling father to immovable object, Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, and Ukyo all lost their balance entirely, falling to the ground in a confused tangle of arms and legs.

                Neither Ichiro nor his son noticed.  They were too busy staring in disbelief at the sight in front of them.

                The newcomers weren't the only people in the room.  Four people had been seated at a table when the door opened.  Two of them, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, were still sitting, with startled, questioning looks on their faces, as if they suspected something but weren't sure of it.  The other two were standing, their own expressions well beyond startled or uncertain.  The other Ryoga was staring in disbelief at whom his twin had brought with him.  And the last person present...

                "Ichiro?"  A sort of hopeful gasp.

                "Kozue?"  The whisper of one who sees something too good to be true.

                It was a good thing that Ryoga wasn't standing directly between them, for at this point his father and mother raced forward, grabbing each other and holding on for dear life.

                Ukyo, who had managed to disentangle herself and get back to her feet, walked over and tapped Ryoga on the arm.  When that produced no noticeable response, she poked him in the ribs with a throwing spatula.  "Hey, sugar, you don't mean to tell us... is that your mom?!"

                Ling-Ling got up from her chair and walked over to her Airen.  "Ryoga... Ling-Ling think she recognize from picture, but hard to believe.  Is really your father?"

                The Ryogas, each with his voice catching in his throat, could only nod.

                "So BOTH Ryoga's parents wandered into the same place, at the same time, and it just happened to be the Amazon village?  Where their son, er, sons, had just settled down for a visit?"  Kodachi shook her head in disbelief.  "Ranma-kun, how much more aren't you going to tell me?  You never said the slightest thing about this place being just as full of chaos and outlandish coincidences as Nerima."

                "It not usually this bad," Shampoo protested.  "Not even close.  I wonder if maybe we bring strange stuff with us."

***************

                Since the Matriarch's home had become the site of an impromptu family reunion, Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo slipped out again to give them some privacy.  Without anything better to do, they began walking around the village, Shampoo pointing out spots of interest to Kodachi as they came to them.  The White Rose wasn't really paying that much attention, though, her mind dwelling back at the Matriarch's home and what was happening there.  Shampoo didn't notice her sister's inattention, as she was doing the same thing, allocating only a few of her thoughts to the tour, with the rest of her wondering just how Mr and Mrs Hibiki were adjusting to the knowledge that they now had two sons instead of one, as well as at least two eventual daughters-in-law.

                Eventually neither of them could stand it any longer.  "This is part of village where metalworkers have shops, Kodachi.  So what you think going on back with Ryogas, parents, Ucchan, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung?"

                The White Rose didn't even blink at the non sequitur.  "I've been wondering myself, Shampoo.  I hope everything is turning out well, that they're able to handle learning everything they need to.  Perhaps it depends on how many oddities they've experienced in their years of wandering.  I suspect they may take the news better than a typical Japanese couple would."

                "Probably so.  Is certain 'typical' isn't right word for the Hibiki family," Shampoo agreed.  "Wonder if Ryoga has tell them yet about Oni heritage."

                "I doubt it.  More likely he'll... er, they'll wait until your great-grandmother is available, so that she can be the one to break that news to them."

                "Would be good idea.  Wonder if Great-Grandmother knows way to cure them from get lost," the Amazon mused.  "Is not the same thing as Ryoga was, after all, they not have Oni soul to cast out.  I hope is possible for them to be cured for real."

                "I've been thinking the same thing.  And while I can't be certain, of course, I believe there is a way to do just that."  Kodachi glanced to one side, at Ranma.  She would prefer not to mention this in his hearing, for sensitivity's sake.  He was a few steps away, seemingly lost in thought, but she lowered her voice anyway.  "Back when the Matriarch explained Ryoga's heritage to us, she made a clear distinction between human and half-Oni.  So it stands to reason that if Ryoga's father and mother immerse themselves in the Nannichuan and Nyannichuan, they would receive true human bodies as 'cursed' forms, in which they would not be subject to directionlessness any longer."

                "Aiyah!  Is very good idea," Shampoo agreed, impressed once again with Kodachi's clarity of thought.  "Should tell Ryogas as soon as we see them again."

                "If your great-grandmother hasn't already beaten me to it.  And assuming she doesn't say it won't work, of course," Kodachi pointed out.

                "That true."  The girls were quiet for a few more moments, before Shampoo spoke again, in a pensive tone.  "Wonder what Ryogas' parents going to think of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung."

                "Are you worried that they might have a problem with the thought of an Amazon multi-marriage?  Or are you just concerned about your cousins making a good impression?"

                "Both, maybe," Shampoo answered.  "Is not cousins' fault they look four years younger than real age, but if Ryoga just blurt out, "This is Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, my fiancées," without preparing parents first, could maybe really hurt their feelings if father or mother react in shock."

                "Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that," Kodachi replied.

                "And then there is possibility that them in same room with Ucchan would cause a fight to break out.  That probably will not happen, but is one more thing to worry about."

                The White Rose chewed her lower lip worriedly.  "I hadn't thought of that.  Maybe we ought to head back.  Just in case."

                Shampoo nodded.  "Come on."  The girls turned and began walking back the way they had come.

                "Hey!  Where're you going?" Ranma called out, roused at last from his preoccupied thoughts.

                "We're going to go back to the Matriarch's home," Kodachi answered.

                A blank look on his face, Ranma asked, "What?  Why?  We left there so they could all have some privacy."  He quickly glanced at the angle of the sun, reassuring himself that he hadn't somehow lost track of a few hours.

                "Well, we were just a little concerned, that's all," his girlfriend replied.  Another blank look prompted her to summarize the last few minutes' conversation between her and Shampoo.

                By the time she'd finished, her boyfriend was shaking his head.  "Dachi-chan, don't you think you're getting worked up over nothing?"

                "Maybe, but better safe than sorry, don't you think?"

                "No, I really don't.  Not this time."  Ranma wasn't sure how to put what he wanted to say into words, so he kept quiet for a few moments.  At last he said, "Even if all that stuff does happen, it ain't our place to go back and try to keep things runnin' smoothly, right?  I mean, they're all gonna be family, at least unless somewhere down the road from now Ucchan an' Ryoga decide they just want to be friends.  So they all ought to learn to get along together.  We shouldn't stick our noses in their business."

                "Personally, I suspect Ryoga would appreciate it rather than being offended, if we headed off some trouble between Ucchan and the twins," Kodachi protested.  Then she smacked herself on the head.  "But that doesn't necessarily mean his parents would feel the same way about some strangers interfering.  And it certainly doesn't mean they would thank us for sugar-coating over an area of trouble in their sons' lives.  Well, I feel like an idiot now."

                "You shouldn't," Ranma reassured her.  "Some other time I might've agreed with ya.  Wouldn't have thought about it nearly as much as I just did, that's for sure.  But... I'm kinda sensitive about family stuff right now..."

                As the tone with which he'd spoken that last sentence registered, Shampoo and Kodachi extended their perceptions along the Heart Link, sensing Ranma's feelings.  They each took hold of one of his arms, and led him over to an open area not far off to one side, where they sat down side-by-side-by-side.

                "Airen... I sorry.  Not realize til now this hurt you so much," Shampoo said quietly.  Kodachi had discussed this briefly with her, late one evening during the trip from Nerima toward the village, but the Amazon realized now that she hadn't really understood the extent of Ranma's feelings on the matter.  Not knowing what else to say, she leaned her head against his shoulder and tried to project feelings of comfort, love, and acceptance.

                "I didn't think either, Ranma-sama," Kodachi admitted.  "How seeing Ryoga suddenly reunited with his parents would affect you, after Genma's reprehensible behavior."

                "I'm happy for them, and all," he said, "but yeah, it was one more reminder of how little my old man seems ta think of me."

                "Makes no sense to Shampoo," the Amazon confessed.  "Long time before I love you, Airen, I could still see what good man you is.  How could Genma not?"

                "This is only a theory, mind you," Kodachi said slowly, "but I think what may have happened was Genma projecting his own faults onto Ranma.  After all, we all know very well that if HE were suddenly dropped into the lap of luxury," she squelched a random but intense urge to pull Ranma into her own lap by way of illustration, "that he would simply lie back and do absolutely nothing.  Perhaps he knows in his heart how much better than him you are, Ranma dear, but his pride simply won't allow him to admit it to himself."

                After a few moments of silence, Ranma sighed.  "Huh.  Maybe.  I dunno.  What more do I have to do to get through to the old idiot?!"

                "Airen..." Shampoo said slowly.  She'd been considering Kodachi's statement too.  "If Kodachi is right, then is not matter of you at all.  Is matter of him.  Maybe you do everything you can and still not change things."

                "Oh, really?" Ranma said, a gleam rising in his eye.  Although Shampoo hadn't intended her words as such, putting it in the form of a challenge made the situation seem a lot less insurmountable.  "Wanna bet, Sham-chan?"

                "Bet?  _Against_ Airen?  Do Shampoo look stupid?" she asked teasingly, responding to his improving mood with a return of her usual cheerfulness.  "And anyway, I is on your side.    That means bet on Ranma, not against.  Always."

                "And I as well," Kodachi said adamantly.

                Ranma didn't say anything, just pulled them tightly against him for a few minutes.  At last he said, somewhat gruffly, "Thanks.  Thanks a lot."  After swallowing a few times, he went on, "So whaddaya think I should do, to pound some sense into Pop's skull?  How about telling him about the barrel of Nannichuan we'll have brought back for him, but not letting him have it unless he can defeat me in combat?  That'd get it through to him just how much I've been 'slacking off' and 'forgetting the Art'!"

                Shampoo clapped her hands excitedly.  "Is too too good idea!"  Watching _that_ would make for some great entertainment!

                While Kodachi felt the same way, she was reluctantly obliged to point out, "I don't think taunting him with a cure that he'll never be able to achieve is the best way to get him to open up, Ranma-kun."

                That was true.  The fat old panda never _would_ be able to win that challenge, Ranma thought.  "Everything's gotta have a downside," he grumbled.  Oh well, back to the drawing board.

                "What would make my old man finally respect me?" he mused out loud.  "Or force him to show it if he really does?  Hmmm..."

                Shampoo and Kodachi turned the question over in their minds as well, calling up Ranma's memories.  What had Genma always demanded of his son?  What had he stressed as Ranma was growing up?  Martial arts, of course.  There really hadn't been anything else at all.  Genma had taught his son from the earliest age to live, eat, sleep, breathe, and revere the Art.  In fact, Kodachi thought with a sinking sensation, if Genma should discover that Ranma had learned  to value other things as well, it might well disappoint the old idiot no matter how skilled a martial artist his son had become.

                Was it really that bad, though?  Surely not even Genma could focus absolutely EVERYTHING on the Art.  Had he never presented anything else as having any worth at all?

                After a bit of thought, the White Rose realized there was something she was overlooking.  It hadn't been emphasized nearly as much, over the course of the years, and even when it was Genma had usually tied it to martial arts in some way or another.  But she remembered now there had been numerous times when Genma had stressed the need for his son to grow up to be a real man... a paragon of manliness (not that the elder Saotome had put it that eloquently)... in short, a man among men.  Which Kodachi knew he was, of course, but what would be the best way to prove that to Genma?

                Ranma brightened as he suddenly thought of something.  What he'd already been planning to do on this trip... if that didn't get his father's respect, nothing would.  And there was no need to waste any more time.  He rose to his feet, pulling a surprised Kodachi and Shampoo up with him.  "C'mon, you two.  I got an idea."

                "Idea?  What idea?  Where we going?" Shampoo asked confusedly as Ranma led them purposefully onward.

                "There's something I've been wanting to do for a while now, Sham-chan.  My old man didn't have anything to do with why.   But if it don't make him proud of me, I don't know what would."

                "So... we going to do that now?  Ranma?  Where we going anyway?"

                "This morning showed privacy ain't exactly in huge supply around here, so we're gonna find some place far enough out that nobody's gonna come stumbling in and interrupting," Ranma said.

                He still had his arms around both girls, but they managed to lean back slightly and exchange glances behind his back.  'Surely he doesn't... no, he couldn't... interrupting us?  I don't...'  With the 'man among men' memory still fresh in her mind, Kodachi was having some difficulty forming coherent thoughts.  'I will not jump to conclusions... I will not jump to conclusions... I will not allow my heart to jump up my throat and out my mouth...'

                Nobody said anything for the next forty-five minutes.  Ranma was too busy making sure they weren't being followed; Shampoo and Kodachi were too busy fighting a mounting sense of anticipation and trepidation.

                At last they reached an area that seemed sufficiently far from the village.  Ranma looked with satisfaction on the broad stony field framed on three sides by hills and the fourth by a thicket of trees.  "Looks like the perfect spot.  Nice and private."

                Shampoo swallowed, trying to work some moisture into her throat.  "That certainly true.  Nobody interrupt here."  She gulped again.  "Ranma want Shampoo go off to trees and wait there for while?"

                "Huh?" Ranma asked, apparently not having anticipated this.  "What for?"

                "Shampoo think is best that way," the Amazon said firmly, walking over toward the trees without further hesitation.  "Can send Kodachi to come get Shampoo when Ranma ready for me."

                Ranma scratched his head as he watched Shampoo disappear off into the thicket.  "I will never understand women," he muttered.  "Anyway, Dachi, I'm gonna need your help for this.  Shampoo too, I still don't get why she walked away just now."

                "I think... she just wanted it to be... just you and her... when... I quite agree with her, you know," Kodachi said, mentally thanking Shampoo for taking a firm stance.

                "Oh well," Ranma shrugged.  "I guess it'll take a little longer, but we're not in any hurry, right?"

                "R- right," Kodachi managed, the butterflies in her stomach now feeling as if they might lift her off the ground.  'I can't believe... am I ready... I wanted to wait... didn't I?...  But if Ranma-sama... he seems so determined...'

                "So, anyway, like I was gonna say... I've been working on an idea for a brand new technique.  This looks like the perfect place to develop it.  It's enough out of the way that nobody's gonna come by and see it too soon.  I want it to be a secret until I get it perfect.  If that don't earn some respect from Pop, I don't think anything will."  Ranma's face shone with determination.

                Kodachi's face shone with something other than determination.  "Th- that's what you brought us out here for?!  To find a place where you could design a new special technique?!"

                "Yeah, that's right.  I need you and Sham-chan to know where I'll be so you can help run interference and keep people away."  Ranma was more than a little puzzled by the expression on his girlfriend's face.  "Hey, Dachi, you feelin' okay?"

                "Of course, Ranma-sama, why wouldn't I be?" Kodachi asked, holding back a laugh for fear it would turn into hysteria.  'So much for not jumping to conclusions.'

                "Well, if you say so..." he wasn't convinced, but somehow sensed that it might not be a good idea to push it.  Not when she was radiating that level of embarrassment.  "I'm not sure how long it'll take me to work the move out.  I'm planning on something pretty high-level.  Like I said, I've been wanting to do this for my own sake, but it should also make an impression on Pop.  Anyway, it may take a long time to get right, so I'm gonna take a couple hours out of each day to come here and work on it.  Depending on how much progress I make, I may bump that up or cut it down.  Just have to see how it goes."

                By now Kodachi's heart rate was more or less under control.  By focusing all her thoughts on what Ranma was saying, she had managed to banish most of her flush as well.  "So what is this move you intend to create, Ranma-kun?"

                "Um, well, it's a secret," Ranma said.  "I want it to come as a surprise to everyone.  I promise, you an' Sham-chan'll be the first to see it, once I've got it down.  But you gotta wait until then, okay?  And like I said, help me keep people away while I'm practicing."

                "Oh, well, all right."  Had Kodachi not still been fighting a severe case of embarrassment, she might have pushed just a little, if only to tease him.  But as it was, she was glad of the opportunity to turn away and walk briskly toward the thicket.  "I'll go send Shampoo so you can tell her."

                Ranma watched her go, still wondering just what had had Dachi-chan so off-balance.  Whatever it was, he was thankful for it. Otherwise, he suspected she would have caught on to the fact that there was a bit more to the plan than he was telling her.  And that wouldn't do at all.  Not yet.

***************

                Their privacy held for the next few hours, allowing the three to get in enough sparring to make up for the morning's interruption.  This particular practice session was even more strenuous than usual, as Kodachi and Shampoo had a lot of frustrated energy to burn off and there was no way in the world Ranma would deliberately let them show him up.  They didn't call it quits until well after their normal lunch time.

                At which point Ranma remembered there was a forty-five minute hike between them and lunch.  Fifteen minutes later, as they approached the Matriarch's house, Shampoo was once again feeling envious of Kodachi's ability to recover her strength as fast as she spent it.  Even for the Champion of the Amazons, a forced march like this on an empty stomach after hours of all-out combat was no fun at all.

                They found the house unoccupied when they arrived, with the leftovers from lunch neatly packed and awaiting them.  It was just as well that everyone else had already come, eaten, and gone, because there wasn't the slightest bit of food remaining after the three had eaten their fill.  In fact, Shampoo had had to whip up an extra batch of lo mein with dim sum on the side.

                "So, what do ya want to do now?" Ranma asked, after the feeding frenzy was finally finished.

                "Well, our tour of the village was cut somewhat short this morning," Kodachi replied.  "Why don't we get back to that?"

                "Is okay with me."  Shampoo grinned sheepishly.  "Um, what was last place I show you this morning, Kodachi?"

                Kodachi arched one eyebrow, hoping to bluff her way out of admitting she hadn't been paying enough attention to remember.  "Don't you recall?"

                "No," the Amazon was forced to admit.  "Shampoo was too busy thinking of Hibiki family reunion, and not keeping my mind on what I was doing.  What was?"

                "Um, well, I don't remember either.  I was doing the same thing as you, actually."

                Ranma chuckled.  Kodachi turned and gave him a challenging look.  "Is something funny, Ranma-kun?"

                "Just that you weren't paying enough attention to realize Shampoo wasn't paying enough attention to see you weren't paying attention.  Sounds like some kinda Zen thing."

                "Hmmph.  If Ranma think is so funny, where is last place we go to on tour?" Shampoo asked.

                "That's easy.  We'd just gotten to the tournament challenge log," Ranma replied confidently.

                "Ha!  You weren't paying any more attention than we were!" the White Rose said triumphantly, suddenly remembering.  "It was actually the Council hall!"

                Shampoo stuck her tongue out at her Airen.  "Silly Ranma."  Then she blinked.  "Wait, Kodachi, that not right either.  I remember now, it was statue of Hippolyta."

                There was a long moment of silence, before they all burst out laughing.  "Whaddaya say we just start at the beginning again?" Ranma asked.

***************

                This morning, they had all been too preoccupied to notice.  It hadn't been as obvious then anyway.  But since word had now had time to spread, plus more Amazons had free time during this part of the day than during the morning, it soon became apparent to Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo that their progress through the village was being tracked.  They did their best to ignore it.

                Amazons, at least teenage ones who don't have an Elder riding herd on them, seldom have the patience to hold to a subtle approach.  By the time the three had reached the tournament challenge log for the second time that day, they found a number of girls there waiting for them.

                The word 'number' rather than 'group' is used deliberately, because most of the girls in question were shooting each other cool looks that made it pretty obvious each would have preferred to have a great deal less company present.  These looks faded as Ranma and company came into view, though, each girl putting on a friendly smile.

                The trio stopped on seeing their welcoming committee, Ranma in particular wondering whether there was a graceful way to get the heck out of there without looking like he was running for his life.

                'She who hesitates is lost,' Xiang Lu thought.  By chance she was the closest Amazon to Ranma's current position, not counting Shampoo of course.  She made good use of that now, striding forward briskly.  As she had known would happen, the other girls immediately moved to follow.  With a smirk, she tapped the end of her staff into the ground beside her, whispering "Bakkusai Tenketsu!" and walking faster.

                The explosion of gravel and dust behind her allowed her to get over to the newcomers before any of the other girls could recover from the surprise.  It also startled Ranma enough that he forgot about beating a strategic retreat.  And then Xiang Lu was right up next to them, raising a hand in greeting and giving a cheerful "Nihao!"

                "Uh, nihao," Ranma said, remembering at the last second not to add, "Xiang Lu."  Keeping the Heart Link secret might be even more trouble than he'd expected, the Saotome heir thought anxiously.  He proceeded to overcompensate for the close call.  "Have we met before?  I met a lot of people at the welcome feast the other day, but I can't remember everybody.  I'm Ranma Saotome, if we weren't introduced."

                Kodachi gave her boyfriend an odd look, wondering just why this girl had reduced him to such a level of awkward babble.  A quick glance along the Heart Link reassured her that whatever was causing Ranma to feel off-balance, it wasn't any sort of attraction to the girl.

                Xiang Lu gave an apologetic smile.  "Not speak Japan goodly."  She turned to Shampoo.  "What did he say?"

                Shampoo returned a cool stare to Xiang Lu's forced smile.  'Oh, now that she's trying to get a piece of my husband, suddenly she turns friendly.'  Aloud, she said, "That he wasn't in the mood to have two-faced dyed-haired girls throwing themselves at him."

                The other Amazon had been admiring Ranma out of the corner of her eye.  She noticed him flinch before Shampoo's words could really register.  "Do you speak our language?" she asked him, turning away from Shampoo.

                "No?" Ranma ventured.  Shampoo just put her head in her hands and sighed.

                "Glad to hear it," Xiang Lu said, turning up the power output on her smile.  The other girls had all caught up now, but she was the one who'd gotten here first and she wasn't about to relinquish this place before she was ready.  "Anyway, I'm Xiang Lu.  It's nice to meet you, Ranma Saotome."

                "Uhh... just Ranma will do," he said with a mental groan, yielding to the inevitable.

                "Ranma-kun, why did you just admit to speaking Mandarin?" Kodachi asked exasperatedly.

                "Cause she asked, in Mandarin, if I could understand her, and like an idiot I said no," Ranma sighed.  The White Rose rolled her eyes.

                Xiang Lu turned and gave her a smile too, returning for the moment to heavily-accented and broken Japanese as a sign of courtesy.  "Nihao.  Am Xiang Lu.  You... Kodachi, yes?"

                "That's right," Kodachi said, regarding the girl with a mixture of surprise and skepticism.  When Xiang Lu had been facing Shampoo, it had been pretty obvious that the other Amazon was having some difficulty appearing friendly.  But that didn't seem to be the case now.  The girl was wearing a warm smile that didn't look at all forced.

                Xiang Lu stretched her knowledge of Japanese, trying to think how to phrase what she wanted to say next in the other girl's language.  She wanted to get off on the right foot, after all.  However, her knowledge of Japanese was just not up to the task, and at last she turned to Ranma and, speaking in Mandarin, asked him to relay her request to Kodachi.  Still, Xiang Lu thought to herself, it was highly unlikely the other girl would mind.  Anybody who could put up with Shampoo had to be some kind of saint.

                "She asked you if you wanted to have a friendly match on the challenge log," Ranma translated.

                "Hmm.  There won't be any Kisses of Death administered, will there?" Kodachi asked.  Not that that would actually be a real problem, given that she knew the secret of the Kiss already, but she would still rather avoid one than get one and just stand still, pretending to fight off fear with determination, to achieve formal Amazon status.  That would feel too much like cheating.

                "Nah," Ranma reassured her, "you're already basically considered an ally of the tribe, so it don't apply."

                Xiang Lu might not have caught any of the exchange, but some of the other girls present spoke Japanese well enough to follow it.  Kodachi found herself receiving a number of skeptical looks, as the other Amazons were more than a little curious now.  If this outsider girl had spent enough time with Shampoo to learn that much about Amazon law, shouldn't she also have seen the Champion in battle?  She had to know just how skilled the Amazons were.  So why was she concerning herself about what could happen if Xiang Lu lost?

                They weren't actually _trying_ to say this by the looks on their faces (after all, none of them wanted to get on the bad side of the girl whom the man they were interested in had already chosen out of love), but their dubious expressions were still clear enough for Kodachi to get the feeling that none of them thought she had needed to ask the question.  It was a more than a little insulting, she thought with a feeling of annoyance.

                That the only woman to make their Champion taste defeat had actually been an outsider had been explained away by just about everyone, with some thinking it had happened because Shampoo had been too tired after a long day of fighting.  Others thought it had probably been a fluke such as might strike anyone once in a millennium.  Still others had considered it some kind of karmic payback on the high-and-mighty Shampoo, though the recent news that her defeat by the redheaded foreign girl had eventually led to her finding a strong husband for herself had cast some doubt on that theory.  Still, whatever the reason for Shampoo's loss, Amazon pride said that an outsider just wasn't going to defeat Xiang Lu, who was ranked fourth among the unmarried warriors.  

                Kuno pride said Amazon pride needed a good swift kick in the pantsuit.

                Kodachi smiled back at Xiang Lu, noting that the other girl wasn't one of those giving her skeptical looks.  "I accept," she said.  Then, tensing her legs and focusing her chi, she leaped the fifty feet to the challenge log, landing on the far end and looking back toward the girl who'd offered the challenge.

                Shampoo patted Xiang Lu on the arm, giving her a real, if not particularly nice, smile.  "Prepare to get your butt kicked."

***************

                Not all that much later, the three of them were walking along through the streets of the village again.  "None of the Amazons seemed too happy about my victory," the White Rose commented.

                "Well, whaddaya expect?" Ranma asked with a grin.  "Those are girls that've trained their whole lives to be warriors.  They aren't gonna be too happy to see someone their age pull off stunts that you normally gotta be an Amazon elder to match."

                "It was just a little windstorm," Kodachi protested.  "The Amazons have the Hiryu Shoten Ha, don't they?"

                "Yes, but not normally taught to anyone under age of thirty," replied Shampoo.  "And it not something can use on the challenge log, after all."

                "Yeah, the look on Xiang Lu's face was pretty funny," Ranma said.  "Why didn't you keep it up long enough to blow her off the log, Dachi?"

                "Well, I suppose I could have.  Since she knew the Bakkusai Tenketsu there wouldn't have been much danger of hurting her.  Still, I didn't want to play too rough," Kodachi explained.  "She wasn't one of the Amazons who looked like they thought I was crazy for asking about the Kiss of Death beforehand."

                "Plus doing it this way gave you chance to show off another technique too, right?" Shampoo asked cheerfully.

                "Something like that.  She was so surprised by then that her mental barriers were almost wide open.  Easy prey for the dreaded Hula Hoopnosis technique."

                "Should have made her cluck like a chicken or something first, not just get down off log."  Shampoo made a mock-disappointed face at her sister.  "Is missed opportunity."

                "That would have been a little unnecessarily hard on her pride, don't you think?"

                The lavender-haired girl sniffed disdainfully.  "Many of those girls was ones what have treat Shampoo with most jealousy and coldness because they never able to beat me.  Xiang Lu not worst of lot, but is certainly one of them.  Would do her good to lose pride."

                "Still, I don't think it's my place to teach that sort of lesson," the White Rose said uncomfortably.

                "If not you, then who?  They need to know that just because they is Amazons not automatically make them better than everybody else."

                Both Ranma and Kodachi were staring now.  "Uh, Sham-chan?  You wanna maybe clarify that statement a little?  I mean, you know I got almost all your memories, and I think I woulda noticed if somewhere in the last few months you started not caring about your Amazon heritage."

                "Ranma not get what Shampoo saying," the Amazon said, slightly frustrated.  "This about those girls, not about Amazon way in general."

                "Are you sure this isn't just your hurt talking?" Kodachi asked as gently as she could.  "I know you've experienced a lot of pain because of their jealousy.  But that shouldn't mean you don't give credit where credit is due.  If not for my empowerment, I might not have been able to beat her.  And that is nothing I achieved on my own; it was a gift.  She might well have deserved to win if one just considers our relative levels of skill and the time we've spent training."

                "No, is not just Shampoo's hurt talking."  Shampoo gave Kodachi a challenging stare.  "Kodachi, what are the Two Pillars of Excellence?"

                The White Rose blinked.  "I have no idea."

                Shampoo deflated.  "Oh, I must never have tell you that.  Ranma, please take over."

                "It's the first lesson taught to a young girl just beginning Amazon training.  The Two Pillars of Excellence are fighting skill, which may be taught, and fighting spirit, which comes from within."

                "And which is most important?" Shampoo prompted.

                "Fighting spirit," said Ranma, who suddenly knew where this was going.  It was one of the later memories he'd picked up in the Heart Link, of a conversation between the Matriarch and her great-granddaughter not long before the appearance of Ryoga-Oni.

                "Thank you, Airen."  Shampoo noted the gleam of understanding in his eyes, and turned to face Kodachi.  "That is Amazon heritage, Amazon way.  Do you think it is right?"

                Hoping this wasn't a trick question, Kodachi answered carefully, "It certainly doesn't sound like anything I can argue with."

                "And what part of that says to be born here somehow make you better than someone what is not?"

                Kodachi thought for a bit, before saying hesitantly, "The fighting skill part?  I mean, the Amazons do have quite a number of powerful secret techniques."

                "Is true.  And after three thousand years of breeding for strength, is true that bigger... um... percentage of girls born here have natural talent for fighting than anywhere else.  But like Ranma say, the fighting spirit is what is most important.  There nothing to say someone from somewhere else not have just as much of that as one of us, or more."

                "I remember now," Ranma said.  "Back when... things had just been settled with Tatewaki, and Cologne was talking to you about this stuff."

                Shampoo nodded solemnly.  "Great-Grandmother tell me things I never think about before, lessons of wisdom what usually is saved for older womans, not hot-head young warriors.  Things about honor, and choices, and how all Amazon glory and heritage would not mean anything if Amazons not choose to honor it.  Lessons about get stronger by losing, learn what not to do next time so you not hurt again, and maybe someday can help someone else not make mistake in the first place.  Lessons about respect others if they show they worthy, and not forget before they shove it in your face that there is people like that out there."

                "And most of the girls your age here haven't learned those lessons yet?" Kodachi asked.

                Ranma snorted.  "Not unless there's been a whole lotta changes since she left."

                "Is one in particular I wish they learn," Shampoo said.  "Wish they would see that right goal is not to be best warrior in village.  Right goal is to be best warrior you can be.  If they learn that, then they would not resent me for be better than them.  Would see as opportunity to grow stronger themselves, learn by challenging me.  Would not find it necessary to hate it that they can not actually win."

                Kodachi, unable to resist the role of devil's advocate, had to ask, "Do you mean you wouldn't mind if somehow one of them manages to beat you during this visit?"

                The Amazon shrugged.  "Would probably take it as cue to up my own training for next while.  But Shampoo could live with it."  Ranma was nodding his head, but Kodachi still looked a little skeptical.  Shampoo deliberately arched one eyebrow at her and said, "Is so hard to believe?  When has I ever resented you for being too far ahead for me ever to catch up?"

                For the longest time, Kodachi couldn't think of anything to say.  At last, she just admitted, "I never really thought about it."

                "I probably never will be able to beat you in straight-out fight," Shampoo said.  "And is okay.  I am happy to have challenge, to spur me on to keep get stronger."

                She turned to Ranma, and her smile got wider and a great deal naughtier.  "Same goes double for Airen, of course.  Have the benefit of challenge, same as with sister, and also have brave, strong, good man for husband."  She reached out and began tracing a finger up and down his neck.  "Will give Shampoo very strong, very fine children."

                Ranma gulped and began sweating like crazy.  Shampoo laughed merrily, and to her credit there was only the barest hint of frustration in her tone as she said, "Some day."

***************

                They wandered around the village for another couple of hours, with no further incidents of note.  As the shades of evening began to darken the sky, they returned to the Matriarch's home for dinner.

                Rouge met them at the door.  "Hello, children."

                "Hey, Auntie," Ranma said back.  "How's your day been?"

                "Oh, not too bad," the Matriarch-in-training responded in a too-sweet tone.  "Though I did have to spend a number of boring hours meeting with the Council of Elders this afternoon.  That wasn't much fun."  Her gaze sharpened.  "It was even less fun when I returned home an hour ago, and found quite a mess in the kitchen."

                Shampoo's eyes widened in dismay.  "Aiyah!  Shampoo knew she forgot something!"

                "That's right, niece," Rouge said, her tone shifting from syrupy to businesslike.  "And since I could hardly start cooking with all those pans and things still dirty and cluttering up the kitchen, dinner is going to have to wait until after you head in there and clean up your mess."

                The lavender-haired girl gulped.  "You mean... dinner not even get started yet?  And everybody know this Shampoo's fault?"  At Rouge's nod, she asked nervously, "Who all here right now?  Shampoo not suppose Ryogas take parents to Jusenkyo for cure?"

                Rouge blinked in surprise.  "That's... quite an impressive deduction, Shampoo.  You're right, too--it will solve their wandering problem.  But they're going to do that tomorrow, not today."  She put on another hard smile.  "They're still here, waiting inside with everyone else for the kitchen to become functional once more.  And may I point out that the longer they're kept waiting, the worse a reception you'll get when you finally go through that door?"

                Shampoo squared her shoulders.  "Oh well... Amazon have to do what Amazon have to do..."  She proceeded to walk around the building and squeeze through the window that opened into the kitchen, neatly avoiding a potentially awkward moment.

                "Should've remembered to lock that," Rouge sighed.

                "You know, I bet Shampoo could use some help in there," Ranma said, eyeing the front door nervously.  "C'mon, Dachi-chan."

                "Oh, no you don't," Rouge said exasperatedly.  "You'd tear the window-frame out of the wall if you tried to force your way through it, nephew-in-law."

                A week or two later he probably would've just splashed himself and slid through the window with ease, but right now the pain and disappointment of not being able to cure his curse via Jusenkyo was still too strong for that option to be considered.  With a sigh, Ranma pushed open the front door and walked in.  Kodachi sent a wistful glance toward the kitchen window, but then followed him inside.  There was just no way she would let Ranma go into harm's way alone.

                "Oh, hey, Ranma," one of the Ryogas said casually, looking up from the card game he was playing with Ukyo as the pig-tailed martial artist entered the room.

                "Hey," he returned, looking around a little nervously.  Nobody _seemed_ upset as far as he could tell.  "Listen, I'm sorry about making us wait for dinner and everything."

                Ukyo looked over and flashed him a cheerful 'V for victory' sign.  "Don't worry about it, sugar.  Gave me a chance to show Mr and Mrs Hibiki just who makes the best okonomiyaki in the Bayankhala mountain range.  We aren't even gonna be ready for supper for at least an hour."

                "There's no justice," Rouge muttered under her breath.  Louder, she said, "Did you save any of that for me?"  Her stomach grumbled in counterpoint to the question.

                The chef blinked.  "Sorry, I didn't know you'd want any.  If you're hungry, why'd you spend the last hour just waiting for Ranchan and company to get back?"

                Rouge didn't bother to reply, opting instead to vanish with a bang and a cloud of smoke, which somehow managed to convey the impression of being thoroughly out-of-sorts.  It was some very anthropomorphic smoke.

                "She shouldn't have left so quickly," Kozue remarked mildly.  She and Ichiro were seated at a table on the other side of the room, with the other Ryoga, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung.  The Hibiki matron reached down and dug through the backpack seated on the floor beside her.  Finding what she sought, she straightened up and tossed a handful of foil-wrapped objects to Ranma and Kodachi.  "Here, if you're hungry this should help tide you over to dinner."

                Ranma grinned back at her.  "Thanks, Mrs Hibiki.  I love Granola bars."  He wolfed his down with enough enthusiasm that Kozue passed him several more.

                He wasn't the only one hungry enough to want more than just a couple of the treats.  However, Kodachi wasn't quite ready to emulate her boyfriend's method of scoring more; instead, she plucked two of the extras out of Ranma's hand, giving him a saucy smirk when he made a wordless noise of protest.

                "So how are you enjoying your stay at the Amazon village so far, Mrs Hibiki?" Kodachi asked after finishing off her last bar.

                "Ask me again later, when I've had enough time to adjust to everything," the woman replied.  There was more than a hint of sadness in her voice.

                "Huh?  Did you have a hard day?" Ranma asked.

                Ichiro took his wife's hand, squeezing it gently.  "There's just... been a lot to take in.  Learning we have two sons now... meeting with the Elders so we can be forgiven for trespassing into Amazon lands... learning there's a cure finally in our reach, that can end our days of wandering..." he sighed, "...and finding out why it is that the Nannichuan and Nyannichuan would do that."

                "So, I guess you heard about the Oni stuff, huh," Ranma said uncomfortably.

                "Yeah, the Matriarch told them.  Could we please drop the subject?" the Ryoga at the table asked, craning his head around to look at Ranma.  He was sandwiched between Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, facing partially away from Ranma and Kodachi.

                "Yeah, I shouldn't've brought it up.  Sorry, Ryoga."

                "Ryu."

                Ranma blinked.  "Huh?  What'd you say?"

                The other boy shrugged.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung weren't actually sitting close enough to be bumped by his shoulders, but it was a near thing.  "That was one of the things we all discussed today.  We need a way to tell me and my twin brother apart.  We can't just both keep going by 'Ryoga Hibiki', after all."

                "So Airen have take new name we suggest, Ryu."  This was Ling-Ling.  "Is good one for such strong warrior, yes?"

                "Ryu... hmmm," said Ranma contemplatively, a grin appearing on his face.  "Maybe.  Can you show me how to do a Ha Do Ken sometime, man?"

                "Ha, ha, ha," Ryu said.  "How about I Hurricane Kick your butt?"

                "At least get Lung-Lung to bleach the bandana white and give it back to you.  We gotta have some way to tell you and Ryoga apart at a glance, after all," Ranma pointed out.

                Ryu pulled his chair back and turned in it, holding up his forearms so Ranma and Kodachi could see them.  Elaborate dragon tattoos covered his arms from wrist to elbow.  "This good enough for you?"

                "Whose idea was that?" Kodachi asked, shifting her gaze from the tattoos to the Amazon twins.  So they already had him wrapped this far around their little fingers.  She did hope Ryoga... er, Ryu would learn to stand up for himself to them before it was too late.

                "Was Airen's.  Why Kodachi look at us like that?" Ling-Ling asked curiously.

                "Um, no reason."  The White Rose sought a quick change of subject.  "Oh!  Ryu, there was something we realized this morning that you need to hear.  You too, Ryoga," she said, half-turning and speaking louder to draw Ryoga's attention away from his card game.

                "What is it?" the other Hibiki boy asked.

                "This morning, Ranma-kun, Shampoo, and I went some little distance away from the village and began sparring.  Less than thirty minutes later, there were Amazons who had somehow got wind of this and had showed up to watch."

                "Is that a problem?" Ryu asked quizzically.

                "For us?" Ranma sighed.  "Probably will be.  But it ain't too late for you, man."

                "What're you talking about, Ranchan?" Ukyo asked, beginning to get worried and a little annoyed at the ominous tone her friends were taking.

                "Simple.  If you guys don't wanna have to deal with more girls chasing you, ya better not let on to anybody how good a fighter you are.  Either of you."

                Ukyo flinched as the implications hit her.  She was only just getting to the point where she could admit to herself that she was relieved not to have to fight Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung anymore.  And now it looked like there was every chance she and Ryoga honey had just gone from the mixing bowl onto the grill.  "Holy crap!"

                The Hibiki brothers might well have echoed that statement if their parents hadn't been sitting right there.  As it was, they limited their responses to turning pale and gulping.  Said parents just kept quiet, resolving to ask their sons for an explanation later.

                "No worry, Airen," Lung-Lung said, moving quickly to reassure her man.  "If they try hit on you, just say we is all you want."

                "Yeah, we not let any lovesick girls force you into anything," Ling-Ling said.

                Ukyo choked, coughing and hacking for the next several seconds.  At last, getting herself under control, the chef said sourly, "So you'd just shove them all off onto Ryoga-kun, is that it?"

                "Is not," Ling-Ling bristled.  "We just tell Airen that so he know he not have to worry if accident happen and other girls find out how good he is."

                "But is still important you do best not to let happen," Lung-Lung said seriously, turning back to face Ryu.  "No want set brother up for trouble."  She resolutely ignored the fact that she was agreeing with Ukyo.

                "Anyway, I think I made enough of an impression that you shouldn't have to worry too much," Ranma said.  "Just keep a low profile and I bet they'll all go after me."  He and Kodachi wore near-identical expressions of displeasure at the thought.

                Inside the kitchen, as she scrubbed at one of the larger pots, Shampoo wondered why she had the sudden urge to scowl.

***************

                At first the knocking didn't make any impression at all.  Jin To slept on, untroubled by the sound.  But as it persisted, his expression of slack-jawed peace began to crinkle with discontentment.  He twisted in his sleep, first turning away from the window, then pulling the covers over his head, finally doing the same with the pillow.  Still the sound persisted, not loud, but not allowing for any other result than eventual response.

                At last the veil of slumber shredded beneath the vainly-grasping desire of his subconscious not to be dragged back awake.  Jin To sat up in bed, blinking and trying to adjust.  As his mind cleared enough to realize what was going on, he muttered a curse, no less foul for being spoken so softly.  It was the middle of the night!  What moron would be tapping at his window at this hour?!

                The man blearily got to his feet and struck a light, walking over to the window and opening it.  "What the hell is your problem?!" he did his best to snarl.  Since he was speaking in a whisper at the same time, in order not to disturb any of his neighbors, it was a fairly weak attempt.

                "Sorry about this."  The other didn't seem all that sorry to Jin To.  "But I've got a job for you."

                "I don't believe this," the man muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.  "Look me up in the morning."  He turned away and began to shut the window.

                Before it had shifted more than an inch, a bulging pouch sailed through the opening, landing on the floor with a particularly musical *clink*.  It was a sound Jin To knew quite well, and one with which he was always ready to become even more familiar.  Reaching down, he picked up the pouch and opened it, spilling several heavy coins onto the palm of his hand.  They were unmistakably gold.

                He turned back to regard the unexpected visitor, his grumpiness banished far more quickly and efficiently than his sleep had been.  The other smiled.  "This isn't something I can talk about in the daylight.  Can I come in?"

***************

                Ranma moved through the village with all the stealth at his command.  It hadn't taken long for word to circulate among the Amazons that he actually spoke their language fluently.  He tried not to think wistfully about what might have been.  Not having Shampoo by his side to translate _should_ have meant that at least the girls who didn't speak Japanese would leave him alone.

                A pointless regret now, though.  Over the last few days, Ranma had lost count of the number of times he'd been asked to help someone work on their Japanese.  He'd given everyone the same answer, namely that he couldn't because he didn't yet have his license to teach.  The puzzled looks on the girls' faces had been funny enough to take some of the stress out of the situation.

                Still, he preferred to avoid such encounters if possible, and so the Anything Goes heir slunk undetected through the village.  At least, he thought he was undetected.  Several Elders noted his passage, and it was just Ranma's good fortune that none of them had great-granddaughters handy at the moment to be sent on an intercept course.

                As he neared his destination, Ranma allowed himself to relax a little.  He'd just caught a glimpse of Kodachi and Shampoo ahead in the distance, walking toward the Matriarch's house along a lane that ran perpendicular to the one he was on, and if someone were to pop up now he could at least call out to the girls and get a little backup.  Ranma glanced around, checking one last time, and finding that there still weren't any Amazons preparing to pounce.

                He began walking forward again, but almost immediately stopped, a smile spreading across his face.  Cranking the stealth back up to maximum, Ranma stepped away from the lane, slipping between the houses in an attempt to sneak up on Kodachi and Shampoo before they reached their destination and went inside.

                Since the girls weren't actually intending to go into the house, he needn't have moved quite as quickly as he did.  But Ranma didn't sacrifice any stealth in his haste; he moved without a sound, masking his presence as best he could.  No indication of his proximity betrayed him as he moved up behind Kodachi and Shampoo, reaching out to tap them on the shoulders.

                "Nihao, Airen," Shampoo said with a smirk, one instant before his hand came into contact with her.  Since the reason she and Kodachi were pacing along the street out here was that they were waiting for him, the Amazon had been using the Heart Link to keep track of where Ranma was.  He would have to work harder than that to fool them, she thought smugly.

                Shampoo was only half right.  Kodachi, who had NOT thought to use the Heart Link to monitor Ranma's approach, was caught completely by surprise.  She whirled around, catching the hand that had fallen on her shoulder and pulling her assailant off-balance, whipping out her ribbon and wrapping it around her boyfriend before he could recover.

                "A little jumpy today, Dachi?" Ranma asked sarcastically.

                The White Rose blushed.  "Oops.  Sorry, Ranma-kun.  I've been fighting all afternoon, and I guess I've still got that mindset lurking in the back of my thoughts."

                Ranma blinked.  "Fighting all afternoon?  Whaddaya mean?"

                "I suppose it was inevitable, really, after the showing I put forth against Xiang Lu.  I'm not sure why they all waited until now, but eight girls challenged me to matches today while you were off training in secret."  It had been a little awkward, as Shampoo had been elsewhere, unavailable for translation duty.  But some of the other Amazons had spoken Japanese well enough to get their meaning across.

                "So how bad did you beat them?"

                "Not so badly as all that.  I decided not to show off as much as I did in that first fight.  Though I did disintegrate the bonbori of one of the girls."

                Shampoo's eyes widened.  "Aiyah!  Who was?  What girl was that, where you do that, Kodachi?  Was Si Ca?"

                "I don't remember," the White Rose admitted.  "Why?"

                "Si Ca like Shampoo, she prefer bonbori for weapons.  Her father was not warrior, he was weapon maker.  Bonbori what Si Ca use is special set he make for her and give when she take Amazon vows.  And he die in tragic accident not long after that."  Shampoo gulped.  "If you deliberately destroy any of those... you have made very, very bad enemy."

                "I... I didn't know..." Kodachi said anxiously.  "But surely weapons get damaged in fights all the time around here.  Don't they?"

                "Yes, but damaged is not same thing as turn to dust.  Crack handle... handle can be replaced.  Spirit of weapon is still intact.  But not if you destroy completely."

                "Oh dear."  An understatement, but Kodachi was too shell-shocked to make a more appropriate statement.  She swallowed nervously, then managed, "What do you think I should do?"

                Shampoo shook her head.  "I not know."

                Ranma chose this moment to speak up.  "Hey, Dachi?  What color hair and eyes did this girl have?"

                "Light green hair with faint gold highlights, and dark blue eyes.  Why?"

                Her boyfriend rolled his eyes.  "Cause that wasn't Si Ca.  Sham-chan, are you forgetting just how many girls around here do use bonbori?"

                The Amazon blinked, then grinned sheepishly.  "Um... sorry, Kodachi.  Sound like you fought Lin Fara.  She not have any special attachment to her weapons that Shampoo know of."

                Kodachi exhaled a sigh of mingled relief and aggravation.  "Shampoo, a few minutes ago you told me you'd gotten some surprising news from your aunt this afternoon.  Obviously it was more distracting than I thought."

                "Is so," Shampoo agreed.  "What I hear from Aunt Rouge is probably reason I not think clearly just now.  What your excuse?"

                "Touché," the White Rose admitted.

                Before Shampoo could ask what that meant, Ranma spoke up.  "Anyway, Dachi, a few minutes back you asked Shampoo a question, right?  What you oughta do."

                "Well, yes, when I thought I'd mortally offended someone.  Are you saying I need to take some action anyway, even though that's not the case?"

                "Got it in one," Ranma confirmed.  "What do you think I'm talking about, Dachi-chan?"

                "I'm sorry, Ranma, but I have no idea."

                "UNTIE ME!!"

                "Oh, very well," she said, moving to comply

                Shampoo pouted.  "But Shampoo think Ranma look too too cute like that."  She smirked, reaching out to pat him on the cheek.  "Besides, if you can not get loose on own, ought to ask nicer anyway."

                Ranma rolled his eyes.  "I just don't wanna break Dachi's ribbon or nothing.  It ain't like we're at home, with an endless supply of replacements sitting around."

                "Is good point," the Amazon admitted.  "But Ranma still look cuter all wrapped up like birthday present."

                "I bet other Amazons would think so too, if some of them happened to walk by," Ranma mused.

                Kodachi, who had been working on a particularly stubborn tangle in the ribbon and not really paying attention to the conversation, suddenly found herself nudged aside rather forcefully.  Shampoo grabbed the still-trussed-up boy, said "Come on Kodachi, what you wait for?!", and dashed inside the Matriarch's house.

***************

                A few minutes later, Ranma was free to move again, Kodachi's ribbon was still intact, and the three of them were sitting down with a plate of snacks.  "So how Airen's day go?" Shampoo asked.

                Ranma sighed.  "Okay, I guess.  But I ain't making the kind of progress I'd hoped for."

                "Even after you upped the amount of time you're spending each day from two hours to five?" Kodachi asked.

                "Yeah.  Things just aren't coming along as fast as I thought."

                "Airen... I know you want this to be secret, surprise us when you perfect new move.  But for me at least, I would rather spend the time with you and help you than not see you so much of time, just to have a surprise in the end."

                "I must confess I feel the same way," Kodachi added.  "Couldn't we help you work this new technique out?"

                The Saotome heir gulped, wishing now that he'd chosen a different conversational gambit.  "I... yeah, you probably could help me get done faster.  But I really need to do this on my own, without any help from anybody else.  And I promise you, when I'm finished, you'll be impressed enough to be glad I waited til then to show you."  Casting about desperately for a change of subject, he remembered a remark Kodachi had made a few minutes past.  "Sham-chan, didn't I hear something about you getting some startling news today?  What was that all about?"

                "Oh, yes, I meant to ask you as well," Kodachi said.  "Was it a good sort of surprise?"

                "Not really good or bad," Shampoo answered.  "I was talking to Aunt Rouge, tell about some of adventures we have.  When I get to part about fight shadow boy Ken, tell her about I can see him when he invisible to everybody else, she get idea of test Shampoo to see why I was able to do that."

                "Was she able to figure it out?" Ranma asked.  Memories of some of the stories Kodachi had read, specifically about the often-high price of a magical gift, had made him worry occasionally about Shampoo's unexplained talent.

                "Take most of afternoon, but yes, Aunt Rouge did find in the end."  Shampoo's face shifted into an expression half-proud, half-chagrined.  "Happened back when Shampoo misuse Eye of Bastet to find Akane, when Ryoga's Oni-half take her.  Because I use jewel the wrong way, power flow through me too hard, too little control.  It changed me and left me with little bit of gift for true sight."

                "That doesn't sound so bad at all," the White Rose remarked.  "In fact, it's nice to hear it isn't anything dangerous."  Then she blinked.  "That's the case, isn't it?"

                "Yes," Shampoo confirmed.  "Just small thing to keep in mind.  Each time I see through an illusion use little bit of my energy, and it not something I can choose not to do.  Like if Ranma had to make every attack at full strength.  Make Shampoo tire out quicker if I have to fight against someone what use lot of those kind of tricks."

                "But they wouldn't expect you to be able to see the truth through their shadows, which would allow you to take them down quickly," Kodachi pointed out.  "So it shouldn't be a problem."

                "Is so," the Amazon agreed.  "Besides, how many people use illusion too too much like that anyway?"

***************

                Many hundreds of miles away, Prince Toma sneezed.

***************

                "Yeah," Ranma agreed, "and now you know it ain't gonna go away right when you need it.  Why'd you say it wasn't just good news?  It sure sounds like it to me."

                "Shampoo wish you had no ask that," she said somewhat crossly.  "I was try not to think about other part."

                Ranma paled, replacing Shampoo's annoyance with guilt.  She hadn't meant that to sound as ominous as it had.  "Other part?  Whaddaya mean, Sham-chan?"

                "Nothing bad, Airen," she hastened to reassure him.  "Is just... what Shampoo get is actual magical gift with own proper name, not random set of special effects."

                "Huh?  Run that by me again," Ranma said, puzzled now rather than worried.  "You're annoyed that there's an actual name for what you got?  Why?"

                "Airen sure he want to know?" Shampoo asked in a tone that hinted 'You'll be sorry you asked.'  Kodachi, suddenly suspecting where this was going, made a wry face but didn't otherwise object.

                 At his nod, she sighed and said, "Gift what Shampoo get from stupid jewel is 'Eyes of the Cat'."

***************

                Another few days passed, reasonably quietly.

                Amazons continued to make not-so-subtle overtures to Ranma, though these were becoming slightly less frequent.  Kodachi fought many more Amazons, some of them women twice her own age.  Shampoo faced a number of challenges of her own, winning each quickly and decisively.  

                The Hibiki family continued to enjoy the longest period of togetherness they'd had in years.  The pain of learning about their Oni heritage was muted considerably for Ichiro and Kozue by having each other and their children close at hand.  The elder Hibikis avoided hot water like the plague and spent as much time as possible getting to know Ryu, Ryoga, and the girls in their lives.

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung didn't have quite as much time to spare as they would have liked, unfortunately.  Li Na wasn't the only one in the village to have received letters from them.  Several Amazons had an idea of how good a fighter their Airen was, which inevitably led to speculation that his twin who'd arrived at the village later might well be the same.  It wasn't hard for Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to persuade those Amazons who were their friends not to chase either Hibiki boy (they just called in a few favors to get the girls to go after Ranma instead), but the others who had heard were a different story.  Securing their promises not to chase their Airen's brother or tell anyone else about the Hibiki prowess cost the twins many, many hours' worth of effort.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung tried not to think about the favor they were doing the stupid spatula girl as they toiled along at various unpleasant chores the other girls wanted to avoid.

                Ukyo, on the other hand, had almost more free time than she knew what to do with.  With the demands of both school and her restaurant temporarily nonpresent, the chef was at somewhat of a loss as to how to fill the days.  She and Ryoga spent time together, of course; they even sparred regularly, with the twenty-minute trek they had to take to get out of range of accidental Amazon audiences not being as much of a nuisance as it otherwise would have been.  But even given that, she still sometimes found herself looking for ways to pass the time.

                Because of this, and after thinking it over long and hard, Ukyo eventually took Rouge up on her offer of magic lessons.  Even with her need to occupy herself, this still required a significant effort of will.  When the mage had first spoken on the matter, Ukyo had pretty much thought it was just a ruse to get her out of the way while Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung spent time with Ryoga unopposed.  What Rouge and Li Na had done at Jusenkyo proved this suspicion groundless, but it was still a little difficult for the chef to let go of her reservations and extend trust to an Amazon.

                And the incident on the tenth day of their visit certainly didn't help.

                Because Rouge was the heir to the Matriarchy, she often had duties that couldn't be easily shirked.  Shampoo had impressed this on Ukyo after the chef had been late for a magic lesson.  It hadn't actually been Ukyo's fault, but it had still been a waste of time that Rouge could ill afford on that day.  Shampoo stressed just how big a favor Rouge was doing, taking time to instruct Ukyo in the use of her talent, not to mention making Amazon lore available in the first place to one who wasn't really connected to the tribe at all.

                After Shampoo had finished, a guilt-ridden Ukyo promised she'd view the lessons as the gift they were, and would be certain not to miss one or be late.  Not twenty-four hours later, her promise was put to a harsh test when she heard Ichiro and Kozue were planning a family picnic at a time that clashed completely with her next scheduled lesson.  It was hard, but Ukyo forced herself to decline the invitation, cheering up only slightly later on when she heard Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were unable to go either.

                The lesson took place in the morning.  Rouge wrapped it up just in time for an early lunch, after which Ukyo decided to stroll around the village.  Hopefully she'd be able to catch up with Kodachi and/or Shampoo.  If not, she could at least intercept Ryoga and company when they returned from their picnic.

                As Kodachi was demonstrating her watercolor-on-silk techniques to several of the village's artisans, and Shampoo was meeting with Cologne for more shiatsu training, Ukyo's wandering didn't bring her anywhere near them.  After a while, the chef stopped looking, slowing down and paying attention to the sights around her instead, enjoying the picturesque appearance of the village (though she did a double-take almost as bad as Ryoga's when she first saw the power armor statue outside the home of Talcum and Hong Wa).

                Eventually her rambling brought her to a large open square dominated by a different statue.  Ukyo stood there for a while, regarding it.  It was carved from stone, and depicted a woman standing on top of a short pedestal.  The statue itself wasn't large at all; in fact, Ukyo judged that if the figure stepped down from the pedestal and stood next to her, she would be taller by about an inch.

                But the lack of height did nothing to detract from the overall sense of presence that the woman in the stone seemed to carry.  Her expression was fierce, eyes blazing even though they were lifeless rock.  Her posture was equally striking, carrying a mixture of challenge, confident readiness, and pride.

                Ukyo studied the statue, becoming a little uneasy as she noted more and more details.  The woman was dressed in what looked like plain leather armor.  That much was apparent at first glance; a closer look showed actual scratches and worn patches in the jacket.  She was armed with a sword and shield, which showed similar wear.  There were scars visible on the exposed flesh of her arms and hands, one long one that was plainly visible, and also numerous small ones that took a close scrutiny to detect.  In fact, the chef realized, you could actually see calluses on the hand that gripped the sword.

                It was far and away the most lifelike statue Ukyo had ever seen.  In fact, the best okonomiyaki chef in China was currently fighting a worry that this might actually be a person, turned to stone through magic.

                "I always wonder if really she looked that fierce."

                The voice from directly behind her startled Ukyo.  Turning quickly, she saw she had been joined by a girl who looked to be about her own age.  The newcomer stood several inches taller than Ukyo.  She had long blonde hair and very fair skin, and was even more... developed... than Shampoo and Kodachi, the chef noted with some disgruntlement.  The girl's eyes were blue, and had less of a slant than Ukyo had yet seen on anyone else from the Amazon village.

                The mystery girl continued speaking during Ukyo's scrutiny.  "The story says the one who did that statue used some magic to go back and see her, so she could get it right.  But if I was going to make a statue of a hero, I know it would be hard not to make her look heroic.  Even if maybe she didn't really have a stare like a sword-strike."

                "So who is it, anyway?" Ukyo asked, finding her voice.  "Some Amazon ancestress?"  The statue didn't look Chinese at all, but then again, given the combinations of hair and eye color that Ukyo had seen so far, it seemed pretty obvious that the Joketsuzoku tribe had to have received some pretty funky genes from somewhere back in their past.

                "No.  That is Hippolyta.  She had no connection to us, but we like to think she would have approved of our tribe.  That's why there is a statue of her.  After all, we appreciate strong woman heroes no matter where they come from."  The blonde girl smiled.  "I am Edelweiss, by the way, Ukyo Kuonji.  Nice to meet you."  She held out her hand.

                Ukyo hesitated noticeably before taking it.  She'd heard of the custom of shaking hands, but it wasn't common in Japan and she certainly hadn't expected to run into it in the Amazon village.  "Just Ukyo will do, sugar."

                "Not Sugar, Edelweiss," the other girl corrected.

                There was one of those awkward pauses that come when two people are confronted with minor mutual misunderstanding.  Ukyo shrugged her way past it.  "So I guess you knew me from the welcome feast a while back, huh?"

                "Sort of," Edelweiss replied with a rueful smile.  "I had too much mead that night to remember anybody's name afterward.  I had to ask my mother yesterday to find out what yours was again."

                Ukyo blinked.  "Why exactly did you do that?" she asked, a faint note of unease creeping into her voice.

                Edelweiss spoke Japanese quite well, but she still missed that hint of wariness.  "I wanted to talk to you because yesterday morning, I was coming back from practice and saw you with your Airen."

                Ukyo paled, suddenly suspecting she knew where this was going, but hoping she might be wrong.  After all, the girl hadn't actually said Ukyo and Ryoga had been training when she saw them.

                "It was impressive.  I know Amazons who are older than you, have trained their whole lives, and might well lose to you.  But you need to be more careful.  You don't want a whole lot of other girls finding out just how skilled he is.  Unless you _want_ twenty or thirty more girls chasing him too."

                "No, I wouldn't want that to happen," Ukyo said slowly, her tone becoming deadly serious.  "Not thirty other girls than me, not twenty, not two, not one.  In fact, if I thought someone was going to do something like that, I might have to ask my friend Shampoo to use the Xi Fang Gao on her to make sure she changed her mind."  She spun on her heel and walked away quickly, leaving Edelweiss blinking in confusion and chagrin and wondering where the encounter had gone wrong.

***************

                The sun had nearly sunk behind the mountains by the time Ranma got back to the Matriarch's home.  This time Shampoo and Kodachi weren't pacing along the street, but rather waiting for him inside the house.  He was struck almost immediately by the sheer annoyance and indignation radiating from the White Rose.

                "You okay, Dachi?" he asked after greetings had been exchanged.

                "It's that obvious, is it?" Kodachi asked rhetorically, heaving an exasperated sigh.

                "Yeah, it is.  Hard day?" Ranma asked as gently as he could.

                "Just a severe blow to my pride, that's all," she grumbled.

                "Kodachi lose first challenge today," Shampoo explained.

                Ranma's eyebrows shot up to his hairline.  "Really?!  What'd ya do, go up against one of the Elders or something?"

                "Ranma-sama..." Kodachi began sweetly enough, but her tone changed to a growl as she uttered the next phrase, "You're NOT HELPING!"

                "Ranma, please think before you respond to what I'm about to say," Shampoo said.  She paused, then continued, "It was Lily."

                "Lily?"  Ranma sweatdropped, looking back and forth from Shampoo to Kodachi several times, his gaze finally settling on the Amazon.  "Shampoo, is there another Lily in the village besides the one I'm thinking of?  The girl who might have turned fifteen by now?"

                "Yes, it was THAT Lily!" the White Rose snapped.  She knew very little Mandarin, but had been able to guess the gist of Ranma's question anyway.

                "So... how'd it happen?" Ranma asked gingerly, hoping it wasn't the wrong question to ask.

                "When she challenged me, she specifically stated unarmed combat."  Kodachi grimaced.  "And she knocked me off the challenge log in less than a minute."

                Ranma gaped.  "You mean... you were _that_ much off-balance, just cause you didn't have any of your weapons to work with?!"

                For a moment it looked like Kodachi might well and truly lose her temper... but then she seemed to deflate.  "Yes," she said quietly.  "I didn't think it would be any particular challenge.  After all, I have your memories of Anything Goes to draw on, so why wouldn't I be able to win?  But I felt so awkward and ungraceful.  I started out on the offensive, she blasted right through my attack with ease, I tried to recover my defenses, she brushed those aside too, and then I was airborne."  She forced a smile.  "And NOT the way I prefer to be."

                Ranma was feeling a little more confident, now that his girlfriend seemed to be leaving her ire behind.  Just to make sure, he stretched out his perceptions along the Heart Link...  what the heck?  "Ah, Dachi-chan?  Why exactly are you feeling guilty?"

                Kodachi gave him a pained stare.  "Isn't it obvious, Ranma?"  The pain was now obvious in her voice as well.  "I failed you.  The skills and techniques that you endured such grief to attain as you grew up, the only good things Genma ever gave you, I know how important to you they are.  I suffered with you, in the Heart Link, to gain them.  I should have valued them as much as you do.  But somewhere, it seems I did not, not enough to hold onto those skills.  If I had, I should have been able to defeat that girl easily."

                "Kodachi, that's just plain ridiculous!"  So much so, Ranma had to pause before he could figure out how to continue.  Eventually, after much thought, he said, "Okay, I think I see a little better now what happened.  You tried to fight just like I would, right?"

                "Yes, that's right."

                "And are ya forgetting just how much better I've gotten, since I first met you and you helped me train?"

                "No, but I don't see what difference it makes," Kodachi said, puzzled.

                "Aiyah!  I do.  Think so, at least," Shampoo said, a light bulb going off in her head.  "Kodachi, think back to time what Shampoo first get to Nerima.  By then you had already given Ranma biggest help he has get from you in martial arts over all this time.  You remember what it was?"

                "It was when I gave him the advanced chi-manipulation scrolls Elminster left me," the White Rose responded.  "But I don't see your point."

                "The point is, there's a difference between how much chi somebody's got and how they can use it.  All your life, you've trained on focusing it into weapons and stuff, and learning how to go from there to pull off special tricks.  You can do some really neat stuff, some incredible stuff," Ranma grinned at her, "some just plain ridiculous stuff that way."

                "That is the control you has choose for your chi, sister," Shampoo said.  "For Ranma, he put all his focus in learn to power his own body, not other tools.  That is how he can move so fast and not lose control at really high speed.  Is way he have get used to fighting over last months before Heart Link happen, way what you have most recent Ranma-memories of.  If you tried use those memories to fight like Ranma, of course you going to have trouble.  Your chi just is not con... con... configured to move body like that."

                Kodachi mulled that over for a bit.  It did seem plausible, but then again, there wasn't really any proof either way.  "Are you sure that's the explanation?"

                "Absolutely," Shampoo nodded, an embarrassed expression flitting into place.  "One time not too long ago, when meet with Great-Grandmother for training, I try to use Ranma's memories to show her Anything Goes kata."  She gave a sheepish chuckle.  "I do even worse than you say you did.  Because Shampoo has had some little bit of training to use chi to boost speed, use Ranma's memories really did do that to me, make me go much, much faster than could handle.  I smack whole body into wall at top speed.  Is only time in Shampoo's memory when Great-Grandmother actually fall off of staff top."

                Ranma laughed.  "Oh man, I wish I coulda seen that."  As Shampoo whipped her head around and pierced him with a glare, his mirth died instantly.  "Not you smack into a wall!  I meant your granny falling off her staff like that!  Sorry!"

                "Hmmph."  Shampoo made a mental note to get a more... thorough... apology once they had some privacy.  She turned back to Kodachi.  "Anyway, that explanation what Great-Grandmother give to me, after we spend good bit of afternoon working out what go wrong."

                "Well, perhaps you're right then," the White Rose allowed, obviously feeling better now.

                "I'm sure she is," Ranma affirmed.  "And it sounds to me like we need to make sure this kinda stuff doesn't happen again."

                Kodachi smiled then, seeing an opportunity.  "I agree wholeheartedly, Ranma-kun.  You offered this once before, and I foolishly turned you down then.  But now I think I had better reverse that stance.  Will you please train me in Anything Goes?"

                "And not even think about leave Shampoo out of this," the Amazon in question added.

                "Sure, Dachi," Ranma said.  "That's what I was gonna suggest myself.  And you know I wouldn't leave you out, Shampoo."

                "Thank you," Kodachi said, her smile widening in hope as she prepared to draw the noose tight.  "Of course, this will take time.  Both Shampoo and I will have to unlearn your particular patterns even as we learn the basics for ourselves.  That probably won't come easily."

                Ranma shrugged.  "So what good is something if it comes easily anyway?"

                "I quite agree.  Necessary sacrifices are... well... necessary."  Kodachi grimaced slightly at the awkwardness of the statement.  "And I don't think either Shampoo or I will be able to do well in our training unless we can spend more time with you than we've been able to these last several days."

                "Is hard, not seeing Airen for five hour block of each day while you work by own self," Shampoo said quietly.  "To train us for real in Anything Goes, will need to cut back some of that time."

                Their boyfriend gulped.  "Uh, ah, actually, I kinda forgot, but I had some bad news for you guys about that whole solo training thing..."

                Shampoo paled, Kodachi couldn't.  Each was thinking the same thing--that this was where Ranma would say his progress was still not satisfactory, and he'd be upping his time alone _again_.

                "I made a big breakthrough today, so it looks like I'm gonna be able to cut back to just one hour of that training a day."  Ranma sighed theatrically.  "Guess this means you're gonna have to put up with me a lot of the time again.  Sorry."  At this point he was no longer able to hold back his grin.

                Kodachi and Shampoo exchanged level glances.  Shampoo sighed, then replied, "Is bad news, all right.  Ranma should know better than to drop disappointment like that on us with no warning.  Is very inconsiderate.  Shampoo think you need to be punished."

                By now Ranma was beginning to feel a little nervous.  "Ah, what do you mean, Sham-chan?"

                Shampoo shifted slightly, aligning herself properly... and sprang.  Her tackle carried them through the front door and into the street, while her kiss kept Ranma from realizing this for some little while.  Eventually Shampoo broke the liplock and smirked down at the dazed pigtailed martial artist underneath her, ignoring the whistles and catcalls from onlookers.  "Shampoo fine you however many minutes that was of privacy."

***************

                Ukyo moved slowly through the streets of the village, not paying much attention at all to her surroundings.  Her thoughts were elsewhere.

                Several days had passed since the abortive encounter with Edelweiss.  Ukyo had spent those days metaphorically holding her breath, hoping against hope that the other girl would just back off.  And so far, her luck seemed to be holding.  No Amazons had approached Ryoga, neither to flirt nor to challenge him to a fight.  Ukyo had particularly kept her eyes peeled for Edelweiss, but the blonde girl had been nowhere to be seen.

                One might think this ought to reassure Ukyo.  The chef even tried to tell herself this, but it didn't seem to help.  She couldn't shake the knowledge that their visit was only halfway over, with plenty of time left for things to blow up in her and Ryoga honey's faces.

                Another factor increasing the stress was Ukyo's uncertainty as to whether she'd done the right thing in choosing not to tell Ryoga about the encounter with Edelweiss.  On the one hand, she didn't want to worry the poor boy.  On the other, it was quickly becoming apparent that the strain of this situation was too much to bear on her own.

                When she'd finally admitted this to herself, on the morning of her fourteenth day among the Amazons, Ukyo hadn't had to think very hard before determining her next move.  She would tell Shampoo what had happened and ask for advice.  That would relieve her stress, wouldn't put any on Ryoga, and would hopefully get her an estimate of how stubborn this Edelweiss girl was.  And whether extreme preventative measures needed to be taken.

                Just deciding to confide in her friend had brought Ukyo a significant measure of relief.  Her stress rose sharply again, however, when she found Shampoo and Kodachi had already left to spend the day with Ranma, training in Anything Goes.  After remembering she had a lesson scheduled with Rouge that morning, and after a significant amount of mental squirming, Ukyo finally decided to speak to the mage about the matter instead.  Though she didn't think she was quite prepared to mention the Xi Fang Gao.

                The session with Rouge had come and gone.   It was afternoon now, as Ukyo wandered through the streets of the Amazon village, thinking about what she'd been told.  Occasionally she would pull herself up from the maze of her thoughts and take a quick look around, just to make sure she hadn't wandered off somewhere she wasn't supposed to be.

                Fragments and glimpses of scenes were all that registered.  A group of children, their faces with the cutest 'serious' looks, trying to copy the movements of a woman in her middle fifties.  Men and women alike at the riverside, washing laundry.  A man at a blacksmith's forge, carefully folding a sheet of glowing iron, beating it out, then folding it again.  This slice of life caught Ukyo's attention more than any of the others, because of the nature of the completed pieces in the smithy.  The chef thought that there was probably some sort of lesson about the Amazon tribe in general to be learned here, if only she could figure it out.  Where else would an advanced weapon forging technique like that be used to create silverware?

                Eventually when Ukyo looked up, she found herself in a familiar place.  The statue of Hippolyta stood there before her.  To Ukyo, the woman's gaze seemed more fierce than ever; she found that today she couldn't meet the stone stare.  The chef turned to go, and somehow it wasn't a surprise at all to find that, once again, she wasn't alone.

                There was a long moment of silence as Ukyo and Edelweiss regarded each other.  It made Ukyo feel marginally better to see that she couldn't see any accusation in the other's gaze.  It was just a steady, questioning regard.  Ukyo eventually answered by sighing, and saying, "I'm sorry."

                "Then you have heard, I already have a fiancé.  Yes?"

                Ukyo nodded.  "Rouge told me this morning, when I... when I told her about what you'd said, and asked her if she thought you'd back off or make trouble."

                "I was trying to keep you out of trouble, Ukyo.  Trying to warn you that you needed to be more careful.  But I suppose that is what the honored Matriarch-in-training told you too?"

                "Yeah."  And some other things that Ukyo didn't think she quite wanted to repeat to a stranger.  "It sure didn't feel good to find that out.  You were trying to warn me, to help me, and I bit your head off and threatened you.  I'm really sorry, sugar."

                "Not Sugar, Edelweiss," the other girl corrected.  "I understand anyway.  I was trying my hardest to come up with the right way to say in your language what I meant, so that you wouldn't think I was starting to make a play for your Airen, but I must have made a mistake."

                Ukyo hesitated for a long time, but eventually fairness forced her to say, "No, that really isn't right.  I mean, yeah, you could have started out by saying 'I've already got a guy of my own, so you don't have to worry about me,' but what you said shouldn't have made me assume what I did.  It was my mistake.  Not yours."

                Edelweiss shrugged, and smiled.  "Everybody makes mistakes.  At least you did what I had really meant for you to do, and found a more careful place to practice with your Airen."

                This was true--while she hadn't informed Ryoga about the encounter with Edelweiss, Ukyo had told him that she had been worrying they weren't getting far enough away from the Amazons for their training sessions, and the two of them had found a much more remote location.  But Ukyo was a little curious now as to how Edelweiss knew this.  After all, the fact that she and Ryoga hadn't been back to the old spot could have just meant they'd stopped practicing.

                A question to that effect caused Edelweiss to grin a little sheepishly.  "I saw you in your new place too.  But don't worry.  I am the only Amazon who goes that far away from the village almost ever in that direction."

                Ukyo wiped a large bead of sweat off her forehead.  "What the heck were you doing that far out there anyway?  Me and Ryoga honey were basically at the foot of the mountains!"

                Edelweiss shrugged.  "It's a bit of a long story.  But I would like to tell you.  Shall we go for a walk?"

                The chef hesitated, then, as memories of the morning's conversation with Rouge rose up again, nodded her assent.

***************

                Edelweiss didn't say anything for a few minutes.  Ukyo was content to let the silence continue until the other was ready.  Eventually the blonde girl said, "Do you remember what I said those last days ago, when I told you I had seen you with your Airen?"

                Ukyo frowned in puzzlement.  "What do you mean?"

                "I mean how it was I saw you."

                "Umm... you said you'd seen us when you were on your way back from training?" Ukyo replied after searching her memory.

                "Training is how I saw you two again, three days ago.  This time not when I was coming back, but during when I actually was training.  Part of that time I had a good view of both of you."

                Ukyo stared at her in mild shock.  "How the heck did that happen?!  I mean, if you were that close, one of us should've seen you!  What were you practicing, invisibility techniques or something?"

                Edelweiss smiled.  "No, but you are kind of on the right track.  You probably could have seen me too, but you didn't think to look."

                "Didn't think to look...?" Ukyo repeated, puzzled, wondering why Edelweiss was suddenly staring up into the sky.  Then it hit her.  "Were you on the mountain we were practicing by?"

                "That is right."  Edelweiss gave an exaggerated bow.  "You see before you the heir to Martial Arts Mountaineering."

                "I thought you were an Amazon," Ukyo said, proving guys weren't the only ones to make stupid comments.

                Edelweiss frowned.  "I am an Amazon!" she said crossly.  "Just because I use a different style doesn't make me any less of a warrior than my sisters."

                "Sorry, sorry," Ukyo apologized.  "That was a stupid thing to say."

                The blonde girl sighed.  "Don't blame yourself.  I get a lot of grief from other Amazons because my style isn't good for the kind of matches we usually fight."

                "That sucks, I bet," Ukyo said awkwardly.  "So how'd you end up using a different style like that anyway?"

                "My father was an outsider; it's his family school that I practice.  He came to the Bayankhala mountains to train, and defeated my mother one day.  Mother says it didn't take him long to decide to stay."

                Ukyo gave her companion an odd look.  "Was that frustration I heard now, or just your accent?"

                "The first one."  Edelweiss frowned slightly.  "Father has told me stories of training in some of the world's greatest mountains.  The Matterhorn, the Alps, the Appalachians.  He developed his very own special technique on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro.  And what do I get?  Stuck here for all my life so far.  I'm so familiar with these mountains I could climb them in my sleep."

                "Well... that's not so bad, is it?  I mean, you wouldn't have wanted your mom and dad to split up or nothing, right?"

                Edelweiss returned the odd look Ukyo had previously given her.  "Of course not.  What does that have to do with anything?"

                Ukyo opened her mouth, became uncomfortably aware that her answer was based on an assumption, closed it, thought for a few moments, then answered sheepishly, "Um, I guess I kind of thought it was strongly encouraged that when a guy marries into the Amazon tribe he settles down here instead of trying to take his new bride away."

                The blonde girl shook her head.  "Not really.  They can stay or go.  In fact, we have some foreign contacts from when things like this have happened, families who supply information and can lend shelter to any of the tribe who have business in their lands.  That's why nobody minds if an outsider man takes an Amazon bride away.

                "The only thing that matters is that the Amazon not forsake the tribe, and brings up her children to know their heritage.  It IS very strongly encouraged that children be brought back to visit as they grow up, so they know where they come from and can learn about our ways.  When they get old enough to be on their own, many do choose to live here.  Especially the women.  But it's their choice, just like it was the choice of their parents."

                She made an annoyed face.  "Just like it was the choice of my father to stay here instead of leading his family around the world, facing new challenges and new mountains.  When I get good enough I'm going to drop an avalanche on his lazy hindquarters."

                "So what's keeping you here?" Ukyo asked curiously.  "Why don't you get out and explore the rest of the world?"

                Edelweiss shrugged.  "I'm the heir to my school, which is a responsibility I will not forget.  So I can't leave until Father has taught me all the techniques.  It should not be more than another year or so.  And when that day comes..." she said, looking off into the distance with a brooding look on her face, "...my husband and I are very definitely going to see what's out there."

                "I thought Rouge said he was just your fiancé," Ukyo said, again without thinking the comment through first.

                "We'll be married before we leave," Edelweiss said firmly.  "Do you think I'm going to risk the love of my life?  I have heard stories about how forward outsider girls can be.  Um, no offense is intended to present company."

                "Um, heh, n- none... heh heh... t- take... BWA HA HA HA!!"

                Edelweiss watched in uncertainty as Ukyo spent the next few minutes laughing her guts out.  'I must have made some very funny joke only a Japanese would understand.'

                "Oh, my aching sides," Ukyo wheezed, getting herself under control at last.  The chef wiped a few tears from her eyes and got back to her feet.  She and Edelweiss began strolling along again.  Eventually Ukyo said, "So I'm guessing the reason you speak such good Japanese is because you're planning to go there once you leave?  Train on Mt Fuji, maybe?"

                "Probably," Edelweiss agreed.  "I've also learned Cantonese, Russian, German, English, Spanish, French, and Swahili, so Aloe and I will be able to pick and choose where we want to go."

                "That sounds cool," the chef said.  "Where will you go first, your father's homeland maybe?  Where's he from, anyway?"

                "From Switzerland," Edelweiss replied.

                Ukyo gave the tall, buxom, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl an appraising look.  "Let's hear it for stereotypes," she muttered under her breath.

                The comment slipped past Edelweiss, as she was thinking about the chef's other question.  "I really don't know where we will go first," she said at last.  "Every time I think about it, a different place sounds better.  And Aloe isn't any help, he just says that since I'm the one who will be training, I need to be the one to choose the mountains."

                "Men and their indecisiveness," Ukyo said with an exasperated snort.  She and Edelweiss shared a quick moment of silence, contemplating the frailties of the male gender.

                "That was another reason I wanted to talk to you in the first place, Ukyo," the other girl said.  "I wanted to hear about the outside world from someone who has lived there all her life.  What can you tell me about Japan?"

                "Hmmm.  I don't really know where to start, sugar.  I mean, I never really thought about it."  Ukyo's brow crinkled as she considered.  Then she brightened.  "Okay.  The most important thing to remember for when you travel to Japan..."

                "Yes?" Edelweiss asked eagerly, not bothering to correct the girl's persistent mistake over her name.

                "Stay away from Nerima."

***************

                Time passed, as it tends to do.  Ukyo and Edelweiss walked and talked for quite a while longer.  When they eventually bid each other good-bye and went their separate ways, the chef was surprised to find several hours had passed.  It was nearly evening now, and she certainly hadn't meant to be gone for this long.  Time and past to be heading for home.

                "Hey, Ucchan."  Ranma greeted her as she entered the Matriarch's home.

                "Hey yourself," she responded, giving him a long, appraising look.  Her former fiancée looked like something that had been put through a wringer.  His clothes were wrinkled and torn, with dirt ground in so deeply that it was hard to imagine them ever getting clean again.  His hair was just as dirty, and also disheveled and soaked with sweat.  He still hadn't undone his pigtail, though.  Ukyo, who had never heard of a Dragon's Whisker, found herself wondering just what it would take to get Ranchan to do that.

                What she actually asked, though, was, "Geez, what happened to you?"  It couldn't be as bad as it looked, she realized, since Ranma actually seemed quite cheerful.

                He shrugged.  "Just got back from trainin' with Dachi and Shampoo, that's all."

                "Training?  It looks more like you were rolling around on the ground with..." Ukyo slammed her mouth shut, coloring a bright crimson.

                If Ranma noticed, he didn't make any connections.  "More like smacking inta it a bunch of times."  He grimaced, flexing and stretching a few sore muscles at the reminder.  "That's the problem with training somebody who's got all my memories of how to fight."

                "Huh?"  Then Ukyo remembered the Heart Link.  "I thought I'd heard you were teaching them Anything Goes.  But that's right, they already do know everything you do.  What have you guys really been doing?"

                Ranma shook his head.  "You ain't got it quite right, Ucchan.  Yeah, they got my memories, but if they try to use them it just messes them up.  Cause neither one of them can move as fast as me, but when they start trying to fight using what they picked outta my head, that's how their reflexes get set to expect to work.  And it just don't happen."

                Ukyo considered that for a few moments, before deciding it made sense.  "So that's why you would still need to train them--so they could learn to fight like themselves instead of like you.  I guess you're starting out with the basics?"

                "Not quite that far back.  They're both solid enough that I can go right to intermediate stuff with them."  Ranma rubbed the last twinges of ache out of his left wrist.

                "So how did you get so wasted if they're just using the intermediate stuff?"

                "Blame it on Shampoo," Ranma said with a wry grin.  "She and Dachi have always taken different approaches to their training.  Dachi-chan's really good at gymnastics and stuff like that, but where she's put just about all her real effort into has been stuff with weapons.  But Shampoo's a lot more of a generalist.  She's had training for speed, and power, and endurance, and weapons, and shiatsu, and some other stuff too.  Ain't nearly as good at any one thing as Dachi is with weapons, but she's more balanced overall."

                "Yeah, Ranchan, but I still wouldn't've thought it would let her pound you into the ground."

                "Would ya lay off with that already, Ucchan?  It's cause I have to cut back to be on a good level for training her.  But since she's working with Anything Goes, which is really familiar to her through my memories, sometimes she'll kinda slip into using them without even meaning to.  That means she speeds way up and knocks me sprawling, usually tripping herself and falling down at the same time."

                "How many of those times has she actually landed on top of you?" Ukyo asked.  It was Ranma's turn to blush and look away.  She rolled her eyes, remembering again Edelweiss's comment on hearing stories of the forwardness of outsider women.  'Guess now I know why Ranchan doesn't seem to mind getting knocked down like that.'

                "ANYway, we're working on the whole control thing, so she won't slip up like that anymore."

                "Bet that'll take a while," Ukyo said cheerfully.

                "Why?"

                "Oh, no reason."  The chef decided not to sabotage what was obviously an inspired trick of Shampoo's.  Still, maybe she ought to give Ranchan a hint.  "I wonder why that doesn't happen with Kodachi.  I mean, practicing Anything Goes should have the same kind of familiar feel for her, with your memories."

                "It does happen with Dachi," Ranma said.  "Except it's different for her.  That's what I was telling ya about, with the differences in their styles.  When she starts using my memories, Shampoo's normal technique is enough like mine to let her knock me down before she loses control.  Same thing happens to Dachi, she's making really awkward attacks that aren't gonna connect even if I am holding way back."

                "Huh."  Now Ukyo was unsure as to whether Shampoo's actions were deliberate or not.  Deciding that it wasn't really any of her business either way, the chef commented, "That's got to be annoying."

                "No, not really," Ranma said, shaking his head.

                "I meant for her, you jackass.  Not for you," Ukyo replied half-exasperatedly.

                "It's the same either way," he protested.  "She doesn't mind."  Ranma had sensed nothing but enjoyment and contentment from both girls during all the time he'd spent teaching them Anything Goes.  He suspected each was viewing this training as a personal, intimate gift from him, and so the longer it took to iron out those problems, the more time he'd be dedicating to giving it to her.  Ranma pretty much felt the same way.  But that wasn't something he felt comfortable just saying out loud, even to a good buddy like Ucchan.

                Ukyo wondered for a minute whether Ranchan knew what he was talking about, before deciding to take it on faith.  After all, she had heard that that Heart Link thing let him feel what the girls were feeling, and vice versa.  "So where are Kodachi and Shampoo, anyway?"  Fragments of conversation drifting down the stairs had made it clear where Ichiro, Kozue, and at least one of their sons were.

                "Dachi's taking a bath.  It'll be my turn after her.  Shampoo got to go first, and then she went to see if she can get some spare training outfits from her great-granny for me.  Since it looks like I'll be eating a lot of dirt until she gets to where she can keep from slipping into my memories."  Not to mention that as Kodachi got better at the unarmed style, the same thing would probably start happening with her as well.

                His companion frowned at this.  "You be careful, okay, Ranchan?  I know you're a big bad tough guy, but you could still get hurt.  Even a great martial artist can break a bone or tear a ligament if he lands wrong from a fall."

                "Don't worry about it, Ucchan.  I musta hit the ground fifteen times today, and I still ended up hurting a lot less than I used to do after a training session with Pop."  Ranma's face clouded over briefly before he dragged his thoughts back to the here-and-now.  "I'm not even sore at all anymore."

                "Yeah, well, be careful anyway, sugar."  The sound of water gurgling down a drain announced that Kodachi was finishing her bath.  Ukyo thought it as good a moment as any to ask her next question.  "Do you know where Rouge is?"

                "Yeah, she's in the kitchen fixing supper," Ranma said.  Ukyo thanked him, and headed that way.

***************

                As foreshadowed, Rouge was indeed in the kitchen.  The mage was stirring a large pot of boiling ramen as Ukyo entered.  "Hello, Ukyo," she said without looking around.  Ukyo might have been impressed, were it not for the fact that her reflection was plainly visible in the side of the pot.  "How was your afternoon?"

                "Not too bad," the chef replied awkwardly, trying to decide how to lead into what she wanted to say.  "You need any help with dinner?"

                "Thanks, but there really isn't anything for someone else to do at this point.  You could have made some okonomiyaki for a side dish if you'd gotten here thirty minutes ago, though.  Something interesting must have happened, to keep you out and about, away from everybody else for so long."

                "Yeah, I went for a walk.  Checking out the village, seeing the sights.  And... I..."  Ukyo sighed.  "I ran into Edelweiss."

                "Indeed," said Rouge, her tone and expression making it all too obvious that this was no news to her.

                "Yeah.  You knew already, didn't you."  Ukyo forced a smile.  "So when do we get to the magic lesson that would show me how to do that trick?"

                "It's not really something you can teach," Rouge admitted.  "After all, I knew because I saw you walking with her when I was on my way back from some Council business."

                "So much for the mysterious arcane powers of the Matriarch in training."  Ukyo shook her head and snorted as if in disgust, but the smile on her face was now real.

                "Cut me some slack here," Rouge protested, gesturing to the fire over which the ramen was boiling.  Ukyo blinked as she noticed it had no apparent source of fuel.  "Keeping this going at just the right temperature is enough of a strain."

                "Yeah, okay, I'll do that.  Cut you some slack, I mean."  From Ukyo's tone, it was obvious that the light banter was suddenly covering deeper meanings.  "After all, I wouldn't want to jump to conclusions or judge anybody unfairly, right?"

                "I hope not," Rouge replied gently.  "But it is something you have to decide for yourself."

                Ukyo just nodded, standing there in silence for a while.  Eventually she said, "You were right, you know.  What you said this morning.  That is exactly what I was doing, thinking all your people were going to be just like Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  I did think Shampoo was probably the only one worth anything.  I didn't come here prepared to give anybody a fair chance.  I let my whole entire idea of the Amazons get built on the actions of two kids who were fighting against me for something we all really wanted."  Ukyo grimaced.  "And their great-grandmother too, I guess, but what was she supposed to do?  Support me over them?  Not likely."

                "Not likely at all," Rouge agreed.  "And if it makes you feel better about her, she was the one who bullied the Council into not making a fuss about the use of Jusenkyo to solve your problem."

                Ukyo gave the mage a puzzled look.  "Well, what could they have done about it?  I mean, it's not like they would have killed one of the Ryogas or nothing."

                "Of course not.  But remember, the nature of Jusenkyo is a secret not available to the tribe as a whole.  One boy goes to the cursed place, and two return.  I'm sure you can see the potential for awkward questions there.  Many of the Elders wanted to send the Ryoga who would not be marrying into the tribe back to Japan before anyone figured out there were now two of them."

                "So what'd they decide instead?" Ukyo asked, frowning at the thought, and also mildly chagrined that she hadn't considered that issue before now.

                "The arrival of their parents was fortunate.  The story we've put out among the villagers is that the rest of Ryoga's family were delayed on their travels.  They missed the welcome feast that was held for the visitors from Japan.  And since we had had that one so recently, holding another one so soon just for three latecomers was out of the question."

                "Guess that all makes sense.  And it's better than kicking Ryoga honey out."

                "Do you really think so?"

                "Yes, I do," Ukyo answered, wondering why the mage had felt it necessary to ask.

                "I'm glad."  Rouge gave the girl a smile.  "Because it seemed to me that a day or two ago, you would have been far happier leaving here with Ryoga than the both of you staying.  I'm glad our village doesn't seem so terrible to you anymore."

                "Yeah, well, I already admitted I made a mistake.  And I'm sorry," Ukyo said uncomfortably.  "Guess I should have been more open-minded.  Talking to Edelweiss all afternoon long made it pretty obvious there's people here who'd make good friends too, just like back home.  I won't forget it."

                She fell silent for a few moments, then made a wry face.  "But I'm still going to do my best to make sure none of them find out what a good fighter Ryoga-kun is."

                "Well, I certainly wouldn't advise you otherwise," Rouge said equitably.  "By the way, there's something you need to know if you aren't going to be avoiding everybody.  You may hear some remarks about silly Japanese naming customs.  That's because we said both boys were originally named Ryoga, because they were twins, and that it wasn't until Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung put their feet down about the annoying confusion this was causing that their Airen took the name of Ryu."

                Ukyo turned that over in her mind a few times, fighting a feeling of dizziness.  "You people sure are good at getting people to think things that aren't true, without actually lying," she said with reluctant admiration.

                "Thank you, thank you," Rouge said graciously.  "Now, for my next trick, why don't I see if I can get you and my nieces to really get along instead of just putting up a good front for Mr and Mrs Hibiki?"

                The chef snorted.  "Yeah, right.  No way you're gonna pull that one off.  Remember, you already admitted you don't do miracles."

***************

                Cologne pricked up her ears.  The water had just begun to drain out of the bathtub.  She listened, tracking Ranma's progress as he went to his room, changed into a fresh set of clothes, then headed up the stairs toward her.  It was time for what had become an evening ritual over the last several days.

                "Hey, Granny," Ranma said as he breezed into the room.  To his credit his tone was somewhat apologetic.  "I'm still trying to cut back on the wear and tear and all, but it didn't work out like that today."

                The Matriarch eyed the dirt-stained and torn shirt and pants he'd set down before her.  "Son-in-law, if this keeps up much longer I might have to ask you to start helping me with the mending."

                "I really don't think you want to do that.  I mean, you told me Amazons don't like to waste anything.  That's the reason you aren't just throwing my clothes away and replacing them with other people's old stuff, right?"

                "Right you are, Ranma, but I fail to see your point."

                He shrugged.  "If you try to get me doing the mending, you're gonna be wasting a lot of cloth, that's all."  Glancing around the room, Ranma noted that the garments he'd left with the Matriarch the previous night were sitting off to one side, perfectly clean and with no sign that they'd ever been torn in combat.  He picked them up and examined them closely, shaking his head in wonder.  "I just don't know how you do it.  I mean, as bad as these were last night, the Kuno servants wouldn't even use them for dust cloths."

                Cologne smiled enigmatically.  "Well, over three hundred years you learn a thing or two.  The secret techniques of Martial Arts Needlework sometimes come in very handy."

                "Martial Arts Needlework?!  Gimme a break!" Ranma laughed.

                Instead of a break, the Matriarch gave him a level stare, her hands easing inside opposing sleeves... then flashing forth with speed well beyond the standard Amaguriken.  Ranma blinked as he found himself pinned in a giant web of threads.  He was barely able to turn his head enough to see it was anchored to the wall by a hundred sewing needles.

                "You know, there's no way those dinky little bits of metal should be able to hold up like this," Ranma said conversationally, after pushing with all his strength failed to loosen the net.

                "They're not called secret techniques for nothing, sonny boy," Cologne said dryly.

                "Well, I woulda been disappointed otherwise," Ranma retorted.  "But could ya do me a favor?  Next time I provoke you into hitting me with something I've never seen before, could you do it a little slower?  I mean, the whole point was so I could maybe pick something new up.  I couldn't follow that at all."

                The Matriarch cackled appreciatively.  "Oh, that was rich, Ranma.  You could just ASK me for training, you know."

                "Where's the fun in that?" he said with a grin.  "Besides, I don't really have the time right now.  If you had shown me something useful, I was just gonna keep it at the back of my mind to try out later."

                "It's always good to be eager to learn new things," Cologne said sagely.  "Still, I suspect you'd prefer just about any of my other techniques, rather than something as girly as needlework."

                Ranma gave her a very odd look.  "You feelin' okay, Granny?  I never would have expected something like that out of an Amazon."

                "It was just a test, to see if you'd agree without thinking about it," the Amazon in question replied.  "You passed, by the way."  She almost sounded disappointed at that.

                He rolled his eyes.  "So what do I get as my prize, huh?"

                Cologne pulled on one strand of the net, causing the entire web to detach from the wall, sort itself back into two neatly-coiled arrangements of thread and needles, and disappear into her sleeves.  "I let you out myself, rather than leaving you pinned there, calling in my Shampoo, and telling her you need some sensitivity training."

                She cackled again as Ranma broke out in a cold sweat and got out while the getting was good.  The door swung shut behind him in the backdraft of his passage.  Cologne reached out and tripped the latch with her staff, then walked over to the torn and dirty clothing Ranma had left behind.  Picking up the shirt and pants, she gave a disgusted shake of the head, and folded them into one of the pockets in her robe.

From a second and third pocket she withdrew a different pair of objects.  Fixing her mind firmly on the wholesale clothing store in Nerima that gave such a good deal on Ranma's red silk shirts and black pants, she inhaled deeply of the onion, letting a single tear fall to splash on the mirror in her other hand.

***************

                Once again, Ukyo walked alone through the streets of the Amazon village.  Once again, it was obvious she wasn't in a great mood.  This time, though, she had no one to blame but herself for what had happened.  This fact certainly didn't improve her disposition any.

                Without really admitting to herself what she was doing, she made her way to the square with the statue of Hippolyta.  After reaching her destination, she stood around for a while, feeling increasingly more foolish, before finally shaking her head and turning to go.

                "Hello, Ukyo.  Were you looking for me?" Edelweiss asked, causing her to jump in surprise.

                "Um, well," the chef gave an embarrassed laugh, "yes, I guess I was, kind of.  I wanted a little company, but everyone else was busy doing other stuff."

                "Well, I am not busy right now.  I would enjoy hearing some more stories of the outside world too."  Edelweiss gestured to the nearest house.  "Would you like to come in?"

                Ukyo was silent for a moment, regarding the building, before asking, "You mean... you live there?"

                Edelweiss nodded.  "Why does that surprise you?"

                The chef just shook her head ruefully.  "You know what I was thinking, a minute ago when I started to walk away?  I was thinking I had been stupid to come here and expect to find you.  I mean, it's not like you hang out around this statue all the time."

                "Why did you think I had been here both times we previously met, then?" Edelweiss asked curiously.

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Figured it was just chance the first time, and the second time you would've deliberately caught up with me here.  You know, for dramatic emphasis and all that."

                "I cannot honestly say I usually let dramatic emphasis guide me like that," the blonde girl replied.  Especially since she wasn't quite sure what 'dramatic emphasis' meant.  "I just saw you through the window both times.  And today also.  Anyway, did you want to come in?"

                "Oh, yeah, sure.  Thanks."  Ukyo followed the other girl through the door.

                Inside, the house was an odd mixture of spartan simplicity and coziness.  There was almost no furniture, at least that Ukyo could see.  Just a table and two chairs in what appeared to double as the dining room and living room.  The only other furnishings apparent were the rug on the floor and several panels of woven cloth stretched along the walls.  But somehow, they were enough to brighten the place considerably.

                "I'm sorry if it is smaller than you're used to," Edelweiss said, after they had seated themselves at the table.  "Young single people start out in small houses when they leave their parents.  When they marry they move to a place that has room for a family."

                Ukyo shrugged.  "Actually, it's not that much smaller than my place back in Nerima, if you only count the living area and not the restaurant below it."  She looked around.  "Did you only just move in?"

                "About four months ago.  Why do you ask?"

                "Because there's not much personal stuff.  That I can see, anyway."

                "Oh.  That's just because I do not want to have to go to a lot of trouble when the time comes to leave.  So I have just put up the gifts from Aloe."

                "Those were from him?" Ukyo asked, gesturing around at the aforementioned panels of cloth.  "Is he a weaver or something?"

                "Yes.  A weaver, not something."  Edelweiss grinned, but it quickly faltered at the odd expression on Ukyo's face.  'Okay, I guess I still need more work before I can pull off jokes in Japanese.'

                "That's cool," Ukyo said.  "They look pretty high-quality, too."

                Edelweiss, who didn't know a warp from a weft, and couldn't tell a cross-stitch from a cardigan, just shrugged.  Well, shrugged and smiled.  "I like them.  Of course, I could be biased."

                "No!  You think?" her guest asked playfully.

                The warm fuzzy memory of receiving those gifts from the man she loved sparked another thought in Edelweiss's mind.  "It's probably too late for this now," she said regretfully, "but you should have had your Airen take some kind of craft lessons while he was here.  That would have been good camouflage, to make unattached Amazons think he was just a worker, not a warrior.  And he would be able to make nice things as gifts for you too."

                "That does sound good," the chef replied wistfully, "but you're right, it's too late now.  We're gonna be leaving in just a little more than a week.  Oh well."

                "So how are things going with him, anyway?" Edelweiss queried.

                "Pretty good for the most part," Ukyo said, then making a wry face and admitting, "but today could've been better."

                "What happened?" the Amazon asked sympathetically.

                "I just made a stupid mistake, that's all.  You may have seen his brother with those dragon tattoos on his arms, right?"

                "I haven't seen him, but I heard about it.  It was a friend of mine who actually did the tattoos."

                "Oh, well, Ryoga honey has been talking about maybe getting something of his own.  Seems he and his brother both always kinda liked the idea.  So he's been thinking it over and asking me for my opinion for what he could get."

                "Go on," Edelweiss prompted as Ukyo fell silent.

                "Ah, well... remember how I told you Rouge was giving me magic lessons?" Ukyo asked, beginning to color slightly with embarrassment.  "Well, as a joke... I kinda... gave him a magical tattoo of an okonomiyaki on his belly.  Jumbo size, full color.  And when he breathes in or out, the topping changes between shrimp and squid."

                With some effort, Edelweiss managed not to giggle at the mental picture.  "I don't suppose he was very happy about that."

                Ukyo grimaced.  "If it'd worked like it was supposed to, it would've been just a good laugh.  The magic was SUPPOSED to wash off with water.  But it didn't."

                "Oh my."

                "Yeah, you said it, sugar.  Anyway, right now Rouge is working on the spell, trying to figure out how to cancel it.  She said somehow the threads of the magic had gotten tied up tighter instead of coming loose like they were supposed to.  She also thought my aura was reinforcing it, which is why I'm staying away from her place for the rest of today."

                "Ouch.  Love is never easy," Edelweiss said sympathetically.

                "Tell me about it," Ukyo said with feeling.  "Anyway, I'll do something nice for him to make up for it."  Feeling like she had done more than her fair share of the talking so far, the chef asked, "So how about you and... what's his name... Aloe?  I haven't really heard much about him yet."

***************

                Forty-five minutes later, a dazed and increasingly-desperate Ukyo was wondering just how she could manage to turn the conversation in a new direction.  At last, inspiration struck.

                  "So how many other girls did you have to fight, to get a guy like him all to yourself?" she asked.

                "Not any, actually.  Most women in our tribe, Amazons or otherwise, prefer warrior men.  The ones who don't have such a wide field to choose from that none of them really got around to noticing my Airen before it was too late."

                "Too late?" Ukyo asked.  "Just because he's got you already?  What about the whole 'it's okay for multiple girls to share the same guy' thing?"

                Edelweiss shrugged.  "That's not the issue.  They all know we are planning to leave here and see the world's mountains.  Most girls here wouldn't want that kind of life of travel.  Of the few that might not care about that, and that don't want a strong fighter for their husband, I can't think of any that would be willing to take second place to the lowest-ranked Amazon in the tribe."

                "What's that supposed to mean?"

                "I told you before that my family's style isn't good for the kind of matches we fight.  I have never won a match on the challenge log, not even against girls a year younger than me.  That is the price I pay for concentrating everything into Martial Arts Mountaineering instead of the traditional Amazon Wu Shu.  Some of the strongest girls even resent me, thinking I'm no true Amazon.  I have been told to my face that I should have been forced to choose another caste."

                That made Ukyo more than a little mad.  "Is that right?!  Sugar, you know what you ought to do?  You ought to go to the strongest of those _traditional_ Amazons and challenge her to a fight in the mountains, and kick her butt all the way back to the village!"

                Edelweiss blinked in surprise.  "I thought Shampoo was a good friend of yours."

                "H- huh?"  THAT took the wind right out of Ukyo's sails.  "You mean... Shampoo's one of those girls who's made fun of you?!"

                The blonde girl shook her head.  "No, she never has, as far as I know.  She and I have not had much contact with each other."

                Ukyo frowned.  "Then why'd you think I was saying to challenge Shampoo?"

                "What else could you have meant?  You said to challenge the strongest of the Amazons who fight in the traditional way."  A thought occurred to Edelweiss.   "You did mean the women my age, yes?"

                "I _meant_ the women your age who'd made fun of you."

                "Oh.  Now I understand."  The idea was tempting, but Edelweiss had long ago entertained and discarded it.  "I do not think it would help.  Any of those girls would just salve their wounded pride by challenging me to a rematch in the typical style, and then defeating me easily."

                Ukyo sighed as she recognized the probable justice in that assessment.  "Sounds like you've got some real jackasses in this village, sugar."

                "Not Sugar, Edelweiss," the girl said with some exasperation.  "And if by 'jackasses' you mean people who have not learned sympathy or consideration for others, people who think to make themselves bigger by pushing others around them down, then I must ask you... is Japan any different?"

                "Wish I could say otherwise... but no."  Ukyo grimaced, remembering the teasing she'd gotten after Ranchan had unwittingly left her behind.  She'd been so lonely for so long... a lot like all of the people who were now her close friends, actually.  "I bet you've been pretty lonely," she said to the Amazon.  "Just like Shampoo."

                Edelweiss shook her head.  "No, not really.  It is just that my close friends have not been Amazons."

                "I thought that wasn't allowed," Ukyo said doubtfully, remembering some of the talks she'd had with Shampoo.

                The blonde girl snorted.  "You have been talking to Shampoo, haven't you.  There is a vast difference between the student and descendent of the Matriarch who is the first ranked fighter among all the young unmarried Amazons, and the girl who has never won a challenge match.  _I_ do not have any problems spending time with the other castes."  She sighed then.  "I cannot say I have never envied Shampoo.  When I was small and understood less, there were times I was quite jealous of her.  But now I do not think there is anything that could convince me to trade my life for hers."

                "She sure could have used a friend or two growing up," Ukyo agreed, her tone not quite accusing.

                "There were those who offered.  Even some Amazons.  But you need to understand, Ukyo, how things were back then.  Shampoo went to live with her great-grandmother after her father's death.  She basically all but disappeared for quite a long time.  Then, all at once, she bursts into the light again, challenging and defeating the other girls one after another, never losing once.  Perhaps you have heard stories from her about being treated coldly by all the other Amazons, but that is not really what happened.  Many of them were just too shy and didn't know what to do or how to approach her.  Remember that we were only children.

                "The ones who did know how they wanted to react... they were the ones she has probably spoken of.  The ones who had been the strongest, until one girl defeated them all.  One girl who never, ever lost, not even in the rematches.  They were the ones who hated her for being more than they could be.  And they resented her so much, and let her know it so well, that I do not think Shampoo was able to even think that the few, tentative gestures of friendship she later received might be real.  She rebuffed those girls quite coldly."

                "Were you one of them?  The girls that offered?" Ukyo asked.

                "I am afraid I was too intimidated by her to even think of it."  Something that had made Edelweiss feel a little guilty in later years, as she gained a better understanding of the strongest, loneliest, and most unapproachable girl her age.

                They sat in melancholy, contemplative silence for a few moments.  At last Edelweiss spoke up again.  "It is ironic that outsiders should know our Champion better than any of the girls she grew up with.  Other than her family, perhaps.  Is Shampoo happy now?"

                That did raise Ukyo's spirits, as she was able to answer, "Yes.  She's got real friends now, and a great guy for an Airen too."

                "I'm glad.  Having no-one to support you but your family cannot be pleasant."

                "Yeah, and even there Shampoo didn't have much luck, did she?"

                Edelweiss nodded hesitantly.  "It is true, that Shampoo never had any romantic feelings for Mousse, yes?"

                "That's right," Ukyo said, a little surprised at the apparent change of topic.

                "Then I would have to say I agree.  Xiao Yu should not have acted as she did to her cousin.  She certainly did deserve the beating she got."

                "What... oh, yeah.  Her."  Ukyo snorted.  "I was talking about Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, actually."

                Edelweiss barely held back from facefaulting.  "What do you mean?  They have been Shampoo's strongest supporters!  Did things change in Japan?"

                Ukyo grimaced.  "Oh, blast it.  Looks like I stuck my foot in my mouth.  No, I guess maybe they could've been good for Shampoo.  It's just... those kids and I've got a pretty painful history, that's all."

                "You don't like them," the blonde girl said, half-questioningly.

                "You got that right, sug... oh, all right, _Edelweiss_.  No, I don't like them.  And the feeling's mutual."

                "That is very strange," Edelweiss said slowly.

                "Why's that?"

                "Well..."  After considering where to start, the Amazon decided she needed a little more information.  "What exactly happened between you and them, in that painful history?"

                'Crud,' Ukyo thought, realizing the difficulty inherent in giving the whole story.  She thought desperately, then said, "In the beginning, we were both interested in the same guy.  We fought pretty hard over him.  That's what I'm talking about.  If they hadn't eventually met his brother and decided to go for him instead, things could've gotten really, really bad."

                "So they may have given their hearts to another, but they still have some caring for your Airen."  Edelweiss nodded thoughtfully.  "I suppose that explains it."

                "Explains what?"

                Edelweiss hesitated, then said, "I only found out about this yesterday.  Please do not be alarmed, Ukyo, but there are some few Amazons who do know that Ryu, at least, is a superb fighter.  These are friends of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, who received letters describing their Airen's virtues, and a few friends of those friends who learned from them.  And that would naturally lead them to believe Ryoga might be as well."

                By now Ukyo's color had faded to the paleness of chalk.  She gulped, trying to find words.

                Before she could, Edelweiss was speaking again.  "If you have not seen much of Shampoo's twin cousins during this trip, it is because they have been working very hard, doing chores and tasks that these other girls wished to avoid, in exchange for their promises not to pursue their Airen's brother.  That is why I was so surprised when you said what you did.  If they truly despised you, if they felt as much dislike to you as I thought I heard in your voice to them, I would think they would encourage their friends to go after a man they cared about.  For his sake."

***************

                The remainder of that day passed with a sort of skewed reflection effect for Ukyo and Ranma.  The chef spent several hours doing some of the hardest thinking of her life.  And as for our intrepid pig-tailed hero...

                "Good heavens, son-in-law.  I don't think I've ever seen you worn this ragged.  What happened?"

                Ranma sighed, massaging his temples.  "Even I can get tired if I spend the whole day fighting, y'know.  I really wish you'd tell those girls to let up on me."

                Cologne blinked.  If Ranma was actually complaining about spending time in training with Shampoo and Kodachi, there must be something seriously wrong.  "Don't you think you should tell them yourself, Ranma?"

                He laughed incredulously.  "Are you kidding me?  You think they'd listen?!"

                "I'm certain they... wait."  While Cologne was still fully capable of making mistakes, she was far more crafty and experienced than the typical acquaintance of Ranma's.  Had it been someone else in her place for this conversation, the confusion probably would have persisted across several more exchanges.   However, he was talking to the Matriarch, who knew good and darn well that neither her great-granddaughter nor said girl's sworn sister would ignore their Airen's feelings like that.  "What girls are you talking about?"

                "All the Amazons who keep chasing me.  Who'd ya think?" he asked wearily.  "I guess it hit a bunch of them today that time's running out, that I'm gonna be leaving in another week.  Cause I had twenty-eight girls challenge me to a fight today, where I'd have to go out on a date with anyone I lost to."

                "Oh dear," Cologne said with a sigh.

                Disappointment was so evident on her face and in her tone that Ranma felt his own cares lessen just a little.  Getting this much more sympathy than he'd expected was comforting.  "Anyway, that's why I'm so tired now.  It'd be even worse without some of the shiatsu points I got from Sham-chan's memories.  Those let me win a few of the matches quicker than I should've."  He noted with some confusion that Cologne's disappointment had only deepened.  "Is there some reason this would be really, really bad news to you, Granny?" he asked.

                "Just that I'm sorry I couldn't have seen that series of battles.  It must have been quite the spectacle."

                "So much for sympathy," Ranma grumbled.  "Anyway, how's about reminding the other old ghouls on the Council that all their great-granddaughters are wasting their time?  Even if it only got a few of the girls off my back, that'd be something."

                Cologne shook her head.  "I'm sorry, son-in-law.  I already tried that at the beginning of this visit.  But my arguments didn't convince anyone."

                "Whaddaya mean, didn't convince anyone?  I'm in a Heart Link, for cryin' out loud!  I ain't gonna want anybody other than Dachi and Shampoo!"

                "They don't think that's necessarily the case."  Cologne gave Ranma her best 'wise old elder' look.  "Remember, the Link has only been used a handful of times throughout the centuries, and this is the first time ever that so few people have been involved in one.  Considering the times in the past with men having ten or eleven wives, the Elders think it's reasonable to hope that you might still become interested in one or two other girls."

                Seeing Ranma's crestfallen look, and regretting that she couldn't do what he'd asked of her, Cologne offered what comfort she could.  "After all, son-in-law, you can't blame them.  Any Amazon worthy of the title would give her eyeteeth to have your strength in her family."

                "Yeah, whatever," Ranma grumbled.  Cologne nearly fell off her staff as she realized the appeal to his ego hadn't registered.  "I'm thinking the bacon boys had the right idea, keeping their real skill quiet like they did."

                'Perhaps a different tactic will work better to cheer him up,' the Matriarch thought dazedly.  "Well, look at it this way.  At least it will all be over before too much longer."

                "Guess that's true.  It'd be nice if we can make it the rest of the way without _too_ much more crazy stuff happening."

***************

                Perhaps subconsciously he had been expecting it.  Perhaps it was just that his supper hadn't agreed with him.  In any case, this time Jin To woke almost immediately after the knocking at his window began.

                That didn't make him any less irritable at the midnight interruption.  He walked over to the window and eased it halfway open.  "Listen, I'm not finished yet.  Just a couple more days, all right?"

                The visitor sighed in frustration.  "Okay, okay, but you'd better not take too much longer.  I'm running out of time here."

***************

                "~Swing low, sweet chariot,~" sang Ling-Ling as the noonday sun beat down upon her.

                "~Comin' for to carry me home,~" trilled Lung-Lung.

                "~Swing low, sweet chariot,~"

                "~Comin' for to carry me home.~"  Lung-Lung paused for a breather, straightening up and stretching laboriously.  "Those songs Jemi Ma taught us do make the work go easier," she admitted, looking back over the field.  She estimated she and her sister had weeded about two-thirds of it by now.

                "We'll have to thank her for teaching us her family's techniques," Ling-Ling agreed.  Nothing could have made doing this fun, but every little bit of alleviated misery helped.

                "Yeah... oh, great," Lung-Lung said, her tone souring.  "Don't look now, but we've got company."

                Naturally, on being told not to look, Ling-Ling turned and did just that.  She frowned as she saw the figure walking toward them, sun gleaming off an unmistakable oversized kitchen implement strapped to her back.  The redhead turned back and began vigorously pulling up more weeds.  "Maybe if we act busy enough, she'll go away."

                "Maybe," Lung-Lung said dubiously.  "But you probably shouldn't pull up the little cabbages along with the weeds like that."

                Ling-Ling paused, looked at the plant she'd just uprooted, groaned, and smacked herself on the forehead with her free hand.

                As her sister began working to replant the cabbages she'd accidentally displaced, Lung-Lung sighed and turned to face the visitor.  "What you want?  We busy."

                Ukyo didn't feel it particularly judicious to answer that question.  She wasn't here because of what she _wanted_ to do anyway.  "So what're you doing this for?  This field doesn't belong to your family."

                "We not have time for stupid pointless questions right now!" Lung-Lung said exasperatedly.  "Have job to do!"  To emphasize this, she bent down and returned to work.

                The chef watched in silence for a few moments.  Once she was confident she knew which plants should stay and which should go (it wasn't hard to figure out, since she had seen Ling-Ling replanting one out of the corner of her eye), she moved to the next row over and began pulling out weeds as well.

                THAT got the twins' attention very quickly.  "What you think you doing?!" Ling-Ling demanded indignantly.  The cherry-haired girl did calm a little as she realized that the older girl was pulling up weeds, not the crop.

                "What does it look like?  I'm helping," Ukyo said shortly, managing not to actually snap at Ling-Ling's tone.

                The twins exchanged a long, confused look.  Without quite knowing what to do, they just stood still and watched, waiting for the spatula girl to do or say something that made some kind of sense.

***************

                An hour later, Ukyo pulled her last weed, jerking the hapless plant viciously out of the soil.  She straightened up, took a deep breath, and gave the twins a level stare.  "That was pretty funny, how you just watched me do all the rest of it by myself."  Some of the hostility faded out of her eyes as she noted the sheer confusion present on the Amazons' faces.  She'd been expecting sneers.

                "Is not good to move without have good plan," Lung-Lung replied.  "We not have clue what you really here for, so we try to figure out.  If spatula girl no like, should have said something."

                "That what we waiting for anyway," Ling-Ling said.  "For you say why you here, or what you want.  If it was just you had strange want to pull up weed, you would have been happy we leave all the rest for you."

                "Ha, ha," Ukyo said.  "Like anybody in their right mind would WANT to pull these stupid things all afternoon."

                "So why you do it?" Ling-Ling asked, ignoring the opportunity to question whether the chef was in her right mind in the first place.

                "I asked you first.  Remember?  Just before you started your hour-long break?" Ukyo countered.

                Lung-Lung frowned at her, then stuck out her tongue.  "We do because we say we would.  Now is your turn answer."

                "Aye yi yi," Ukyo muttered, clutching her brow with one hand.  Fighting off an impulse to say, "Because I thought I should," she replied, "Look, let's cut to the chase, okay?  I already know why you were doing this.  Some girl or girls who actually were supposed to do it get an afternoon off, and they don't chase after your Airen or his brother."

                The twins were silent, again not knowing how to respond.  Ukyo continued, "I know that there's some Amazons who know how good a fighter Ryu is, because you sent letters home and people talk.  I already heard you've been stuck doing all these chores to keep them away from the Hibiki boys, and to make them keep quiet too."

                "So you decide help, because is for the sake of Ryoga?" Ling-Ling queried, feeling better now that there seemed at least some sense in the Japanese girl's actions.

                "Yeah, I guess that's part of it," Ukyo replied after a long moment of silence, which had been spent on internal debate.  A large part of the chef just wanted to let it go at that and walk away.  But that wasn't going to cut it, not anymore.  "But partly I just felt I owed it to you."

                Synchronized blinks of disbelief.  "You do for us?"

                "Yeah, I did," Ukyo said soberly.  "I heard yesterday how you've been working your butts off, to keep other girls away from Ryoga honey.  Edelweiss was real clear on that, said you were specifically protecting him, not just your Airen.  And she reminded me that if you'd wanted, this trip would've been the perfect chance to get revenge on me, by doing just the opposite of what you did.  You could've easily gotten other girls going after Ryoga.  But you didn't."

                "We not do it for you," Ling-Ling stated flatly.  "We talk to Airen, learn from him how his brother feel.  Is for his sake we do what we do.  Only his."

                Ukyo sighed.  "Fine," she said defeatedly, and turned to walk away.  However, she took only a step or two before stiffening and spinning back around.  "No, it is NOT fine!  I'm sick of all this!  Look, I didn't say I wanted to be friends with you two.  I don't.  But I also don't want any more of this damn rivalry either.  I don't want to look at you and wish I _could_ squash you flat with my spatula, and know you're thinking the same thing about roasting me again with that stupid Dragon Dance thing!

                "Can't we call a truce?  A real one, not just keeping things under wraps cause Mr and Mrs Hibiki are around?  I'm tired, and I really want some peace.  Don't you?"

                "Sound like what you really asking is, we forget fighting and insults and forgive you, and take same from you.  Yes?"

                "I guess you could put it that way," Ukyo allowed, feeling more than ever as if she were fighting a losing battle.  The expression on Lung-Lung's face and the tone with which she'd spoken held out little hope that they were prepared to meet her halfway.

                The lime-haired girl's next words confirmed it.  "You have already hear our answer to that, spatula girl.  We tell you before, in park, some insult too big to forgive.  You not care how bad you hurt us then, so we not accept stupid offer now."

                This was where Ukyo's temper finally escaped restraint.  "Where the HELL do you get off talking like that?!  In case you've forgotten, it was you two little _witches_ who _started_ that whole thing!  Blaming _me_ for Tsubasa's deluded fantasies!  Okay, maybe I did come back with something worse, but let's not forget who started flinging the accusations here!"

                "That not point!" Ling-Ling bristled.  "In heat of moment bad things get said.  It happens.  Especially when people not understand each other good anyway.

                "But you saw just how bad you insult us.  Way we react make it very very clear just how much offense you make.  That was where excuse begin and end.  You knew right then, saw just how bad you attack, but you not apologize.  You not care about how angry you make us, how bad of insult you talk about us.  THAT what we never forgive you for, way you calmly choose not to take words back.  And we never forget, either.  Will not attack or try hurt you, for Ryoga sake.  But that is all you get from us, spatula girl!"

                Ukyo just stared, her temper dying down.  At last she said faintly, "Let me see if I've got this straight.  Lung-Lung had her damn trident against my throat, demanding I apologize, and you think the reason I didn't was because I wanted to make you even madder?!"

                "You try say it was not?" Lung-Lung asked, her anger beginning to be tinged with confusion as the sheer disbelief on the Japanese girl's face registered.

                "Well, gee, I don't really know myself, Lung-Lung.  It's kind of hard to remember back to those few minutes.  For some reason, the details are really fuzzy in my memory.  Maybe because I was SCARED OUT OF MY MIND!!"  Those last words were shouted so loudly that the twins actually flinched and backed away a few steps.  Ukyo took a deep breath.  "If you'd taken the fork away and given me a few minutes to get myself under control, maybe I would've apologized.  Or even better, if you'd kept back a little, enough to show me how mad you were without making me stare the freakin' Grim Reaper in the face, maybe then I'd have been able to think straight enough to take it back."

                Silence fell as the Amazon twins processed this, Ling-Ling in particular feeling confusion turn to chagrin as she let herself remember the way Ukyo had been pale, dazed, and trembling after Lung-Lung stormed away.  Perhaps the chef would have tried to render an apology once she recovered her composure.  But Ling-Ling herself had closed that avenue before it could be explored.

                Lung-Lung arrived at a conclusion more quickly than her sister.  Hearing this admission... that their one-time rival had held silent because the Amazon had been _too_ threatening, rather than in an attempt to show contempt... it felt like salve on a wound.  A wound left unhealed for so long that the lime-haired girl had ceased to recognize the pain from it until it lessened.

                She took a deep breath, then spoke.  "Okay.  That is good reason not to say anything then, at least seem like it to Lung-Lung.  So here and now is you second chance, Ukyo."

                The okonomiyaki chef in question bit back her instinctive response at the tone of the demand.  She had known this confrontation was going to be a pain.  And she had gone into it knowing that _someone_ had to take the first step of swallowing their pride.  She considered what she wanted to say, Lung-Lung's use of her proper name only then registering with her.  After wondering for a moment or two whether that really meant anything other than the Amazon getting tired of always saying 'spatula girl', Ukyo spoke.  "You were right.  I shouldn't have said that.  Especially I shouldn't have just assumed it without anyone telling me anything to make me think it.

                "Even if you did start the insults, I shouldn't have said what I did.  I'm sorry.  For that time, and for everything in general.  I'm sorry for all the crap that's gone down between us, and I wish it hadn't happened.  If I could, I'd go back and take back my stuff.

                "But I can't.  Can't change the past; nobody can.  All I can do is what I came here for, to say I was sorry and tired of all this.  Like I said before, I'm offering a real truce.  I'm tired of fighting, heck, I'm even tired of wanting to fight you.  And that's all I've got to say."

                After another few moments of silence, it was Ling-Ling's turn to speak up.  "Amazons always ready for a good fight..." she waited just long enough to see Ukyo's expression begin to shift before continuing, "...but this not good one."  The next part was a bit of a struggle to get out, but let it not be said that Ukyo was the only one who could make a difficult admission.  "You is not only one with some regrets, Ukyo.  Is something Airen say to us, during fight with stupid card king.  He tell us we is eager to believe worst of you whenever get the chance, just like you is of us.

                "Didn't think that happen that day in park, but look like we make mistake.  We think worse of you than what we should because we not understand what really happen.  That not good.  So Ling-Ling accept you apology, and offer same to you.  For not giving you chance to make right and thinking worst of you, that you would no even want to.  Sorry."

                "I sorry too," Lung-Lung said.  Her lips actually quirked into the tiniest of smiles.  "Also sorry Lung-Lung was too too scary, to keep spatula girl from being able to give apology we ask for."

                " 'Ask'?" Ukyo muttered incredulously.  Louder, she said, "So... does that truce sound good to you two?"

                Slowly, the Amazons nodded their heads.  Ukyo let out a long, pent-up breath of tension.  "Great.  I don't know how many more chores you're signed up to do, for protecting Ryoga honey, but I guess I'd be willing to help out with them.  If I don't have a magic lesson scheduled with Rouge at the time, anyway."

                "Thank you," Ling-Ling said, almost without any difficulty at all in getting the words out.  "Is too bad you not hear whatever Edelweiss tell you two weeks ago, instead of yesterday."

                "On that note, is one other thing you could do to help right now, spatula girl."  Lung-Lung gestured back across the field, to the baskets into which she and Ling-Ling had dropped their weeds after pulling them.  Ukyo, having not had such an aid, had just left hers lying in the furrows between the rows of cabbages.  "Need to put weeds on compost heap.  We will help you, but need to pick up ones you just leave behind on dirt."

                "Huh.  You can tell I don't have much experience with farming, I guess.  Okay, th- thanks."  Ukyo bent down to begin picking up her discards, then straightened up again.  "There was one other thing," she said.  "Could you please knock it off with the 'spatula girl' insults?"

                The twins blinked.  "Oh, that.  That not really how we mean it, spat-" Ling-Ling clamped her mouth shut as she realized what she was saying.  "Mean, Ukyo.  Sorry, is habit.  And was not really insult to start with.  Remember we call Airen 'bandana boy' before we know his real name.  If we meant as insult, would call you stupid lying outsider girl or something."

                "Thanks for clearing that up," Ukyo said sourly.  "Okay, you don't mean it as an insult.  Fine.  But could you try and use my real name from now on anyway?  Just as a sign of our truce.  I mean, it's still a lot more polite to use someone's actual name."

                There was a long moment of silence as Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung looked at each other.  Then Lung-Lung turned back to Ukyo and smiled.  And if there was an element of mockery in the expression, it was still a friendlier smile than she had ever turned on the chef before.  "Sure thing, sugar."

***************

                Over the next four days Ukyo found herself thinking back to Nerima and the stress of juggling school and her restaurant with increasing fondness.  Although the chores with which she'd volunteered to help didn't take that much time, they were boring and arduous enough to make hours seem to pass like days.

                But the time did pass, and eventually came a day that Ranma had been waiting for with ever-increasing eagerness.  It was time, at last, to show the results of his solitary training.

                "You ready, sugar?" Ukyo asked, sticking her head in the door of the room Ryoga shared with Ryu and Ranma.  Her boyfriend was the only one there now, looking over a scroll Cologne had lent him.

                "Ready?" he asked.  "Ready for what?"

                "To go see this new move Ranchan's worked out, silly.  Did you forget today was the day?"

                "No, but I thought you were talking about something else.  Kodachi and Shampoo went out there already, so he could show them the move first, and they aren't back yet.  So how are we gonna find him anyway?  They're the only ones who know where he's actually been going to train."

                Ukyo blinked.  "Ummm... good point.  But Rouge said we were supposed to leave now, so I should come get you.  Maybe he told her where we're supposed to meet them."

                "Actually, son-in-law quite forgot that aspect of things.  But I used the Eye of Bastet to locate them," Cologne said.

                "YEAGHH!" Ryoga squawked, whirling around to find the Matriarch standing on the window-sill.  "Don't sneak up on me like that, Granny!"

                Cologne bopped him lightly with her staff.  "You'll need a much better control of yourself than that, sonny boy, to have any hope of mastering the Kikotsu Bakuha."

                "Yeah, yeah, let's go already if we're gonna go.  I don't suppose Ranma'd appreciate us just sitting around talking when we're supposed to be on our way to meet him."

                "Oh, no, of course not.  I'm sure son-in-law is anxiously awaiting our arrival, since right now he's stuck out in the countryside with only Shampoo and Kodachi for company," Cologne replied, sarcasm practically dripping from her words.  They proceeded downstairs, gathered everyone else, and set off, Ryoga still trying to think of a snappy comeback.

***************

                "Took you guys long enough to get here," Ranma grumbled as the group spread out along the edge of the field.  Beside him, Shampoo and Kodachi both wondered just why he was radiating so much nervous anticipation.  Sure, the move they'd seen earlier this afternoon was impressive, but why should Ranma care so much about showing it to the newcomers?  If Genma had been in the group it would have made sense, but neither girl had ever received any intimation that their mutual boyfriend cared so deeply about the opinion of any of the people now standing in expectation.

                Cologne gave him a piercing stare, then let her senses rove around the field some more.  There was a strange feeling in the air.  She could sense the residue of a chi-based attack, one that must have been fairly strong.  There was some sense of familiarity as well, but the Matriarch couldn't quite put her finger on the source.

                "Hey, we got here right at the time you asked us to, Ranchan.  So what's this cool new move you've been working on?" Ukyo asked.

                "Okay."  Ranma took a deep breath, pushing away all thoughts of what would come next.  He focused his will, turned, and took a few steps away.  Over his shoulder he called back, "I started with the most useless move I know, and worked it inta something that could actually be worth something.  Hope you don't mind that I didn't want to keep the name, Granny."

                "Quit grand-standing and show us the technique, son-in-law," Cologne replied.  "At my age I don't have much of an appreciation for long dramatic buildups."

                He laughed at that.  "Okay, here goes."  Turning to face directly forward again, Ranma held motionless for a moment, gathering his chi and his concentration.  Then, he dropped to one knee, leaning forward and slamming the palm of his hand forward into the ground with a cry of "EARTH SLASH!"

                As his hand touched the soil, there came a grinding roar.  The ground exploded, and for a split second Rouge thought it was just the Bakkusai Tenketsu with a larger blast radius.  But before the misconception could pass completely through her mind, the eruption shot forward, the ground ripping and tearing itself in one violent chain of explosions, shooting away from Ranma in a tightly-focused straight line.  The effect continued for nearly eighty feet before dying off.

                Ranma turned back to face everyone with a cocky grin on his face.  None of the shards of rock or clots of dirt had touched him.  The direction of the blast had carried all the earthen shrapnel away, which nicely did away with the problem he would have had in using the regular Bakkusai Tenketsu.  Not having been able to learn the toughening aspects didn't matter with this version.

                "Aiyah," Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung breathed, looking at the gaping trench that now scarred the ground.  Suddenly, Lung-Lung whipped her gaze back to Ranma.  She frowned as fiercely as she could.  "Ranma promise right now he never ever use that in spar with Airen!"

                "Don't worry, Lung-Lung, I got no desire to wipe out any of my friends."  Ranma grinned.  "Besides, with the way it tears up the ground like that it's more versatile than just having to hit somebody directly with the blast.  I could use it to rip a ditch under someone while they're coming down from a jump, then take them out while they're off-balance from the messed-up landing.  Or if they're on top of a tree or something, I could knock it down with this.  Lots of cool possibilities other than just blowing somebody up."

                "That's a pretty impressive move," Ryu allowed, with a bit of awe still present on his face and in his voice.  "How the heck did you pull it off anyway?!  Kodachi I could see, but I can't believe you've got nearly enough chi to do something like that!"

                 "C'mon, man, I remember explaining the Heaven and Earth Cut to you.  Same kind of principal here.  The effect mainly comes from the natural chi of the ground, not the little bit of my own.  I just use my own energy for the start-up.  I shape it into a charge that makes the earth's chi get unbalanced in a straight line away from me.  That's what triggers all those breaking points."

                "Well, it looks impressive, Ranchan, I'll give you that.  But I see a weakness," Ukyo said a little smugly.  "If you don't hit with your first shot, whoever you're fighting just needs to get on the other side of the trench it left behind, and then you couldn't do jack with it anymore.  The ditch would stop the technique as long as you were on the opposite side from your target."

                "Wanna bet, Ucchan?"  Ranma gave yet another cocky grin, then walked a little distance away, faced perpendicular to the long rent in the ground, and let off another Earth Slash.  Ukyo was forced to eat her words as the ripping blast crossed the gap of the pre-existing trench with ease.

                "How the heck did that work?" the chef protested.  She thought she'd seen a glow as the second Earth Slash crossed the path of the first, but there had been a great deal of dust obscuring the sight and it had happened too quickly to be sure.

                "The disruption gets carried across the gap by the fragments of rock and dirt that're exploding out from the wall."  Ranma resisted the urge to strike a triumphant pose.  "I guess it wouldn't work if the gap was too big, but just crossing a previous path's no problem."

                "Ranma is too good warrior, yes?" Shampoo said gleefully.  Wanting to make her Airen's happiness even greater, and still a little annoyed at the way Cologne hadn't managed to get any of the other Amazons off his back, she asked, "How old were you when you first develop own technique, Great-Grandmother?"

                The Matriarch shook herself out of the reverie she'd been in since first watching Ranma's demonstration.  "I'm not sure, Shampoo.  The details blur after three centuries.  I can't be quite certain whether it was when I was twenty-one or twelve."

                "Whatever, Granny," Ranma said.  "Hey, I wouldn't mind teaching you how to do this, if you're still up for learning new tricks."

                Cologne gave him a level stare of ominous foreboding, then lightly tapped the ground in front of her with the knobby portion of her staff.  The dirt rippled like water at the point of contact, and then the ripples washed forward, causing the two ditches to flow back together into nearly-unmarked ground.  The only signs of the Earth Slashes that remained were the smoothness where the trenches had been and the occasional rock chip lying around.

                There was a long moment of silence, as Cologne continued to stare Ranma down.  Then the Matriarch's face split into a wide grin.  "I did it as slowly as I could, son-in-law.  Did you have better luck picking up on this technique than you did with the Threadneedle Snare?"

                "She's on to me," Ranma complained to the universe in general.  "No, can't say I did."

                "I see.  Well, don't feel bad.  I was in my second century before I had the skill to master the Earth Dragon's Rage."  Cologne gave him a piercing look that Ranma found impossible to read.  "I'm all but certain I could not have pulled off what you just did at the tender age of sixteen."

                "Some of us are just lucky," Kodachi said.  She stepped close to Ranma's side, laying her head on his shoulder and snaking one arm across his chest.  "Very lucky."

                "Ah, yeah, right."  Ranma gulped, then looked back to face everyone else.  "Okay, show's over.  I got nothing else for you guys to see.  You can head on back to the village now."  Kodachi's posture made it easy for her to tell his heart rate had just begun racing again.  And feelings of anxiety and anticipation were rising within her boyfriend once more?  What was going on?

                "Ranma, if I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to get rid of us so you could celebrate in private with Shampoo and Kodachi.  Oh, wait."  Rouge laughed.  "I don't know better."  Chuckling all the more at the way his face turned bright crimson, the mage began shooing everyone back toward the village.  Ranma gave her an annoyed glance, then led the two girls named off in another direction.

***************

                As has been described previously, the area in which Ranma had developed and demonstrated his new technique was a large stony field, bordered on three sides by hills and on the fourth by a thicket of trees.  Ranma asked Shampoo to wait in the thicket, and he and Kodachi passed through the small stretch of woodland, coming a few minutes later to a much more attractive spot than the one they'd left behind.  A small stream, which spent most of its course underground, came briefly to the surface here.  The watercourse was lined with trees that stood taller and straighter than the somewhat scraggly ones in which Shampoo was waiting, with green grass carpeting the ground nearby as well.  It was a beautiful scene of peace and tranquility.

                It was a little difficult for Kodachi to appreciate the peace and tranquility, as Ranma was now radiating such a level of anticipation/excitement/anxiety/hope/turmoil/affection (affection? yes, that was definitely what she'd sensed) that it was pretty much overriding the natural sense of peace.  She gave him her best smile as he led her over to a large stone by the water and sat down beside her.

                Ranma swallowed hard, several times, in an attempt to clear the dryness out of his throat (the thought of taking a drink from the handy stream didn't cross his mind).  At last, when he was fairly confident that he'd be able to get words out, he spoke.  "Dachi-chan, I got... I got something to say.  Probably won't come out right, probably won't be as good as it should be.  As good as you deserve.  This ain't the kinda stuff I'm any good at anyway."

                "That's all right, Ranma-sama," she said as he paused.  "You know I love you for who you are."

                "Yeah."  The nervousness was starting to recede now, just a little.  "There's a lotta stuff we know, that we... that we don't always say.  Stuff we kinda talk around, or just let it go unsaid.  I guess that's not so bad usually, but sometimes you just gotta come out and say something, even if you know the other person already knows it.  So here goes.

                "I love you.  You came into my life at one of the worst times I've ever had.  You trusted me and believed in me and made me feel like a real man, like my curse didn't matter.  You were the friend I needed, but you're so much more than a friend that I almost feel like an idiot for even saying the word.  And I want... I want..." he took a deep breath, "...You knew it already, but I'm saying it now.  I want us to spend the rest of our lives together."

                By now her smile was so radiant that Ranma wasn't even able to see the tears in her eyes.  He slipped off the rock, half-turning and placing one hand on a smaller boulder beside him.  With a shove, he overturned it, extracting a small bundle of cloth from a hollow revealed beneath the stone.  He turned back to face her then, unwrapping the protective layers of linen.  As the last concealing fold was pulled back, Kodachi felt her heart skip a beat, then begin to thunder like a jackhammer.

                The sunlight gleamed brightly off the ring as he held it out to her.  "Kodachi... will you marry me?"

***************

                Some time later, dreamy smile firmly in place and her hands in the pockets of her pantsuit (so as not to ruin Shampoo's upcoming surprise), Kodachi drifted into the thicket and told Shampoo that it was now her turn.

                Ranma was waiting for her at a spot a little ways down the stream from where he and Kodachi had been.  She noticed that there was a large, squarish package wrapped in oiled cloth resting beside him.

                She sat down beside him, giving him a warm, reassuring smile.  Her Airen wasn't feeling nearly so anxious now as he had been when they were first heading this way.  Whatever he and her sister had done had calmed him considerably.  But she could feel nervousness beginning to rise in him again.  Hoping to head that off, she spoke.  "Kodachi seem very, very happy, Airen."

                "Yeah.  And I think you will be too.  Hope so, anyway.  I got something for you, Sham-chan, and I hope you like it."  He picked up the package and extended it to her with hands that only trembled a little.

                The Amazon took it and carefully unfolded the wrapping, to find... a plain board of mahogany?  She looked at it quizzically, then turned to face him.  "Airen?  I not get it."

                Ranma groaned and grinned at the same time.  "Try turning it over."

                The Amazon did so, extricating the panel the rest of the way from the cloth, and reversing it.  As the sight before her registered, she gasped in delight.

                The wood of the other side of the panel had been carefully carved away, leaving a raised image behind.  An image she knew very well--her own.  The Shampoo in the wood was standing in a pose of triumph, with an expression of fierce joy on her face.  Whoever had carved it had even managed to capture the effect of her hair blowing slightly in the wind.

                For a long moment Shampoo couldn't find her voice.  At last she said, "Is beautiful, Airen.  Who make?  Tonic?"  That was the most skilled woodcarver in the village, whose services did NOT come cheaply.

                "Nope," Ranma said with a warm smile.  The nervousness was falling away again.  "That'd kinda defeat the whole purpose of what it's supposed to be."

                "What you mean?" Shampoo asked quizzically.

                He looked away and spoke softly.  "Remember all that time I spent training, to get the Earth Slash to work right?"  At Shampoo's confused nod, he said, "Wrong.  I got one off after just three days of practicing.  Even I hadn't expected it to be that easy."

                "W- what?!  Then why Airen increase time after that, why spend so much time... on your own..."  Shampoo's voice trailed off as she looked down at the panel with a wild surmise.

                Ranma gestured off into the distance.  "Out of sight in that direction, Sham-chan, are the remains of all the wood I used up, trying to get this thing carved just right."  He gently reached out and ran one finger along the engraved Amazon's flowing hair, then lifted that hand to cup the flesh-and-blood Shampoo's chin.  "It's the best I could do, even if it's nowhere near as beautiful as the original."

                "Ranma... Ranma make this by own self... for Shampoo?" she asked, tears of happiness obviously not far off.

                "Yeah.  I mean, I had to make it myself, right?  That's how the whole custom goes."

                "C- custom?"

                Ranma smiled at her, an expression so full of warmth and affection and acceptance that Shampoo felt like her heart might break.  She almost didn't even hear him say, "Betrothal gift."

                That nearly broke the dam, but with a valiant effort Shampoo maintained her control.  There was something she _had_ to say first.  "Th- thank you, Ranma.  Sh- Shampoo accept.  She, she so lucky have you, have your love.  S- so much more lucky than deserve."

                "That is not true," Ranma said firmly.  "I'm at least as lucky as you are, an' probably more.  If it weren't for the Heart Link, I don't think I woulda been able to see just who you really are.  If it weren't for that, I woulda missed out on half of everything that's good in my life, everything that makes it worth living.  And I want you to know... if we hadn't, I mean, if the Link had just been that one moment of seeing each other as we really are, and not a lasting connection, I would still say this.  That Tatewaki was the biggest idiot in the world for not accepting what you offered him.  I may be an idiot in some ways, but I ain't never gonna make a mistake that big.  I love you, Airen.  And I always will."

                Shampoo pulled back, just a little, needing to look in his eyes again, to see the love and warmth reaching out from his soul to hers.  Then she leaned tightly against him again and let the tears come. 

***************

                Kodachi wasn't sure how much time passed until Shampoo and Ranma came and collected her out of the thicket.  It felt like only five minutes had gone by, if that, but some rational corner of her mind doubted it could have been quite that short a span of time.  Not that such mundane questions interested her in the slightest just then.

                Shampoo was grinning so broadly that Kodachi almost felt as if her own cheeks were aching in sympathy.  In fact they were aching because she was smiling just as widely, and had been since the first gleam of sunlight had danced off the ring on her finger, but the White Rose wasn't in any shape for analytical deductions just then.  Though she did wonder just a little why Shampoo should be carrying a smooth panel of mahogany.

                As the three passed out of the trees and into the open field, Shampoo grinned even more widely (but only for a second, as doing so pushed some muscles past their natural limits and made a sharp pain shoot through her cheeks) and turned the panel around with a flourish.  Kodachi made a soft sound of awe and appreciation as the sunlight fell on the sight revealed.  "You like?" Shampoo asked.

                "I certainly do.  It's beautiful," Kodachi replied.

                "I couldn't've done it without your art skills, Dachi-chan," Ranma said modestly.  "Let me tell ya, it was a pain trying to translate watercolor painting techniques to woodcarving, too."

                "You made this, Ranma-sama?" she asked in a tone of stunned wonderment.

                "That's right.  It's the Amazon version of an engagement ring," he answered.

                "Engagement ring?  AIYAH!!" Shampoo cried as she belatedly noticed the ring on her sister's finger.  "Let Shampoo see!"

                Kodachi had her hand outstretched even before the fourth syllable had left the Amazon's mouth.  Shampoo studied the ring with undisguised admiration.  A band of white gold, with a most unusual gemstone--an exquisitely-carved rose of white jade, enchanted to the hardness of diamond.

                Shampoo blinked.  'How the heck did I know it was enchanted... oh, must be that stupid 'Eyes of the Cat' thing.'  "Is truly beautiful, Kodachi," she said aloud.  "Is good match for you, too."

                "Yeah," Ranma said.  "Jin To oughta give up in despair now, because he'll never make another piece of jewelry as good as this ever again."

                "Jin To?  Of course," Shampoo said with a smile, "only the best jeweler good enough for this ring."  That thought triggered another.  "By the way, Airen, how you get money to pay for this, and for all the mahogany you use up in making my betrothal gift?"

                Ranma grinned.  "Remember back when we were busting the Sakuras loose, and I had to go off on my own to find a vending machine so that one chick could get enough sugar to heal her sister?  Well, when I was looking I found a room that had a lot of gold piled up in it.  Stacks of bullion and a few sacks of coins too.  So I took one of the sacks.  I mean, it would've felt a little strange to borrow money from Mr and Mrs Kuno so I could afford the kind of ring their daughter deserved."  Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, and Cologne all chuckled at that.

                "Cologne?!  When the heck did you get here?!" the Saotome heir demanded, breaking off mid-laugh in mild shock.

                The Matriarch shrugged.  "I've been waiting out here ever since the three of you disappeared into those trees.  Don't worry, son-in-law, I didn't snoop on any of your private affairs."

                "So why are ya still here?" Ranma asked, more than a little annoyed at the intrusion.

                "I might have a congratulatory present of my own," Cologne said mysteriously.  "But first I need you to demonstrate the Earth Slash again."

                He rolled his eyes.  "Look, Granny, I ain't really in that kind of mood right now."

                "Son-in-law, it's important.  For all three of you."

The flat tone in which the Matriarch spoke cut right through Ranma's irritation.  Choking down a few twinges of trepidation, he said, "Okay, fine, let's get this over with."  He walked a few steps forward and performed the technique.  "Happy now?"

                "Take a few steps to one side and do it again, laying the new trench parallel to the first one."  Cologne's tone brooked no argument.  Ranma complied.  "Again.

                "Again.

                "Again.

                "Again.

                "Again."

                "Give me a minute to catch my breath, for cryin' out loud!" he protested.  "Even if it mostly just uses the earth's own chi, it still takes some of mine.  I can't just whip these things off forever without taking a break."

                "You don't even realize, do you," Cologne said slowly.  "I don't suppose I can blame you, though.  It's remarkable enough that you've managed to attain this much control this quickly."

                "What are you talking about?" Kodachi asked, in perhaps the sharpest tone of her remembered life.  This was NOT the time for ominous statements and vague, dire pronouncements!

                "Your description of how the technique works is incorrect, Ranma," the Matriarch stated flatly.  "You aren't unbalancing the earth's chi at all, at least not in the way you described.  If you did, the eruption would occur all at once along the line, not shooting forward."

                "Then what happen, Great-Grandmother?"

                "Your Airen is doing it all with his own strength, Shampoo," the ancient one answered.

                "C'mon, Granny, I don't have near enough chi for that," he protested.  "Five feet, _maybe_, but not something like this!"

                "Do you think so?"  Cologne smiled.  "Come over here, boy, I have something to show you."

                Ranma did so, walking warily over to her.  "What is--OW!"  He jumped back in shock as the Matriarch whipped the lower end of her staff in an arc.  Pressing his hand against his forearm, covering the cut that the Matriarch had inflicted, Ranma shouted, "What'd you do... that..."

                The strangest expression came over his face then, as he slowly removed his trembling, bloodstained hand, revealing his forearm again.

                The blood was still there.  But there was no sign whatsoever of any cut, nor a scar.

                "I believe it must have happened fairly recently," Cologne said into the shocked silence.  "It appears that Jusenkyo curses aren't the only things that can propagate along a Heart Link."  She turned to the White Rose and grinned.  "It seems you now have something in common with your husband-to-be that you never expected, dear.  Congratulations--you won't have to worry about treating him carefully on your wedding night."

*********************************************************

                Author's notes

                And so another chapter winds its way to a close.  Did anyone see it coming, that Kodachi's empowerment would eventually spread to Ranma as well?  Yes, this does mean that after another sufficiently long interval, the same will happen to Shampoo through her link to Ranma.

                Speaking of things gained through the Heart Link, you may remember that in a previous chapter we see Shampoo about to use an aerial attack she learned from Ranma.  This is something she learned for herself through sparring with him, NOT something she would have been directly accessing his memories to use.  That is why she could have employed it without awkwardness.  On the flipside of that coin, now you can see why Ranma took so long during his fight with Genma to execute the strike of the constrictor.  He wasn't using the altered mindset of wrapping Shampoo's memories around his own (that would seriously impair the midair skill he needed just then), but rather just scanning them for the knowledge of the pressure points.

                A few more random things:  you may have noticed that at the beginning of the fic Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had been instructed to stay away from Ryoga, and then that seemed to disappear.  This is because the reappearance of the Hibiki parents created a new situation where the order became impractical and unnecessary.

                The statue of Hippolyta was indirectly inspired by the fic "Thicker than Water" by Eric Hallstrom, though he had her as an actual ancestress of the Amazon tribe (at least, the stirrup-cup of Hippolyta was one of their sacred treasures).

I'll explain another Amazon secret here as well, since I doubt I'll find a way to work it into the actual story.  Those familiar with the anime should remember the final confrontation between Ranma-chan and Cologne over the Phoenix Pill.  In that continuity, Cologne causes large chunks of ice to levitate and fly through the air, including one huge piece shaped like a bear that serves as her chariot.  That one has to weigh at least half a ton.  I envision the Earth Dragon's Rage as a similarly powerful elemental technique, only focused on the earth.  With it, an Elder can cause the ground to flow like water... or trigger a localized earthquake combined with breaking point explosions all over the place.  Obviously not a technique to be employed in casual combat, this has more often been used in the Amazons' history to decimate forces that try to overwhelm them with the advantage of numbers.

                The Earth Slash might seem puny compared to something like that, but for a sixteen-year-old it's pretty impressive nonetheless.  If the name and description seem familiar, that's because they are also a Monk skill in Final Fantasy Tactics.  This is not an accident.  It was a deliberate choice on Ranma's part, to show that Tatewaki and Kodachi weren't the only ones who could take an imaginary technique and make it real.  Credit for this goes to Gregg Sharpe, for pointing out that Ranma's natural competitiveness would most likely lead him to prove himself like that.

                Thanks to my prereaders, Jim Bader and James Merritt.  Next time:  back to Nerima.


	16. Growing Pains

                White Rose

                A Ranma ½ fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.

                ---------------------------- denotes the beginning or end of a flashback.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 15:  Growing Pains

***************

                "There she is!"

                "Don't let her get away!"

                Ranma-chan cursed, tucked, and rolled, in that order, as a set of bolos whipped through the air inches above her.  She shot back to her feet and started running again.  'Man, this sucks,' she thought disgustedly.  'I almost made it, too.  Managed not to get splashed except when I was safe in the Matriarch's home for this whole month, but it couldn't last, could it?  Oh, no, the day before we're gonna leave my luck just HAS to run out.'

                She wasn't even sure where the water had come from.  One minute Ranma had been dry, walking along feeling relatively carefree.  There hadn't been anyone else on the street at all; the other Amazons seemed finally to have given up on chasing him, and so there had been no problems with walking along openly and by himself.  The next thing he knew, water had come out of nowhere, and only a few seconds later a large group of girls had turned a corner and come face to face with her.  After one look at the expressions spreading across their faces Ranma-chan had turned and bolted, trying not to listen to the cries of "That's the honorless dog of an outsider who defeated Shampoo last year!"  "What the hell is she doing back here?!"  "Probably come to steal our treasures or poison our water supply for revenge!"  "GET HER!!"

                That had been five minutes ago.  Under better circumstances Ranma-chan would already have outdistanced her pursuers, but the current situation was a bit more complicated.  If she ran through the streets, other Amazons would see her and try to cut her off.  Taking to the rooftops mainly eliminated this problem, but replaced it with one that was only slightly less troublesome, given that most of the buildings in the Amazon village had a type of tiled roof that couldn't handle someone running at full speed across it.  Fleeing via rooftop could still be done, but it was cutting Ranma-chan's speed considerably.

                In the front of the pack of girls racing through the streets below, Balm growled in frustration.  Why hadn't Shampoo dealt with this girl as the Law dictated?  What was the redhead doing, running around free, with so little respect for Amazon prowess that she dared even to sneak back here?  Well, if the so-called Champion didn't have what it took to deal with one irritating little outsider, Balm would be more than happy to show SHE suffered from no such failing!

                She used that thought to focus herself, drawing deeply on her energy reserves.  Without slacking pace, the girl reached behind her and brought another set of bolos forward.  This particular weapon was by far the heaviest she carried, with weights half again as large as the ball of a standard bonborri, strung on a lightweight metal chain rather than the cord that would have inevitably snapped.

                 Beside her, Li Rin's eyes widened in shock.  "Hang on, Balm.  We can't just kill her!"  There was no way the petite redhead would be able to survive a hit from the 'Bonecrusher', as Balm affectionately called her ultimate weapon.  "The Elders would tear a strip six inches wide out of ALL our hides if you do that!  We need to find out just why she's here and whether she's already done any sabotage."

                Balm spared a fraction of an instant to glance disdainfully at the girl beside her, as she began to spin the weapon.  "Still thinking in just three dimensions, Li Rin?"

                "JUST three dimensions?" Li Rin snapped back.  "How many others are there exactly?"

                With a smirk, the first girl loosed her weapon.  "At least one more.  Why don't you try a little foresight for once?"

                Balm's meaning became clear as the bolos shot up and away, racing not toward Ranma-chan but rather to the rooftop toward which she had just leaped.  The weapon impacted first, smashing down and plowing through the tiles that lined the roof, shattering them and leaving Ranma-chan no good place to land.

                While the Saotome heir was exceptionally skilled at midair maneuvering, there were limits.  Given the size of the affected area, only the Rotary Ribbon or some similar technique would have allowed her to avoid the treacherous expanse of broken tile.  As it was, Ranma-chan landed directly on two unattached pieces and shot forward, zooming off the edge of the house before she could regain control.

                She impacted hard, but bounced back to her feet almost immediately.  A sharp pain shot through her upper leg, making it clear that she'd pulled a muscle.  Inconvenient, but it would heal in a matter of seconds if she didn't move on it.  And since Amazons had formed a ring even before she landed, and were now hedging her in with drawn weapons and grim expressions, she figured she might as well wait for them to move before she did.

                After ten seconds, the pain had faded noticeably and Ranma-chan was beginning to relax.  After forty-five, it was gone completely, and she allowed herself a cocky grin.  After a minute and a half, the grin had been replaced by a grimace of impatience.  "Don't ya think there's enough of you to handle little old me?  Whatcha waitin' for, anyway?"

                "That would be me, outsider girl."

                At the sound of the dry voice behind her, thinned with age but underscored with authority and strength, Ranma-chan whirled.  Sure enough, an Amazon Elder was standing there, regarding her through half-closed eyes.  The redhead breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

                "Foolish girl, you know not what peril you face!" one of the girls said with a nasty smirk, noticing Ranma-chan's reaction and thinking it was because the outsider thought she was looking at a harmless old woman.

                "Prepare to fall before Amazon might!"

                "Honored Elder Ton Fa is going to leave you crying like a little boy!"

                "Time for you to learn some respect, dishonorable one!"

                Ranma-chan frowned, then turned her attention back to the Elder.  "Do ya think you could call off the cheerleaders already?"

                "I suggest you do your best to ignore the distraction and prepare yourself, girl.  The penalties for trespassing in Amazon lands are severe.  I'm afraid you're not going to enjoy this."

                "H- hold on a second!" Ranma-chan squeaked, then gulped and lowered her voice.  "I ain't trespassing and the damage on that house isn't my fault.  You know who I really am, so let's cut the crud, send those trigger-happy girls away, and get me some hot water!"

                "Do you recall a girl named Lotion?  From your own memories of this trip, not Shampoo's," the Elder returned in an equally quiet voice.

                "What the heck's that got to do with anything?" the Saotome heir asked bewilderedly.

                "So you don't remember.  Hardly surprising.  After all, you've turned down so many girls during your stay here, what were the feelings of one more?  My great-granddaughter was most disappointed at not even being given a chance," Ton Fa remarked conversationally, as she drew a pair of ornate war fans out of the interior of her robe.

                Ranma-chan braced herself.  This didn't look like it was going to be any fun at all.

***************

                Anger at the injustice of it all.  Frustration at her inability to rise to the challenge.  Disgust at the poor showing she'd put forth.  Her emotions were plain to see on her face, even though she said nothing, her lips tightly closed, rejecting the impulse to rail against her failure.

                "Is not _that_ bad," Shampoo said consolingly as Kodachi continued to glare at her first attempt at sculpture.  "No worse than first time I tried to paint like you do."

                The White Rose sighed, letting the tension flow out of her.  "I suppose you're right.  Really, I don't know why I'm letting it get me so upset."

                Shampoo wondered as well, but before she could say anything, the sounds of a commotion reached her ears.  She walked over to the window and stuck her head outside.  "Aiyah.  Is very strange, Kodachi," she called back.  "Is many girls in street outside the front door."  She couldn't actually see the entranceway, due to the angle from which she was looking, but there were Amazons crowding the street in both directions, facing toward the door and muttering amongst themselves.  "Almost look like mob, except no flaming torches."

                "That's odd," Kodachi said, after removing the clay-smeared apron she'd been wearing and taking a look for herself.  "Let's go downstairs and see what's happening."

                They did so, catching a glimpse of the front door swinging shut as they came down.  Faintly Shampoo made out the words of whomever had just left, addressing all the girls in the street.  "Everybody head on home.  The Matriarch will handle matters from this point on."  Wondering all the more what was going on, she followed Kodachi down the last few steps, only then reaching a point where she could see the gift Ton Fa had left behind.

                Kodachi blinked, then zipped over to Ranma-chan.  "Ranma-sama!  Are you all right?!"

                The redhead grunted and mumbled unintelligibly.  Given the gag stuffed into her mouth, there really wasn't anything else she could do.  Kodachi began looking over the confusing tangle of ropes and knots with which Ranma-chan had been tied up into a neat little package, trying to find a good starting point for the untying.  It was truly an intricate mesh, she noted, both impressed and annoyed at the expertise displayed.  The ropes were quite snug against Ranma-chan's skin, not so much so as to cut off the flow of blood, but too tight to be able to use a blade to sever the bonds without risking her fiancé's hide.

                "What's going on here?" Rouge asked, striding into the room.  Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Ranma-chan.  A quick gesture from the mage transformed the bonds from sturdy hemp to dry withered grass, which posed somewhat less of a problem.  Ranma-chan tugged an arm free and removed the gag while Kodachi pulled away the remains of the rope.

                "Thanks, Auntie, Dachi-chan," the redhead said with a sigh.  She flashed Shampoo a smile of gratitude as the lavender-haired girl stepped over and handed her a kettle of hot water.

                "You're welcome, nephew-in-law.  So what happened to you just now?"

                Ranma grimaced.  "Don't wanna talk about it.  Man, I am so ready to get back home it's not even funny."

                "You really looking forward that much to go back to Furinkan?" Shampoo asked innocently.

                Another grimace.  "You just had to bring that up, didn'tcha, Sham-chan?"

                "Hmmm.  If Ranma want, I could happen to mention to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung that if somebody was to sabotage school building, like knock out some of its supports or something, would give them few more weeks to spend lots more time with Ryu while workmen repair the building," Shampoo suggested.

                Rouge coughed loudly.  "Shampoo, I don't think my sister Li Na would be too happy at the thought of her niece encouraging her daughters in acts of vandalism.  Do you take my meaning?"

                The Amazon blanched.  "Sorry, Airen.  Next time I wait til we alone before make some offer like that," she whispered.

***************

                The remains of the day passed uneventfully, as did the night.  Ranma had been planning to sneak out, wake up Jin To one last time, and tell him how much Kodachi liked the ring, but since whatever streak of luck had been keeping him from accidental transformations had apparently ended, he decided not to risk it.

                They left the village in the same way they'd first entered, with no official notice being taken of their passage.  Among the Chinese Amazons, it wasn't considered proper to celebrate farewells.  Ranma felt a number of wistful stares pressing against the back of his neck as the group made their way through the village, but that was all.

                Everyone was fairly quiet as they made their way through the fields and hills, and began the ascent up toward the mountains.  They were all busy with their various thoughts.

                There was a definite spring in Ukyo's step.  She was really looking forward to sweeping the dust out of her restaurant and opening the place up again.  The thought of not having to worry about sneak attacks, or even direct attacks, from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung anymore was quite nice.  Heck, she was even ready to get back to Furinkan and kick a few chemistry and croquet butts with her official boyfriend at her side. 

                If Ukyo was happy, Ryoga was bordering on ecstatic.  Their path was beginning to rise now, the land shifting from foothills to actual mountains.  The village of the Joketsuzoku was well behind them, and HE'D MADE IT OUT SAFELY!  He hadn't accidentally defeated anyone!  None of the Amazons had found out how good a fighter he was!  His girl troubles could have been kicked into overdrive, but instead they'd been solved!  As soon as he could make his way to a novelty store, Ryoga was going to put on a party hat, throw confetti, and wave victory fans until he was blue in the face.

                Ryu was thinking back over all the changes that had taken place in his life lately.  Occasionally he would glance around, smiling a little as his gaze fell on Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to either side of him, or his brother walking along next to Ukyo a little ways off, or his parents hand-in-hand toward the front of the group.  He wasn't as euphoric as Ryoga, but on the whole, he was feeling quite happy, with only one nagging worry in the back of his mind.  Namely, if things had gotten this crazy in China, what kind of supreme chaos was going to erupt once they were back in Nerima?

                Beside him, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were working their way through some introspection.  Earlier, they had been trying to force themselves to face the idea of returning to Japan, leaving their familiar mountains and countryside again, surrounding themselves once more with concrete and metal and the teeming masses of an unfamiliar people.  Each girl had been surprised to find that the thought hadn't been nearly as repugnant as she had expected.  Eventually they would realize that they were largely riding the high of relief at no longer getting stuck with other people's chores, but for now they were walking along in quiet thought, wondering just how much the last few months had changed them.

                Kozue glanced over at her husband.  Ichiro was still stumbling along in a daze, a blank grin on his face.  Even with their half-Oni directionlessness currently suppressed by Jusenkyo's kiss, it was clear that without her grip on his hand the Hibiki patriarch would have wandered off long before now.  Kozue shook her head, mildly annoyed at herself.  She should have waited until they'd gotten settled back in Japan before telling him the news.  Idly she wondered just how Ryoga and Ryu were going to react when they learned that each of them was going to become a brother _without_ the intervention of the Spring of Drowned Twins.

                Cologne's lips were curved in a broad smile as she walked along.  The Matriarch was enjoying the quiet beauty around her, and particularly the fact that here and now there was no one requesting her guidance on some trivial little matter that they could have easily handled themselves.  It had actually taken her until late the previous evening to finally clear out the backlog that Rouge had arranged to have waiting for her.  Thinking back to that little ploy by her great-granddaughter only caused the smile to broaden; Rouge was coming along nicely, showing a devious mind and an independent streak that would serve her well when she became the official Matriarch.  And she would need both those qualities shortly, when she discovered that this time Cologne had taken the Nanban mirror with her.  Payback, the Matriarch mused with satisfaction, could be quiet enjoyable.

                Unlike the rest of the people in the group, Ranma was dealing with some angst.  Specifically, he was trying to imagine what would happen when he made it back to Nerima and confronted Genma again.  How exactly did he hope things would go anyway, he wondered.  What would be the best way to handle the situation?  Would the Earth Slash be enough to impress his old man, maybe even make him proud?  Did Genma care enough to let his son's accomplishments affect him like that at all?  Ranma wasn't sure, and thinking about those doubts hurt.  But glancing to either side of him dulled the pain considerably, and reminded him that even if it turned out that Genma ultimately didn't care, he would still have a family.  Both those with him now and those waiting back in the Kuno mansion.

                Kodachi and Shampoo were basically just floating along in a happy pink haze, the White Rose regarding the gleam of sunlight off the ring on her finger, the Amazon purring with contentment at the feel of the large squarish package slung next to her backpack.  Let's let them have their moment, folks, it won't be this peaceful much longer.

***************

                As if by unspoken consent, everyone came to a halt.  They had just reached the place where the Matriarch had met them one month prior, high in the mountains.  A few more steps and the rock walls would close around them again, blocking out all sight of the lands they were leaving behind.  The various travelers turned around and stood in silence, taking a long last look at the valley of the Chinese Amazons.

                "Yen for Airen's thoughts," Ling-Ling said at last.

                Turning from his view of the countryside below, Ryu gave her a smile.  "I was thinking about how much has changed over this last month."

                "Yeah, no joke."  Ukyo joined the conversation.  "Seems like just about everything's different now, doesn't it?"  She gave a sidelong glance over toward Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo.  "Well, maybe not _everything_."

                "Huh?  What's that supposed to mean, Ucchan?"  Ranma was a little annoyed at his oldest friend's attitude, considering how much time he'd spent working on what he planned to say and psyching himself up for his proposals.  He'd never have been able to pull that kind of stuff off when he first came to Nerima, and was pretty darn proud of the ways he'd changed since then.

                Ukyo, not being able to read minds, just snorted.  "You kidding me, Ranchan?  Anybody could've seen what happened with you three coming a mile away."  She conveniently forgot the shock it had been when Ryoga first explained the truth about Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo to her.  "This wasn't a change, it was just making something official."

                Shampoo gave Ukyo a strange look.  "You think Ranma has no changed over last month?"  Then she smirked, quickly pulling forward, unwrapping, and holding up the mahogany panel carved with her likeness.  "I must have forget to show this to you.  Is not beautiful?  Ranma made with own hands, taught himself to carve in between developing powerful new technique."

                "Okay, okay, I stand corrected," Ukyo laughed, holding up her hands in mock surrender.  "I was just thinking about the proposal, not the other stuff."

                "There _were_ other things that happened this month.  Nothing nearly as important, of course," Kodachi said with a smile.  "But all the small things add up as well.  I've read a great deal, and traveled to exotic locations with my parents, but this is the first time I've ever had such a level of immersion into another culture.  It certainly is a mind-broadening experience."

                That struck a deep chord in a certain okonomiyaki chef.  "You're right.  We've all changed this last month," she agreed.  "And all for the better, I think."

                "I'm certainly not going to argue with that," Ryoga said fervently.

                "Me neither," Lung-Lung said cheerfully, looping her arm through Ryu's and pressing against his side.  "Changes is very, very nice."

                "But I wonder who's changed the most," Ranma said thoughtfully.  "I mean, it'd be Ryoga hands down, except with two of them now you kinda gotta figure that only half of it applies to each of them."

                "Well, not like I'm bragging or anything, but I think it would be me," Ukyo said modestly, buffing her nails against the front of her outfit and then summoning a corona of energy around her hand.  The development of her mystic talent wasn't the only reason for her statement, but she didn't quite think she ought to add, "I came here thinking all Amazons were scum, and look how much better I've learned."

                "But Ranma come up with a strong new technique, and learn a skill completely not related to martial arts, and make too romantic proposal without stuttering or false start or anything, AND get Kodachi's super power through Heart Link too.  Shampoo's vote still goes to him."

                'Super power?' Kodachi thought, trying not to laugh out loud at a sudden mental image of herself in a ridiculous 'Magical Girl' outfit.

                "Ah, youth, always thinking of themselves.  What about all the changes I've undergone in these last few weeks?" Cologne asked.

                A long moment of silence followed.

                "Just kidding," the Matriarch cackled.  "I'd like to think that I'm old enough to put all that self-discovery and redefining yourself angst and nonsense behind me."

                "_I'd_ like to think you're old enough not to cause trouble, Granny.   Too bad that ain't true," Ranma gibed.

                "Watch it, son-in-law," Cologne returned, grinning a grin that gave several people a case of the creeping horrors.  "Or I'll do something that makes it obvious you are indeed the one who's been changed the most during this trip.  The full-body cat tongue might be amusing."

                "NOOO thanks," Ranma responded, backpedaling and holding up his hands in a warding sign.

                Kodachi giggled.  No matter how much some things changed, others stayed the same.  When so much else shifted and rearranged itself, it was nice to have that stability.  Even if all the recent changes had been good ones.

***************

                He stood on the rocky shore, looking out over the water.  The greyness of the sky above him was reflected in the steel surface of the lake.  Rain fell in light sprinkles, dimpling the water, collecting in the boy's hair and trickling down the back of his neck.  At another time, in another life, the sensation might have been irritating.  But here and now Shinnosuke didn't even notice it.

                Nor was he really seeing the lake before him; at least, not as it was then.  In his mind's eye, he viewed the waters as they had been ten days past, lying still and quiet in the depths of a cavern.  The passage from the outer world was a short one, far too short to block the normal sounds from the surrounding forest.  Yet as the three of them had stood there, those sounds had fallen into silence.

                For a moment, the stillness held... and then the waters thrashed and convulsed.  That had been their cue to run, and run they had, hoping to draw their pursuer after them onto dry land where it would be much less dangerous.  Instead, the rock behind them had shattered, water from beneath surging skyward, throwing spray into the air that shone like diamonds.  Another memory followed in grim counterpoint, of the duller gleam of sunlight against dark green scales.

                The images fractured, becoming only glimpses, distorted by the frantic pace of events and the rush of adrenaline that had flowed through him.  His grandfather in a dress.  Akane, vibrant and alive as she soared into the air.  The roar of the Yamata no Orochi as its heads struck and wove around each other, tearing the rocky floor as if it were tissue paper, trying to catch the figures moving swiftly among them.  There had been one taunting the monster, racing along as live bait, and two others who struck various heads as hard as they could, keeping it off-balance and confused.  And all three kept half an eye peeled for a hint of luminescent, brighter green--the moss that was their only hope to finally cure the wound Shinnosuke had borne for more than a decade.

                He stood there now, looking out over the waters of the new lake, and the rain plastered his thin shirt against the unmarked flesh of his back.  Shinnosuke stood, and watched, and remembered.  His memory had eventually healed itself once he was no longer living from minute to minute, sustained only by the Water of Life.  That seemed more curse than blessing, now, as the memories sped inexorably onward.  The increasingly-frantic search as they failed to find any trace of the moss on the monster.  The one moment of sheer blind panic when the true bulk of the Orochi emerged, tearing thousands of tons of stone aside without even noticing, howling in fury and hunger.  The desperate scramble for a now-revealed patch of moss, followed by the even more desperate scramble to get away.

                And then... the smaller head that had come rocketing out of nowhere... the maw gaping wide, roaring like a freight train from hell... his desperate blow, struck with all the force he could muster, but not enough, not enough to prevent the bright shower of blood...  Shinnosuke screwed his eyes shut, balling up his fists at his side, and trembled for long moments.

                At last he opened his eyes again, and once again he wasn't seeing the water in front of him.  This time he stared forward, as if piercing the surface with his gaze, to look on what hid in the depths.  "You can't sleep forever," he whispered, his voice throbbing with emotion.  "Sooner or later, you'll come up again.  And I'll be waiting."

                He received no answer, neither from the waters nor from what they concealed.  Nature seldom takes direct notice of individuals, no matter how strong their feelings of grief and rage might be.  And here in Ryugenzawa, Nature held more sway than just about anywhere else in Japan.  Shinnosuke knew this on some level, knew how small he was compared to the Orochi, but it didn't matter.  He wouldn't let it matter.  For what the dragon had done to her, it would pay.

                "You're getting awfully wet, Shinnosuke."  The voice came from behind him.

                "I hadn't noticed," he replied truthfully.  Then he spun, fear evident on his face.  "You shouldn't be out in this!"

                Akane frowned at him from beneath a large umbrella.  "Don't try to change the subject.  You were standing there feeling guilty again, weren't you?"

                "Akane, please!  Let's go inside.  You don't want to risk getting chilled, or getting your bandage wet, do you?!"

                The youngest Tendo rolled her eyes.  "Shinnosuke, this is kind of sweet, but it's pretty stupid too.  I took a measly six-inch cut on my arm... not even deep enough to really hurt the muscle... and you keep acting like the Orochi ate me for lunch!  GET OVER IT, ALREADY!!"

                "You're absolutely right, I shouldn't be standing out here in this rain, let's go inside quickly, okay?!"

                "Right," Akane sighed, but a half smile curved across her lips.  She motioned him to come share the shelter of the umbrella.  They walked along in silence for a little while, Akane marshalling her thoughts, Shinnosuke doing his best to put feelings of guilt aside and enjoy the moment.

***************

                "Where's Grandfather?" he asked after they'd sat down inside the shelter of the house.  The rain had picked up in force during their walk back.  It beat a steady tempo against the rooftop now, and Shinnosuke didn't think his grandfather would enjoy getting caught in such weather.

                "He's gone to town to pick up some supplies," Akane answered.  He had left the umbrella for her to use, and he wouldn't even have needed to go in the first place if she hadn't been here.   Akane's appetite was nowhere near a match for a Saotome's, but three people inevitably depleted the food stores faster than just two.  These thoughts made Akane feel a little guilty, as she pictured the old man trudging along with only a raincoat to shield him from the elements.  But the feelings of guilt didn't last too long, as she reminded herself of what else her presence in this home had meant.

                Shinnosuke frowned, looking off into the distance as if he could see his grandfather through the walls of the house and the surrounding forest.  "I hope he remembers to get more first-aid supplies," he said.

                Akane frowned herself.  "Maybe he'll bring back one of those big winding bandages, so I can tie it over your mouth."

                Her companion winced.  "No, don't do that.  I couldn't eat any of your wonderful cooking if you did."  It still amazed him how she melted whenever he complimented her cooking, and how his insides would turn to goo when she smiled because of him.

                "Shinnosuke, I don't understand you sometimes," Akane said fondly.  "How can someone be such a big idiot and still know how to say just the right thing?"

                "I don't know," Shinnosuke admitted.  "Akane, something _I_ still don't understand is why it bothers you, that I feel guilty about... about what happened to you."

                "Because you're acting like it's some great tragedy that was all your fault!  What does that say about me, huh?!"  Akane leaned forward, holding out her bandaged arm in challenge.  "I can handle this, Shinnosuke.  I'm a martial artist, and this is NOTHING!  And it wasn't your responsibility anyway to protect me.  I was the one who got tagged by the Orochi.  If it's anybody's fault, it's mine.  If you say it was yours, because you couldn't protect me, that's as good as saying you want me to sit on a shelf like a pretty little doll, so I won't get broken."

                Akane was breathing quickly now, her pulse racing.  Not out of anger, which surprised her a little.  She felt determination, not rage.  Shinnosuke _would_ hear her and understand what she was saying.  She wanted him to see, needed him to understand _her_.

                "Is that what you think?" Shinnosuke asked, a little sadly.  "That's not right, Akane.  I wouldn't ever treat you like that."

                "Really?" Akane challenged him.  "Then look me in the eyes and tell me you don't think it's your fault."

                He sighed.  "It's not that simple.  Why were you fighting the Orochi in the first place?"

                "To help you.  You know that!  Why..."  Akane stopped, and considered the answer she'd just given.

                "That's right, Akane.  Never mind anything about protecting you during the battle.  That's not the point."  Shinnosuke fixed her with an intent stare.  "The point is, if it weren't for me you wouldn't have been there in the first place.  You AND Grandfather.  Both of you put your lives at risk, and for what?"  His face twisted in sorrow.  "So I could get rid of a stupid scar on my back!  That's all!  You didn't even know my memory would get better.  I saw how surprised Grandfather was at that.  So don't tell me not to feel guilty, that someone I care about risked her life and got hurt, could have gotten killed, for such a little thing for me."

                "So that's it," Akane breathed, covering her mouth with one hand.  "Oh, Shinnosuke, I didn't understand _you_."  She sat up straighter then, feeling an even greater rush of determination than a few minutes back.  "There's something I need to tell you.  Something your grandfather told me this morning, and I've been trying to think of a good way to get around to it now."

                "What's that?"

                "It's... look, you remember when I first said I wanted to help you get rid of that wound on your back?  How I felt guilty because it was all my fault to begin with, and your grandfather said there might be something we could do about it?"

                "I remember," Shinnosuke said, frowning again.  His grandfather had come right out with the insane scheme of luring the Orochi into daylight and fighting it, in the hopes of finding some miracle moss that grew on it and was the source of the Water of Life.  He had been aghast at the idea, but there hadn't been any way to change either Akane's or his grandfather's mind, though Kami knew he'd tried.  But they had been determined to do this thing for him.

                Akane took a deep breath.  "There was something he wasn't telling either of us, Shinnosuke.  Something about why he was willing to take a risk like that.  Something he told me today, and wanted me to tell you.  I wasn't sure what he meant, when he said it would help you stop moping around.  Didn't seem like that at all, when he told me.  But I guess he understood just why you were feeling guilty better than I did."

                She held up her bandaged arm again.  "I didn't get hurt just trying to get rid of a scar on your back, Shinnosuke.  I mean, I didn't know there was any other reason, and I didn't _need_ any other reason to help you.  But there was one.  Your grandfather didn't tell us because he didn't want us to get worried or distracted.

                "But the truth is, you were dying.

                "You don't remember them, but you would have these fainting spells.  You'd pass out, and your heart would start beating slower and slower, and the same thing with your breathing.  The Water of Life would be the only thing that could bring you back, and the springs that produce it had started to run low.  Your grandfather told me he thinks it was because the Orochi was beginning to wake up.  If we hadn't done what we did, he doesn't think any of the springs would have lasted another year.  Which means you wouldn't have either."

                For the last few sentences, Shinnosuke had sat as if turned to stone.  Silence fell as Akane finished her revelation.  It hung in the air for several long moments.  At last, he gulped, and gasped out, "Are you serious?!"

                Akane nodded solemnly.  "He promised me on his family name, that it was true."  She gave him a smile then.  "That make you feel any better?  I didn't get hurt for nothing.  I was fighting for something that was worth a lot."

                "I... this..." Shinnosuke shook his head as if dizzy.  "I don't know what to say."

                Akane punched him lightly with her unhurt arm.  "Say you'll stop beating yourself up over this, idiot."

                Shinnosuke looked at her then, _really_ looked for the first time since the battle with the Orochi.  This time he could look past the bandage without wincing, or at least without suffering a queasy feeling of guilt and shame when he saw it.  He looked beyond the wound and into her eyes, seeing the strength and tenderness that were there now, and remembering the triumph that had shone forth a week and a half ago, with the three of them safely back on shore, as his grandfather had gently taken the swatch of moss from her hand.  She hadn't dropped it even when the dragon's fang had scored her flesh.

                The memory was still a little painful, but the worst of the sting was gone now.  Shinnosuke wasn't a prideful sort, but he believed his life had meaning and worth.  And he knew Akane believed that, too.

                Maybe it even had meaning and worth _to her_.  He hoped that it might.  That _he_ might.  Shinnosuke knew it wasn't the right moment to ask a question like that, but he felt like that time might not be too far off.  For now, though, he just smiled, and said, "I will.  I promise."

***************

                Many miles away and many days later, a door opened.

                This wasn't particularly unusual; doors opened and closed all the time in the Kuno mansion.  In fact, this particular door saw more use than many, as it opened into one of the most comfortable recreation rooms in the household.  Large windows dominated one wall.  The grounds immediately outside held several large trees and other assorted flora, which provided a pleasing view while still letting in enough sunlight to give the room a bright, cheerful air.  There were a number of plush, comfortable chairs and couches in a rough semicircle facing the aforementioned windows, with the occasional end table supporting lamps for the evening hours.  It was arguably the single best room in the Kuno mansion for kicking back and relaxing with a book, magazine, or handheld electronic gaming system, and it saw frequent use.

                As has already been implied, it was also not unusual that after the door leading into this room had swung open, someone passed through it.  This was the standard operating procedure.  Nonetheless, Tatewaki was quite surprised to witness this sequence of events.

                "Saotome?" he asked, not exactly shocked, but definitely nonplussed.  "What are you doing here?  I had not thought any of you were due back for another three days."  He caught a glimpse of Ukyo and Ryoga through the open doorway, confirming that the pigtailed martial artist wasn't the only one to have returned.

                Ranma shrugged, and sat down on a nearby couch.  "We left the Amazon village a couple of days sooner than we'd originally thought we would.  Then we ran into some weirdness in the mountains.  None of us really felt like dealing with any more crazy stuff just then, so we hurried back faster than we'd been planning to."

                Kuno gave him a frankly incredulous look.  "You hurried back to Nerima in order to find respite from bizarre events?"

                "Nah, just to get back to where we _expect_ to find the random insanity," Ranma explained.

                "Well, that at least makes sense..." Kuno's voice trailed off and his eyes bugged out.  After staring over Ranma's shoulder for a few moments and gulping periodically, he said, "Er, Ranma?  Did I just see Hibiki walk past in the outer corridor with the Amazon twins at his sides?"

                Ranma shrugged.  "I don't know.  Did you?"  Did Kuno think he had eyes in the back of his head or something?

                "It appeared to be so.  But I had thought I saw him walking along with Ukyo just a minute before."

                "You probably did.  Oh, yeah," Ranma said a little belatedly, as the door at the far end of the room opened, and Ryoga, Ukyo, Ryu, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung entered, having deposited their luggage elsewhere.  Tatewaki gave an enhanced encore of the eyes-bugging-out routine as Ranma continued, "He found a solution to his girl troubles."

                "I... see."  Kuno felt the sudden need to sit down.  Which was problematic, as he was already seated.  After a bit, the mental fog thinned enough that he was able to turn to the nearest Hibiki boy, sitting now on a couch with Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung on either side of him, and ask, "What happened to you?!"

                Ryu shrugged, playing it cool.  "Spring of Drowned Twins.  Terrible tragic story of boy who not have to break anybody's heart, as Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung's mom said after she knocked me into it."

                "Airen goes by name of Ryu now," Ling-Ling added.

                "And this doesn't bother you, either of you?"

                "Are you kidding?!" Ryoga asked.  "You remember what I said just before school let out, right?  Well, this is like the ONLY way things could have worked out without anybody getting hurt.  I don't think I'm EVER gonna be able to pay Li Na back for doing this."

                "That okay, Ryoga," Ling-Ling reassured him, then leaned her head against Ryu's shoulder.  Tatewaki noted with surprise that the tattooed Hibiki boy only looked a little nervous.  "Your brother can be one to pay back debt to Mother, by treat her daughters right."

                "Yeah, that sound good to me," Lung-Lung chimed in, her head claiming its rightful place on Ryu's other shoulder.

                Not sure that he'd be ready for the answer, but unable to stop himself, Kuno asked, "And did anything else of import happen during this trip?"

                "I discovered that I'm really the long-lost heiress to a magical kingdom of wisdom and truth, with powers far beyond mortal ken!" Ukyo proclaimed, surrounding herself with a golden corona of arcane force.

                "Nice battle aura," Tatewaki said with a laugh.  "Seriously, did anything else crazy happen?"

                Ukyo sighed as her joke fell flat.  "Actually, that wasn't a battle aura.  I got magic lessons from Shampoo's aunt.  The princess thing was a joke, though."

                "Really?  Well, you could run quite an advertising campaign for your restaurant now," Kuno replied with a smile.  "Eat at Ukyo's--our okonomiyaki are so good, you'll swear it's magic!"

                "Brother dear, an advertising executive you aren't."  Kodachi entered the room and seated herself next to Ranma.  "So how has your summer vacation gone?"

                "Pleasantly, mainly uneventfully.  Though there was a bit of friction with the heir to Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, or some such nonsense.  He wanted to pick out his own bride rather than having her chosen for him, and thought it would be a good idea to ride up on horseback and kidnap Nabiki."

                "I suppose he learned the folly of that idea rather quickly," Kodachi remarked.

                "Not so quickly as I would have preferred," her brother answered with a growl.  As if in response to his mood, the sky outside began to cloud up.  "I wasn't there when the atrocity took place.  By the time I learned of it and came to her rescue, she had already been forced to endure lessons in that ridiculous excuse for a martial art from a shriveled-up crone with a worse attitude than Shampoo's great-grandmother ever had."

                "Nabiki... martial arts... nope, I just don't see it," Ranma commented, shaking his head.  For that matter, Nabiki and tea ceremony was a pretty hard picture to grasp as well.

                "She certainly wasn't enjoying herself when I arrived," Kuno said, growling all the more at the memory of Nabiki in a 'training kimono' that forced her to remain cramped in a seated position with her arms at her sides, while balancing a basin of ice-cold green tea atop her head to 'promote balance and poise.'

                "Was it a mighty battle in which the noble warrior struggled fiercely and long, triumphing over his foes at last to rescue the fair damsel in distress?" Kodachi asked.  "Or did you just blast them with something of Father's?"

                "You're never going to let me forget that time, are you?" Tatewaki replied with a grimace.  "Anyway, neither of the above.  I used the Heaven and Earth Cut, but modified to do property damage while leaving living targets unaffected."  He shook his head, forcibly discarding the unpleasant memories.  "Other than that, my summer has been nice and sedate.  Oh, and it's going to be longer than we had expected."

                "Whaddaya mean?" Ranma asked.

                "Well, I don't have all the details yet, but apparently there has been some structural damage done to the main building at Furinkan.  Some of the supports were knocked out, I believe.  In any case, the school remains closed for at least the next three weeks, so the workmen can repair the damage."

                "Why Ranma look at us like that?" Lung-Lung queried.

                "No reason," he replied, resolving to ask Shampoo a question or two once they had a moment of privacy, and wondering idly just what was taking her so long.

***************

                For the fifteenth time, Shampoo moved her betrothal gift to a new location.  Finding the one perfect spot to display it was proving unexpectedly challenging.

***************

                "An extra three weeks of vacation?  Well, that is a pleasant surprise," Kodachi said happily.  "Not the best thing I've heard all summer, but still quite nice."

                "What would that best be?" Tatewaki asked quizzically.

                The White Rose rolled her eyes.  "Brother dear, considering how recently you asked someone a certain question, you are being singularly unobservant."

                "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," he protested, ignoring the giggles from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.

                Rather than waste any more words, Kodachi leaned forward, extending one hand before her.  At just that moment, a single beam of sunlight broke through the clouds outside, falling through the window to illuminate the ring upon her finger.

                "Nice effect, Ukyo," Ryoga whispered.

                "Hush, Ryoga honey, you'll make me lose my concentration," she whispered back.

                "Ah, is that...?"  Kuno didn't bother to finish what would have been a pretty stupid question.  He grinned broadly and said, "Congratulations!  Congratulations to both of you!  Mother and Father will certainly be pleased to know you'll finally become an official member of our family, Ranma!"

                "Thanks, man."  Ranma grinned himself.  "I'm looking forward to seeing their expressions too.  It kind of surprised me when I heard they were gone on some trip.  I'd have thought they'd want to be sure they were here when we got back."

                Kodachi explained before her brother could.  She'd gotten a few more details from the servants than Ranma had heard, which was why she had been delayed.  "Apparently some friend of Father's came by and asked for his help, Ranma-kun."

                "Huh.  So your mom and dad went off to battle the forces of darkness with your dad's old adventuring companions or something?  I hope they're okay."

                Tatewaki rolled his eyes.  Apparently his sister's love of dramatic fantasy had rubbed off on Ranma more than he'd realized.  "No, it's nothing like that.  I was gone on a date with Nabiki at the time, but Sasuke informed me that it was a high-stakes business opportunity.  It would be lost unless Father was willing to quickly step in and serve as the guarantor on a loan.  The only risk involved was financial.  If it were otherwise, you don't think he would have brought Mother along with him, now do you?"

***************

                'Why the hell didn't I let Go-kun talk me out of this?!' Hitome thought frantically, ducking as a scimitar whizzed over her head.  As the Drow warrior recovered and struck again, she caught the blade in crossed gymnastics clubs.  With a twist of her wrists, she disarmed the dark elf, then struck for a knockout blow.  Her enemy dodged backward, reaching toward the long dagger in his belt... and then collapsed lifeless to the cavern floor as Godai spared an instant from the three-way battle he was fighting to launch a vacuum blade from his sword, neatly removing his wife's foe's head.

                Hitome glanced around, but found no immediate opportunity to rejoin the fighting.  The good guys were clearly winning; even as the Kuno matriarch looked for an opponent, she saw another of the priestesses of Lloth fall, unable to maintain her personal shield under a hail of crossbow fire.  The oppressive atmosphere of despair and fear lightened just a little more, and the lightning bolts coming from the wizards on the side of the light elves seemed a bit stronger and brighter.

                A quick eddy in the flow of combat opened a clear shot for her.  She spun a hula hoop through a few revolutions to give it power, steeled her soul, and sent it flying to cleave a drider in half at the waist.  Hitome knew she was going to have nightmares about this for some time to come, and resolved that as soon as all this was over and done, she was going to spend a LOT of time apologizing to her husband for not taking him at his word.  He had begged her not to join the strike force, but after she had forced him to admit that she was a more competent fighter than most of their elven allies, she would let nothing dissuade her.  After all, her husband had made it through two years of adventure.  With him at her side, how terrible could this mission really be?

                Well, Hitome thought with one tiny detached corner of her mind, as three wizards targeted a huge stalagmite with fireball spells and sent it smashing down into the rear ranks of the Drow, now she understood the answer to that question.  At least a little bit better.

 ***************

                "Well, good to hear they're not in trouble or anything.  _We_ had to fight these stupid homicidal little bean-bun-looking guys on our way back from Amazon lands," Ranma said.  "I still don't know what that was about.  Cologne eventually splashed 'em all with water from the Spring of Drowned Priest.  And that was mild compared to some of the other stuff that went on in China."  Taking that as a cue, Ryoga and Ryu went on to inform Tatewaki of the return of their parents, who were now out with Cologne looking for an apartment, and then to describe the ordeal of constantly making sure none of the Amazons caught on to the fact that they were actually strong fighters.

Ranma one-upped them by telling what it had been like to deal with Amazons who did know just how good he was.  Descriptions of the cultural experiences and interesting sights were supplied by Kodachi, who hadn't had to spend most of the visit either hiding or fighting.  Ukyo performed a few more magic tricks.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung took the opportunity to vent their frustrations over all the chores they'd wound up doing.  And a pleasant time was had by all.

***************

                "Well, now I know for sure we're back in Nerima," Ranma-chan griped later that day.

                "Seem to be making up for lost time," Shampoo complained, tilting her head back and running her hands through her hair.  Water cascaded to the ground.

                "I thought it was a particularly elegant touch how, once it became obvious that my ribbon was spinning too quickly to allow any rain to reach us, a lightning bolt struck that fire hydrant," Kodachi said with a sniff.  The three began walking along again toward the Tendo household.

                "At least Ranma not drop casket of Nannichuan when we get hit by spray.  Would have been bad," Shampoo said with a shudder.

                "No joke.  All I got to say is, Pop better appreciate this."  With that, Ranma-chan fell silent, brooding over the upcoming encounter.  She still wasn't sure how she wanted to approach it, or even what she was going to say.  All the thinking the pigtailed martial artist had done so far had wandered in circles, never coming to any real resolution or conclusion.  Some things you just had to wing your way through.   Hopefully once she got to the Tendo home, things would flow a bit more easily.

***************

                "Gone?" Ranma-chan asked blankly.  "Gone?... WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?!"

                Nabiki frowned.  "Isn't that supposed to be my line?"  She received three odd stares for this.  "Look, Ranma, I'd have thought Tachi would have told you already.  Didn't he send you here to help out with Akane?"

                "Akane?  Nabiki, I got no clue what you're talking about.  Where's my old man, anyway?"

                Nabiki rolled her eyes and gave an indulgent sigh.  "Come on in, this is too long to tell just standing in the hallway like this."  The three followed her inside.  It felt a little strange to Ranma-chan to return here after so long, but she didn't bother to focus on it.  A quick detour through the kitchen for hot water put Ranma back in his preferred form, and then the four seated themselves in the living room.

                "So what trouble Akane get herself in this time, that we need to help with?" Shampoo asked.  "And what that have to do with Ranma's father?"

                "Short version:  Akane snuck off by herself on a training trip, or some martial artist thingie like that."  Nabiki smirked as she noticed Ranma actually winced at the words 'martial artist thingie'.  "We think she went to the mountains, but that's just a guess.  And needless to say, Daddy is not too happy about his youngest baby girl being all by herself in the harsh, cruel world.  So he sent Mr Saotome off to track her down and bring her back safely.  That was a month ago."

                "You don't seem too concerned," Kodachi noted, wondering why this would be the case.  Had Nabiki finally become blasé about her younger sister's tendency to get in over her head?

                 Nabiki shrugged.  "The little sneak took my cell phone when she left.  Every few days she calls home, to tell us she's having a good time and not to worry, she's fine.  I guess that's why Tachi didn't remember to mention it to you; it really is no big deal.  But Daddy is apparently incapable of seeing it like that, so I'd appreciate it if you could do your little 'find the missing person' trick again, Shampoo."

                "Okay, sure, that not problem, but why you not just trace the phone calls?"

                "Technology's just not there yet to do that for a cell phone," Nabiki explained.  "Maybe in a year or two."

                While Shampoo was trying to think of the perfect way to contrast the weakness of technology against three thousand years of Amazon glory and tradition (as represented by the Eye of Bastet), Kodachi spoke up.  "Wouldn't the battery have run down on a cellular phone by now, if Akane really were off in the mountains with no way to recharge it?"

                Nabiki blinked in surprise.  "I can't believe I missed that," she said at last.  "Well, guess Mr Saotome's been wasting his time for the last few weeks.  Better him than me."

                "So Pop's just been searching the mountains?  How would he know to come back if Akane made it home on her own?"

                "I don't know.  Maybe he'll check back before too much longer.  I mean, school would have been starting next week, if it weren't for those idiots Shinji and Koga nearly destroying the building ."

                Kodachi arched an eyebrow.  "Excuse me?  Did you say the damage to the school was caused by the chemistry-croquet clan war?"

                "Yeah, that's what I heard," Nabiki confirmed, wondering why Shampoo was sticking out her tongue at Ranma.  "Koga arranged to meet in the basement there with Shinji last week, as it was kind of neutral ground and he supposedly wanted to negotiate a truce.  But it turned out to be an ambush... by _both_ sides at once, no less.  And since both sides have recruited new members over the summer, this time their fight got big enough to seriously damage the place."

                "Same ol' Nerima," Ranma commented.  "We're getting off the subject here, Nabiki.  So basically we got no idea where Pop is or when he'll come back, since it's a pretty safe bet he ain't gonna find Akane where he's looking."

                "That not such a big deal, Airen.  Can use Eye of Bastet to find him too, and go get him after we fetch Akane."

                Ranma blinked.  "Uh... good point."

                "Or we could let him keep searching the mountains awhile longer," Kodachi mused.  "Getting fresh air and plenty of exercise... behaving responsibly rather than freeloading off your father, Nabiki..."

                Said Tendo girl's head was now bobbing eagerly up and down, her eyes wide and sparkly, with a mischievous smirk on her face.  Ranma hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to do it that way.  At least for a little while longer.  Can I just leave this here for him, in case he comes back on his own?"

                "What is it, anyway?" the middle Tendo asked, referring to the small barrel of which he'd spoken.

                "Nannichuan for Pop," Ranma answered.  "Make sure it doesn't get busted or spilled or nothing, okay, Nabiki?  And tell him it was from me when he gets back, so he can cure his curse."

                Nabiki gave him an odd look.  "If the Spring of Drowned Man really does work like that, why didn't you use it yourself, Ranma-CHAN?"

                "That was an unkind question," Kodachi snapped, frowning at her sister-in-law-to-be.  "When Ranma-kun immersed himself in the spring, Shampoo and I received Nannichuan curses through the Heart Link.  Our fiancé is far too noble to sacrifice our well-being for his, so he re-entered the Nyannichuan to restore the status quo."

                "Oh.  Sorry about that, Ranma."  Nabiki had the grace to wince and look sheepish.

                "No problem," Ranma said, narrowing his eyes and giving her a predatory grin.  It might not have been that big a deal, but he still felt like getting a bit of his own back.  "So, you said you'd pay Sham-chan ten thousand yen to use her magic and find Akane, right?"

                Nabiki blinked, then said, "Sure, that's fine."  Ranma just had time to feel the slightest pang of disappointment at the uncontested victory before she continued, "And my fee for storing something as dangerous as cursed Jusenkyo water for an unspecified amount of time comes to... let's see... I think ten thousand yen sounds about right."

***************

                It was getting on toward evening now, but they decided to press on to the Nekohanten and make use of the Eye of Bastet anyway.  As luck would have it, they found Cologne was absent, presumably still out apartment hunting with the Hibiki parents.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were still at the Kuno mansion with Ryu.  The only one to greet the three of them was the ill-omened chest, sitting there closed tightly and seeming to sneer.

                Not that Ranma or Kodachi were really paying it any attention yet.  "C'mon, Dachi-chan, I'm telling you I should be the one to open it!"

                "And why is that exactly, Ranma-kun?"

                "So far we've had to open this thing twice when Cologne wasn't around.  Once I did it, and got away with no trouble at all.  Once Shampoo did, and got knocked unconscious for half a day.  Just going by the pattern we've already seen, it's more likely not to cause any trouble if I'm the one to open it, instead of you.  The odds are in my favor," Ranma explained.

                Kodachi frowned at him, not taken in for a moment.  "At least be honest, dear.  You're doing this because you simply cannot stomach the thought of me opening a chest we know to be trapped."

                "Well, there is that too," her fiancé admitted.  "Now that I got your healing ability, why should you have to risk yourself?"

                "So I should allow you to do so instead?  I think not.  Remember, Ranma, you may have received the same empowerment as me recently, but there is still a significant difference between our levels of power.  I have lived with this condition for half my life.  As greatly as your chi levels have been raised, you KNOW mine are still quite a bit higher .  That means it's less of a risk if I am the one to open the chest."

                "Look, Dachi, we're not really talking about a risk anyway, are we?  I mean, we know what the trap does.  It shoots a dart with a knockout drug into whoever opens the stupid thing.  That's not what I call a _risk_.  As far as I'm concerned, it's a challenge."

                "What do you mean by that?"

                "Simple."  Ranma gave her his most charming cocky grin.  "I wanna see just how good I really am.  Good enough to catch the dart as it shoots out, before it hits me, maybe?"

                For a moment Kodachi's resolve wavered, then a new thought struck her.  "Well and good, Ranma dear, but what if the Matriarch has since upgraded the trap on the chest?"

                "Why would she do that?"

                "Because after Shampoo had opened it without permission, we knew what type of trap to expect."

                Ranma shook his head.  "Remember, Ling-Ling had already tripped the trap once, and the old girl didn't change it after that."

                "True.  But I'm still uneasy.  Why don't we lift the lid with a long stick?  That way, if the trap has not been altered, it won't be a problem.  And if it's something else, I'll still have more time to react with distance between myself and the chest."

                "I musta blinked somewhere in there, Dachi-chan, cause I missed the point where it got decided it'd be you who held that long stick."

                At this point Shampoo reached out and lightly bopped each of them on the head.  "How much longer you going to keep up silly lover's quarrel anyway?  I already got Eye of Bastet."

***************

                "Honored Elder?  Are you all right?" Kozue asked worriedly.  The Matriarch's eyes had widened suddenly, she'd mumbled something in Chinese that hadn't sounded too polite, and then she had just seemed to zone out.  While the landlord's spiel had been boring, the Hibiki matron didn't think it was quite _that_ bad.

                "I'm fine, child," Cologne said shortly, coming out of the trance.  Once again she had sensed someone tampering with her chest of valuables, and had cast her awareness back to the Nekohanten.  The Matriarch wasn't sure how it had happened, but apparently this time Shampoo had opened it without suffering the effects of the trap... even though Cologne had recently upgraded it from a dart to a device that would fill the room with sleeping gas powerful enough to affect Kodachi.  Needless to say, the ancient Amazon was not too happy at this latest turn of events.

                Meanwhile, the landlord was still blathering away at Ichiro about the many fine features of the apartment suite they were inspecting.  It was just his bad luck to find himself the focus of the Matriarch's suddenly-sour mood.  Cologne caught his eye with a glare.  When the man gasped, paled, and stumbled backward, she said flatly, "The color of the carpet clashes slightly with the wallpaper, the view out of the southern windows is mediocre at best, and the general setup is rather flimsy considering the Hibiki family and friends are mostly high-caliber martial artists.  You're going to let them have these rooms for fifty thousand yen a month."

                "Y- yes ma'am," the hapless landlord said meekly.  Cologne gave him a curt nod, then turned her thoughts back to the matter of Shampoo and the supposed-to-be-off-limits chest of treasures.  What action, besides upgrading the trap again, should she take?  And how had her great-granddaughter managed to open the chest without mishap anyway?

***************

                Incredulously, Ranma and Kodachi turned and saw the chest sitting wide open.  It now had a sullen look to it, as if disappointed at not getting to knock anyone unconscious this time.  "Sham-chan, what'd you do that for?!" Ranma demanded.  "There's two people here who got special protection from junk like that.  If not me, it definitely shoulda been Dachi who opened the thing.  You didn't need to risk yourself!"

                The Amazon shrugged.  "Wasn't really a risk.  Stupid 'Eyes of the Cat' thing kick in again, Airen.  I able to see which carvings on chest need to be push in what order, to turn off trap."

                "Still sounds risky to me," he protested.  The White Rose chimed in with her own agreement.

                "To Shampoo, it seem less risky than have you two argue for next hour over who open chest, and have Great-Grandmother come back to find we about to go through her private stuff without permission again," Shampoo said pointedly.  Inaccurately too, of course.

                On that note, Ranma and Kodachi exchanged rueful glances and shut up.  Shampoo settled down with the Eye of Bastet, closing her eyes and invoking the magic of the jewel.

                Now that her sister had mentioned it, Kodachi found herself more than a little nervous at the thought of Cologne suddenly returning and catching them red-handed.  Was it really such a good idea, to have done this without waiting for the Matriarch to return?  After all, Nabiki had said Kasumi had received a telephone call from her sister just the previous day, again saying that she was fine, she was enjoying herself, her martial arts studies were progressing nicely, and not to worry about her.  Surely if Akane had made it this long without getting into trouble, they could have afforded to put off locating her for a few more hours...

                "Shampoo not believe it!" the Amazon exclaimed, her eyes flying open, an expression of shocked disbelief clear on her face.

                The White Rose jumped.  "What?!  What is it?!  Is Akane in some dire peril?!" she demanded.

                Shampoo shook her head, the disbelief still plain to see.  "No.  At least, maybe not.  Probably not.  She look like she very happy where she was."

                "Whaddaya mean?" Ranma asked.

                "I tell you in a little bit.  Need to use Eye again," Shampoo replied.  She closed her eyes again.  Ranma and Kodachi waited once more, with a good bit more trepidation than before.

                After a while, the Amazon gave a relieved sigh, opened her eyes, and set down the jewel.  "Okay, can confirm Akane is not in trouble.  She is actually going to start back to Nerima tomorrow.  Will probably get here in next few days."

                "Where's she been all this time?" Ranma asked.  "And what was the deal earlier, with you jumping like that?"

                Shampoo glared at the Eye of Bastet, as if what had happened were its fault.  "Is stupid trend that Shampoo really getting tired of.  I not tell this before, because I not want to worry anybody at time and later it not matter, but first time when I use this thing, find Akane after Ryoga's Oni half had take her, when I find was exact moment when he lean in and kiss her."  Now that she had said this, Ranma did remember seeing that scene during the forming of the Heart Link.  "And you both know what happen when I use second time, and look for Mousse.  Well, same kind of thing happen AGAIN just now!"

                "Don't tell me you caught that uncute tomboy in the sack with somebody?!" Ranma exclaimed, his mind refusing to seriously consider the thought.

                "No, but she and some boy were kissing.  Not really hot and heavy kiss, but serious enough."

                "So had they stopped, when you checked in the second time?" Kodachi asked.

                "Mm-hm," Shampoo confirmed.  "That when I hear she soon to leave for Nerima.  Boy was saying how much he would miss her, and Akane say she miss him more.  My teeth start to hurt from all the sugary sweetness."

                "Well, we can reassure the Tendos at least, I suppose.  No need to spoil Akane's surprise by mentioning anything else."

                "Yeah.  That's so weird, though, Sham-chan.  Each time you've found somebody with the Eye of Bastet, you've caught them in some kind of compromising situation.  Even for our lives, that seems too crazy."

                "Shampoo agree."  The Amazon glared all the more sharply at the Eye of Bastet.  "Stupid jewel trying to make me feel like voyeur or something."

                Suddenly Ranma chuckled.  "Y'know... you better not ever use that thing to look for your granny."

***************

                A couple of days later, Ryoga opened the door to Ukyo's and stepped through.  He paused for a moment, inhaling appreciatively.  A customer had just placed an order at the grill, and the sizzle and wonderful smells of cooking okonomiyaki were thick in the air.  Ryoga's stomach rumbled in anticipation.

                Ukyo gave him a bright smile as he threaded his way through the tables and sat down at the counter, in the seat nearest to her position.  "What'll it be, sugar?" she asked.

                "One shrimp deluxe and one vegetarian special," he replied.

                "Coming right up!"  With her usual flair, Ukyo whipped out the delicacies and passed them over to Ryoga, pocketing his twenty yen and watching with satisfaction as he dug in.

                A quick glance around her restaurant threatened to diminish her smile, though.  The man she'd been serving as Ryoga entered had taken his order to go.  He had left now, and there were only a few other people scattered around.  Granted, her place was never packed at this hour of the afternoon, but there had been a time when it would have been a good bit busier than this.

                That time was in the days prior to Ukyo having taken a month off.  Business had been scarce at best since she reopened.  Ukyo was hoping it wouldn't take too much longer for things to pick back up; each day like this felt like a personal insult to her mastery of the art of the okonomiyaki.

                Those thoughts were really only in the back of her mind just now, though.  The chef's primary concern had been to evaluate the status of the rest of the customers.  To her practiced eye, it seemed as if none of them were likely to want anything else in the next few minutes.  And so she quickly whipped up a house special for herself, eating along with Ryoga in companionable silence.

                After they'd both finished, Ukyo spoke up again.  "So how's it going, Ryoga honey?"  Noting how he flinched at the question, she frowned slightly.  "Is something wrong?"

                "Um... I was kind of feeling bad about how few customers you've got in here right now," he admitted.

                "You sure that's it?" Ukyo asked skeptically.  "You were looking more like you were feeling guilty than anything else."

                "Well, yeah!" Ryoga answered, puzzled as to why he wouldn't be.  "I mean, you were doing a lot more business before we went to China, weren't you?"

                "Rub it it, why don't you," Ukyo said, then felt bad as he flinched once more.  "Sorry, sugar, I didn't mean to sound so upset."

                "Well, you should be," Ryoga replied.  "You know something, Ukyo?  After I invited you to come with us to China, Cologne warned me this was going to happen.  Said your restaurant was at a point where if you just dropped it for a month, you'd have lost a lot of business when we got back.  She told me that, but I just blew it off, thinking that she was trying to do Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung a favor.   Because it would be better for me if you came along, I didn't really think about what would happen for you.  I'm sorry."

                "Cut it out, will you?  You're embarrassing me."  Ukyo gave a half-exasperated, half-amused sigh, understanding now the reason for his guilty look.  "Listen, Ryoga, you still did the right thing.  If you hadn't invited me along, if I hadn't been there in China with you, there is no way Li Na would've done her little trick with the Spring of Drowned Twins.  It would have been just you, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung for a month."  The amusement was gone now from her face and voice.  She looked down, and said quietly, "I would have lost for sure."

                "Well, that didn't happen, so cheer up, okay?" Ryoga responded awkwardly.  That had reassured him somewhat, but he still felt a little guilty.

                The chef looked up, smiling again.  Although, also again, her smile became a bit strained as she glanced around to find they were now the only two in the restaurant.  What few customers had been present had left over the last few minutes, and her view of the street didn't show anybody else that seemed to be headed her way.  "Tell you what, Ryoga honey.  I think closing down for a little while and going on a walk with you would cheer me up a lot," she said.  Thereby illustrating nicely that seeing the future was NOT one of the lessons Rouge had taught her.

***************

                As they began walking away from the restaurant, Ukyo became more and more puzzled.  "That's weird," she finally muttered under her breath.

                "What's weird?" Ryoga asked.

                "Look around."  Ukyo made a sweeping gesture, indicating the street before and behind them.  They were almost the only pedestrians to be seen.  "Where's everybody else, anyway?  A month ago, there was a lot more traffic on this lane.  And much as it hurts my ego to admit it, they weren't all there just to get the best okonomiyaki in Japan.  What's happened to all the people who just use this lane to get from point A to point B?"

                Ryoga scratched his head in the stereotypical gesture of cluelessness.  "I don't know."  Then he ruined the impression by making an intelligent comment.  "Maybe there's some work being done on the street up ahead of us.  If it's blocked off, that would explain it."

                "Wouldn't you have seen that when you were on your way over?" Ukyo asked.  If Ryoga had come here from the Kuno mansion, they ought now to be retracing the path he'd taken.  Which meant they wouldn't see anything he hadn't already seen.

                Ryoga gestured in the opposite direction from the way they were walking.  "I came up that end of the street.  There wasn't anything blocking the road there."

                "Oh, that's right," Ukyo said, mildly annoyed at herself.  "You're staying with your parents in that apartment now, not at the Kuno mansion."

                "Yeah.  It feels a little strange," he said.  "We're finally together again as a family, but not in our old house.  It's a nice apartment and all, but I guess it'll take a while longer before it will really feel like home."

                "How can you guys afford that place, anyway?" Ukyo asked curiously.  "It's not like your family's got a lot of regular income, right?"

                "Well, actually, we are pretty well off.  Back in his younger days, Dad got lost in a series of caves once, and found this massive pile of gold and jewels.  He packed out as much of it as he could carry in one trip," it went without saying that Ichiro had never managed to find his way back again, "and of course as strong as he was that was a lot."

                "Whoah.  So you've got this big pile of treasure sitting in the basement in your house, or something?"

                "Nah, Dad eventually found somebody who gave a good price for the stuff and didn't ask questions.  I think they just kept a few of the nicest pieces of jewelry for Mom, but all the rest got traded and the money deposited in a bank."  Ryoga laughed sheepishly.  "And up until now, it's mostly just sat there and piled up interest, since we spent so much time lost."

                "That's good to know.  That your dad isn't gonna have to turn into a salaryman to support his family, I mean."  Though truth be told, Ukyo was just a tad envious now.  She and her father had never exactly been dirt poor, but they had had their share of lean times.  Especially in the months immediately after Genma had stolen their yattai.  There had been occasions where Ukyo had wistfully pondered what it must be like to have more money than you knew what to do with.  "Hey, did you ever buy anything really expensive, just because you wanted to?"

                 "By the time I was old enough to legally get a debit card or something, I never managed to catch up with Mom or Dad long enough for them to get that set up with the bank," Ryoga said.

                "That's kinda harsh.  No big sums of cash for a birthday present, either?" As soon as the question had left her lips, Ukyo clamped her mouth shut and looked stricken.  Who knew how many birthdays he'd spent alone?  "Oh, no.  I'm sorry, Ryoga honey.  I didn't mean..."

                The former lost boy heaved a sigh.  "Okay, you caught me," he said guiltily.  He hadn't wanted to admit this, but he wasn't willing to lie and he'd exhausted his skill at the verbal dodge.  "I did get a huge check for my fifteenth birthday from Mom and Dad."

                "So what's up with the long face?" his companion asked.

                "I blew the whole thing on a depleted-uranium battle umbrella."

                Ukyo was still giggling as they reached the spot where the lane originated, branching off a larger thoroughfare.  Ryoga looked around, glad to be able to change the subject.  "Well, there's nothing blocking the road now.  Doesn't look like there might have been anything there earlier, either."

                "Yeah, that's true, but look over there."  Ukyo pointed a few blocks down, where another lane split away from the main road, running more or less parallel to the one on which her restaurant was located.  "Everybody seems to be going down that street for some reason."

                "You want to check it out?" Ryoga asked.  The chef nodded her assent, and the two of them headed for the lane.

***************

                'Note to self:  never say anything insulting about okonomiyaki when Ukyo's around.'

                It was probably an unnecessary thought, as Ryoga would hardly have been inclined to do something like that anyway, but better safe than sorry.  The former lost boy watched the scene before him continue to unfold, feeling more and more nervous.

                They hadn't walked very far down the lane before catching sight of a crowd of people clustered around a large, open-air truck.  A handome young man in his early twenties stood behind the counter in said truck.  He wore a white chef's suit and was currently whipping out a variety of crepes with a flair and élan that Ryoga had previously only seen when Ukyo cooked.  Unsurprisingly, much of the crowd of customers was composed of giggling schoolgirls with starry eyes and blushing cheeks.  However, there were enough boys and adults present, even at this hour when most people were still at work, to make it clear that the vendor's success was based on more than just his looks.

                In fact, as they got closer, Ukyo had recognized a few people in the crowd who had been regular customers at her place before the trip to China.  She had already been simmering with annoyance, feeling as if her rightful territory was being encroached upon, and the realization that HER regulars were simpering up to this crepe creep just turned the heat up a few more notches.

                They hadn't really intended to approach the counter, but suddenly the Brownian motion of the crowd had swept them there anyway.  Ryoga had unexpectedly felt a bit of long-forgotten jealousy surge back as the man, who'd identified himself as the Crepe King during a round of smooth talk to the previous customers, turned his oh-so-charming smile on Ukyo and asked what she wanted.  That jealousy had been utterly pointless, of course; Ukyo informed the vendor in no uncertain terms that she wasn't here to order anything.  Because, the chef snapped, she was the proprietor of Ukyo's Okonomiyaki, a place just three streets over that served _real_ food.

                The King's smile had shifted subtly, and he replied that he knew the place.  In fact, he'd briefly considered setting up on the same street when he arrived in Nerima.  But he had decided he didn't want his business hurt by such close proximity to a dingy, dusty, unpopular, hole-in-the-wall little joint.

                This had prompted a fairly impressive facial twitch on Ukyo's part, along with a statement that the King should be thanking his ancestors that the 'joint' had been closed for the past month due to its proprietor being away.  Had things been otherwise, Ukyo stated categorically, there wouldn't have been any flock of poor, deprived souls crowding around this pathetic little fly-by-night operation, desperate for the meanest substitute since they hadn't yet realized their preferred chef had returned.

                That was when the Crepe King had begun musing about the possible ill-effects that might occur from eating too much okonomiyaki.  Would one have to consume four in order to begin suffering from delusions, or would three be enough?  Maybe just two would do for a scrawny little girl whose head hadn't been screwed on too tightly to begin with.

                As far as Ryoga could tell, Ukyo didn't even notice the personal part of that insult.  The slight to the foundation stone of her family's Art left her standing ramrod straight, battle aura visible even to the non-martial-artists.  Unsurprisingly, everyone with any sense of self-preservation pulled well back, dragging their friends with them, giving Ukyo plenty of room.

                There was a long moment of silence before Ukyo regained enough self-control to speak.  "I think I've had just about enough of you.  That's the problem with living in Nerima--it's full of nutcases with delusions of adequacy.  People who think waaaaay too much of themselves."  She pasted a sugary, utterly fake smile on her face.  "People like you, jackass.  You wouldn't have had ONE customer if I hadn't been gone when you arrived."  While not in the way Ukyo meant it, that statement was technically true.

                He just shook his head, with a disdainful smile of his own.  "You can trash talk me all you want, but it doesn't make any difference.  When everything's said and done, you're still just second best... _if_ that.  I came to Nerima because people from here were asking for me by name, trying to hunt me down and get me here.  Can you say the same thing?  I didn't think so."

                A scornful laugh answered his disdainful smile.  "You really expect me to believe that?  You know, maybe you were on the right track when you were talking about delusions earlier.  I bet something like that really _could_ happen to someone who works with crap... oh, I mean crepes... for too long."

                _That_ remark managed to make its way under the Crepe King's skin.  "It's the truth, you little brat!"  Recovering his equanimity, he requested that Ryoga, who was still standing next to Ukyo, move back a few steps.  The former lost boy complied, uncovering a poster that was affixed to the side of the truck, indicating that the price of a crepe was fifty percent lower for girls with green or red hair.

                The Crepe King noted with satisfaction that the girl suddenly seemed to lose her sense of righteous surety.  "Th-  that... Is that for...?" she stammered.

                "My way of saying thanks to them, whoever they are.  I never caught up with them, just heard the sad, sad story... two girls were so starved for quality food that they had to go right out of Nerima in search of me.  Well, I'm here now, and it certainly was a good business move on my part.  And I'm not about to let some little pancake-pusher wannabe chef mess with me."  The Crepe King sneered at Ukyo.  "Now why don't you move along, girlie.  Unlike some people, I've got customers to satisfy."

                "I'll go," Ukyo said grimly, coming out of her trance, "but believe me, I'll be back.  Just got something else to deal with first.  Ryoga honey, let's go."

                "No.  Not yet."  When Ukyo had been radiating barely-suppressed fury, Ryoga had had the good sense not to get between her and the target of her ire.  But now there wasn't any such problem.  He stepped forward and looked the Crepe King dead in the eye.  "I've got something to say to this loser first."

                "And what's that?" the loser in question asked condescendingly.

                "Nobody talks to, or about, Ukyo like that," he replied, in a tone more thick with menace than anything Ryoga-Oni had managed in his brief stay.  "You're damn well going to apologize right now."

                "Or else what, kid?  You'll make me sorry?"

                Ryoga held up his hand, palm facing upward.  He concentrated... determination... strength of will... 

                A ball of pure chi formed in the palm of his hand.  Ryoga locked eyes with the Crepe King.  "Something like that."

                "Ryoga, no!"

                Ukyo's cry distracted him, breaking his tenuous grasp on the power of the Kikotsu Bakuha.  The chi dispersed harmlessly, the Crepe King began breathing again, and Ryoga turned to Ukyo with a plaintive look on his face.  "What?  Why not, Ukyo?  I can't let him get away with all that junk he just said about you!"

                "That's really sweet, Ryoga-kun."  Ukyo was clearly now in a better mood than she had been immediately after the Crepe King's little revelation.  "But that's not what you're going to be doing."

                "It isn't?  I mean, of course it isn't.  Um... then why did you stop me?"

                "You're not letting him get away with anything, sugar."  Ukyo gave him the fierce grin of a tiger out for blood.  Since Ryoga had never trained in the Cat Fist, this didn't particularly bother him.  "You're leaving him for me."  She linked her arm through his, and led the way as the two began to walk off.  Ryoga cast a dark glance back toward the Crepe King, and Ukyo smiled.  "You can have the remains after I'm finished with him, Ryoga honey, if you don't think he's been punished enough.

                "But for now..."  Her gaze shifted off into the distance, as she turned to face the general direction of the Nekohanten, "first things first."

***************

                It is said that fortune favors the bold.  It is also well-known that there exists such a thing as dumb luck.  So it would stand to reason that those both bold AND dumb might well have more than their fair share of good fortune, although it might all be used up in simply keeping them alive through the situations into which the aforementioned traits would lead them.

                Azusa Shiratori was feeling oddly tense as she glided along the street.  She wasn't sure why, but it felt like someone was behind her, watching her with hostile intent.  While this wasn't exactly a sensation she'd never experienced before, this was the first time it had happened when there was nobody present to do the staring.

                Another quick, sweeping glance behind, then around her turned up the same results as before.  There were only a few people on the street, and they were all ahead of her, going the same direction she was.  And none of the buildings behind her now had even been in sight when she first began feeling the stares.  Azusa wasn't really concerned, therefore, deciding that she was probably just feeling uneasy because she hadn't yet rescued anything cute today.  There was nothing appealing to be seen here, either.  She began skating a little faster, though still not moving at much more than walking pace.

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung cursed mentally.  They certainly couldn't spare the breath to do so out loud, as that would have disrupted the Dance of the Hidden Chameleon.  It wasn't easy to move this quickly while still maintaining the technique, but there was no way they were going to let the stupid thief girl get away again.  Not after she'd stolen their chance to create a technique of their very own.  Their anger gave them the strength to match Azusa's speed and even go a little faster, while still maintaining their stealth shield.  Just let them get close enough undetected, and their clueless opponent's rollerblades wouldn't make any difference at all...

                They were forty feet away now... thirty-seven... thirty-four...

                'Hey, there they are!' Ryoga realized suddenly, as he and Ukyo walked out of a side alleyway some little distance behind the twins.  'Guess we won't need to go all the way to the Nekohanten after all.'  He raised his voice and shouted "Ling-Ling!  Lung-Lung!  Over here!"

                The sudden cry disrupted their concentration completely.  The twins stumbled to a halt, reflexively looking around for their Airen (for of course they couldn't tell Ryoga's voice from Ryu's).  And of course Azusa looked behind her as well for the source of the shout, saw the two girls she least wanted to see, gulped, turned back around, and zipped away at top speed.  Dumb luck triumphs over skill and focus once again.

                The young Amazons watched her go with expressions of sick disgust, then turned around to face Ryoga and Ukyo.  "This better be good, Ryoga," Ling-Ling said with a grimace.

                Their reaction surprised the former lost boy, who hadn't yet realized they had been using their stealth technique.  "Huh?  What's wrong?"

                "You see that girl who run away on stupid skates?" Lung-Lung asked bitterly.  "We using Dance of Hidden Chameleon to catch up with her.  She take something very very important from us.  Deserve to get beat good for it, but we never manage to do yet."

                "What'd she take?" Ryoga asked.

                "Back before China, we is practicing in park, yes?  Get really deep into music, so deep we about to come up with own special technique.  We would have create own Dance.  Would have been first time it happen in five generations, and would have been us who do.  But stupid thief girl come by, grab flutes away, and race off."  Lung-Lung's shoulders slumped.  "We try many time since then to get back to that state, but so far it not happen.  That is what thief girl take from us.  That is what she will pay for."

                "Oh.  Crud.  I'm sorry, Lung-Lung, Ling-Ling."

                Both Amazons sighed.  "Oh well.  We get Airen to take us out to date to make up for disappointment.  Stupid thief girl can not get lucky forever anyway."

                By now Ukyo had more or less recovered from the shock of seeing the twins suddenly appear out of thin air.  "Anyway, there was something I needed to ask you two.  Ryoga honey and I were on our way to the Nekohanten to find you."

                'I wish you'd taken a different route there,' Ling-Ling thought, but didn't bother to say it out loud.

                Ukyo paused, considering how to broach the subject of the Crepe King.  When she'd first heard just who was responsible for him showing up in Nerima, she had been furious, ready to rip into the twins.  At LEAST verbally and possibly not stopping there depending on their reaction.  Old habits died hard.

                But the way Ryoga honey had leapt to her defense had improved her mood considerably.  She'd reminded herself that whatever the kids had done, they'd done before the truce was declared.  And so she had already been fairly composed before encountering them here, having rejected the thought of lashing out at them without first asking calmly for an explanation.

                Plus, seeing them appear out of thin air had been an uncomfortable reminder of the techniques they could bring to bear if pushed.  Ukyo had no desire to spend the next few weeks suffering from nightmares.

                Consequently, when she spoke it was in a mild, non-accusatory tone.  "You ever hear of someone called the Crepe King?"  Their response was a little puzzling.  The twins blinked in surprise, a reaction pronounced enough that it was clear they knew the name, but they didn't seem to feel any guilt.

                "Never meet him, but have heard of him," Ling-Ling said.  "Why you ask?"

                "Because he's set up shop a few streets over from my place, and is drawing off _my_ customers," Ukyo responded shortly.  "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

                Lung-Lung briefly considered dissembling further, but decided it would be counterproductive.  There was no reason for the spatula girl to have come to them with questions if she didn't know something about their search for the Crepe King.  "Maybe.  This happen about two month ago, spatu--sorry, Ukyo.  Great-Grandmother suggest to us that good way to get you less interested in Ryoga would be get somebody else here who better match for you.  She had hear of Crepe King, that he good martial artist and good cook, who fight and cook with same style.  Much like you, yes?  So we spend some time in Tokyo and look for him.  But never find."

                "You thought that... that... that arrogant JACKASS would be a good match for me?!"  Luckily, Ukyo's incredulity prevented her from losing her temper.

                Ling-Ling frowned.  "Is he not good person?  Remember, none of us ever meet."

                Ukyo took long, deep breaths, trying to view the situation objectively.  Ryoga was able to do this more easily, of course, due to his friendship with the Amazons.  "No, he's not," the former lost boy replied.  "In fact, he's a real jerk.  If attitude and rudeness were skill, he might be able to take on your great-grandmother."  That was obviously an exaggeration, but it helped the twins get the idea.

                "Oh.  We sorry, Ukyo," Ling-Ling said.  "If we know he really such bad person, would not have tried to find him.  He obviously no good for what we wanted for him."

                "Why he here anyway?" Lung-Lung asked.  "Is somehow our fault?"

                "Yeah," Ukyo said.  "You may never have found him, but he eventually heard there were these two girls from Nerima looking for him.  So he came here and set up shop."

                "Must not have been doing very good in old place," Ling-Ling commented, "if just two girls look for him is enough to get him to move.  Or maybe, since he have such bad attitude, could be he had made enemies at old place and was getting ready to move along soon anyway."

                "Wouldn't surprise me one bit," Ryoga said.

                "Anyway, we did not do this to cause you more trouble, Ukyo," Lung-Lung said.  "No worry, we go right now and pound stupid Crepe King, run him out of town."  That would strengthen their truce, make them look good to their Airen when he found out, and nicely get rid of their residual frustration over Azusa's narrow escape.  An all-around positive situation as far as the twins were concerned.

                However, Ukyo shook her head.  "I appreciate the thought, but I'm the one whose business has suffered and who's been insulted.  I need to be the one to deal with him.  Assuming he doesn't skip out of town tonight after the way Ryoga honey scared him spitless."

                "What you do?" Lung-Lung queried.

                "Just gave him a little glimpse of the Kikotsu Bakuha," Ryoga replied modestly.  "Mr Supposedly A Martial Artist Crepe King looked like he was going to pass out, just from the sight of a ball of chi."

                "Aiyah!  Ryoga manage that much of technique already?!  We no hear this from Airen!" Ling-Ling exclaimed.

                "Have you seen him since he and I had our training session this morning?" Ryoga asked.  "We both managed it then.  That was the first time either of us got that far with it."

                "No, we have not.  Need to go find him right now and celebrate!"  The Amazons turned to go, but then a thought struck Lung-Lung.  "When you going to pound stupid Crepe King, Ukyo?"

                "I'm thinking tomorrow morning."

                "Well, let us know details.  We come with Airen, watch the slaughter."

***************

                That sentiment turned out to be a common one.  Early the next morning, Ukyo made her way to the Kuno mansion and used one of the spacious training halls for a warm-up session.  An hour later, when she left to confront the Crepe King, she was accompanied by Ryoga, Ryu, Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, Nabiki, and Tatewaki.

                "I still can't believe I'm walking all this way just to watch one of these fights," Nabiki remarked as they turned onto the street that would take them to the lane where the Crepe King had set up.  "It's not like there'll be enough people there yet to get a betting pool set up."

                "What were you doing over at the Kuno place so early in the morning anyway?" Ryoga asked.  Nabiki had already been there when he and Ryu had arrived, and they'd only been a couple of minutes behind Ukyo.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung hadn't gotten to the mansion until another three quarters of an hour had passed.

                Nabiki regarded him with an arch look.  "Feeling braver than usual this morning, are we?  Normally you wouldn't have the guts to ask a girl why she might have been over at her fiancé's house so early in the morning."

                Kodachi giggled at the response to this statement.  The sweatdrop, the flush, the stumble as he caught Nabiki's meaning... honestly, she would have thought her brother had more self-possession than that.

                Ryoga, on the other hand, just gave Nabiki a look that made it clear the innuendo had passed him by.  "Um, I don't get it."

                "Ahem.  What Nabiki isn't trying to say," Kuno shot his fiancée a dry glance, "is that she arrived early because she was so eager to witness the upcoming spectacle.  After all, given that she has recently determined to train herself in the path of a true martial artist, this will serve as valuable instruction."

                Where had he gotten such a strange idea as that, Nabiki wondered.  "Tachi?  Are you feeling okay?"

                "Of course, 'Biki-chan."  Kuno struck an overly melodramatic pose.  "Though a little remorseful.  Truly I have not fulfilled my duties to you as fully as I should, or you would have come to me for training rather than going behind my back."  He sighed mournfully.  "That you would seek such a ridiculous discipline as Martial Arts Tea Ceremony over the elegance and power of Kendo cuts me to the quick as well."

                Nabiki made a revolted face.  "Ha ha.  If I never see that loser Sentaro or his dried-up old female relations again, it'll be just fine by me."

                "So when _are_ you gonna start training for real, Nabiki?" Ranma asked with a grin.  "I gotta admit, I think it's a good idea.  Considering how crazy this place can get, well, anybody should know how to defend themselves."

                "Not you too," Nabiki groaned.

                "Hmmm.  Seeing as we will be sisters-in-law, I would be only too happy to spar with you, Nabiki.  Brother dear would probably be a little too soft-hearted to really press you hard enough for maximum improvement in your skill."

                "Shampoo too, sneaky girl," the Amazon said, doing her best to match the kind of smirk she'd seen Nabiki use in the past.  "I have trained in path of the warrior since old enough to take first steps.  Have learned many lessons through blood and sweat and tears.  I would be glad to pass my experience on to you."

                Nabiki let her lower lip start quivering, while her eyes widened and began to glisten with unshed tears.  She trembled, then whirled around and grabbed hold of Tatewaki as if desperate for reassurance.  "Tachi, everyone's threatening me," she said tremulously.  "Y- you'll protect me, won't you?"

                "There, there, little woman," Kuno said magnanimously, putting his arms around her and giving her a comforting pat on the back.  "Don't worry your pretty little head about it."

                The middle Tendo pulled back and eyed him dangerously.  "Okay, I left myself open for that one, Tachi dear.  But remember... I've got a long memory, and it won't be much of a honeymoon if you're sleeping on the couch."

                "Not much of honeymoon for either of them," Ling-Ling commented.

                "Lung-Lung think it would just turn out to be crowded couch," her sister replied.

                "Enough of the comedy sketch, already!"  This was Ukyo.  "Some of us are trying to get psyched up to squash insulting creeps who're threatening our restaurants.  Save the witty banter for AFTER the fight."

                "Don'tcha mean, after the massacre?"  Ranma had watched most of Ukyo's earlier practice session.  When he saw that her battle aura was doing nearly as much damage to the floor as her weapon was to the practice dummies, he'd begun feeling a little sorry for this Crepe King.  But only a little.

                Ukyo gave him a stare she'd received several times in the past from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  "What'd I just say about the jokes, Ranchan?  Keep it up, and no okonomiyaki for you afterwards."

                "Okay, okay!"  Ranma held up his hands in a placating gesture.  "Geez, Ucchan, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were nervous or something."

                "I..."  Ukyo sighed.  "I guess I am, a little.  I mean, this is going to be a challenge match, right?  And I haven't had such a good record with those."

                Ranma just shrugged.  "So what?  I mean, losing to _me_ is no big deal.  And the way I heard it, you almost did beat Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.  They just caught you off-guard with a trick."  He continued speaking, oblivious to the glares the young Amazons were sending his way.  "You're gonna win this fight with no problem."

                "Yeah," Ryoga said, "third time's the charm.  And remember, this guy's probably all talk anyway.  Remember how scared he was when I threatened him just a little?  No REAL martial artist would have been that freaked out."

                Ukyo smiled.  "Y'know, you're right.  He did look like he was about to crepe his pants, didn't he?"

                Everyone else groaned.  "I thought you said you didn't want any witty banter," Kuno protested.

                "And what in that last statement seemed witty to you, Tachi dear?" Nabiki enquired.

                "ANYway, thanks for cheering me up," Ukyo said.  "That jerk isn't going to know what hit him!"  They were now approaching the head of the lane on which the Crepe King had set up his business, so there wouldn't be much longer to wait.  'Just a couple more minutes to get there, and then a few more for the obligatory smack-talking, and then that creep is going down,' the chef thought.

                "Of course, this is all assuming the worm didn't flee last night under the cover of darkness," Kodachi remarked.  "It would be a bit of a let down if, after all this build-up, we find that he is indeed gone without a trace."

                "One let-down, coming right up," Ryu announced, jogging up to the group in time to hear Kodachi's remark.  He'd gone on ahead of everyone a few minutes back, so that he'd have a chance to clear out any customers that might have been queued up in front of the Crepe King's truck.  "Sorry guys, it looks like he did run like a yellow-bellied coward.  His truck's nowhere to be seen."

                "No way!" Ukyo protested.  Nervous she might have originally been at the idea of the upcoming match, but even then she had been determined to make the jerk pay for his insults.  And that desire had only gotten stronger over the last few minutes.  "He's really gone?!"

                "See for yourself."  By now the entire group had reached the lane.  They hurried down it and found only one sign that the Crepe King had ever haunted this location:  a poster affixed to a nearby wall, stating that he had relocated.

                There was a long moment of silence, before Ukyo finally let out a frustrated sigh.  "Well, that wasn't very satisfying, but a victory is a victory, I guess.  Come on, everyone, okonomiyaki's on me."

***************

                It was a little disconcerting when they found out just _where_ the Crepe King had moved to.

                Specifically, he had set up shop about thirty feet away from Ukyo's restaurant.

                The entire group came to halt and stood for a while, contemplating this new development.  Eventually Shampoo asked the question that was on everyone's minds.  "How you not notice this earlier today, Ukyo?"

                This kick-started Ukyo's mental processes again.  "The jackass wasn't there when I left for your place this morning.  He must've moved in after that."

                "Well, it looks like we'll get to see some justice served after all," Ryoga said with a menacing smile.  "Let's go show him what we think of his little tactic."

                "Right," Ukyo growled, as the situation before her finally sunk in.  She paused one more second to glower at the truck, then strode briskly over, followed closely by everyone else.

                The Crepe King had seen them long before this, of course, as right now there were no customers to distract him.  To his credit, he didn't show any sign of feeling nervous at seeing this many high-caliber martial artists who were apparently here to support Ukyo.  But it was a struggle to keep that emotion hidden.

                "You think you're real cute, don't you," Ukyo said flatly as she reached the truck.  "Setting up just a few doors down from my 'dingy, dusty, unpopular, hole-in-the-wall little joint'."

                "I just felt sorry for the people who might have been eating at your place because they didn't know they had better choices available," the Crepe King sneered back.  "And you know what?  As early as it is, I've still had several customers come by.  Which is more than I can say for you."

                Ukyo gave him a strange look, then turned and shaded her eyes, squinting towards her restaurant.  "Yep," she said at last, "the 'closed' sign IS still hanging on my door.  And there haven't been any customers, you say?  Imagine that."

                "Well, at least you had the right idea when you didn't bother opening today," her adversary responded.

                The chef shrugged.  "Don't normally open this early anyway, plus today I was busy warming up for something a little rougher than slinging okonomiyaki.  I gotta admit, I was disappointed when I got over to your old spot.  Looked like you'd slithered away with your tail between your legs.  And I had really been looking forward to teaching you some manners."  She flashed him a hard, grim smile.  "Guess I should even _thank_ you for setting up here, where I'd run into you again.  Just out of curiosity, why didn't you put your new location on the poster you left in your old place?  When we found it, we thought you'd just vanished without a trace so I couldn't find you again."

                The Crepe King blinked, then smacked his forehead.  "Knew I forgot something," he muttered disgustedly.  No wonder business had been sparse so far this morning.

                "Geez, isn't that enough smack-talking already, Ukyo?  C'mon, let's get on with it!" Ranma called from the sidelines.  He'd been expecting to chow down on some of Ukyo's finest okonomiyaki as soon as they got here.  Failing that, watching a fight was always interesting, but the repartee wasn't doing much for him.

                "Hold your horses!" Ukyo retorted over her shoulder.  She turned back to face the Crepe King.  "He does have a point, though.  The sooner we get this over with, the sooner MY customers won't have to look at your ugly face anymore.  Crepe King, I challenge you!"

                "Fine with me, girlie.  We'll see just whose cooking comes out on top!"

                Ukyo gave him that hard, grim smile again.  "I don't think I said it was a _cooking_ contest, sugar.  Your fighting style against mine, first to K.O. or submission."  After all the insults that had flown between them, she wanted something a little more painful for him than just being forced to admit her food was better.

                "I see.  All that stuff about your cooking was just so much hot air, wasn't it?  You're too scared to face me in a real test of skill."  The Crepe King poured every ounce of derision and condescension that he could muster into his tone.  Twenty-four hours prior, he would have dismissed chi attacks as the stuff of Street Fighter games, nothing more.  This girl's boyfriend's demonstration had shattered those comforting illusions completely, and the King didn't remember her reacting as if it had been any big deal.  No, he _definitely_ wanted to keep this confrontation on a nonviolent level if he could do it without sacrificing his pride.

                Ukyo glared fiercely in response to this, before shifting her expression into a lopsided smile.  "Well, I guess I could go with that.  You whip up some crepes, I'll cook some okonomiyaki, we'll pass our stuff around to everyone who's here, and let them vote on who's the better chef.  Loser takes his truck and leaves town."

                The Crepe King looked up and down the lane.  A few people had showed up to watch the street theater, but these impartial members of the audience were far outnumbered by the friends Ukyo had brought with her.  Accepting _those_ terms was as good as throwing in the towel and walking away without a fight.

                He seriously considered doing just that, but his pride wouldn't quite let it happen.  "Fine," he snarled at last, "I'll accept that first challenge you gave me.  Your skill against mine.  And don't go crying home to Mommy, little girl, when I give you the spanking you deserve."

                "Now she know how it feel," Ling-Ling muttered, not entirely unsympathetically, as Ukyo turned purple with fury.

                "Be right back," Ukyo ground out.  "Ryoga honey, give me a hand."  She led him over to her restaurant and then inside; a few minutes later, they exited again, each lugging a couple of padded posts and some ropes.  Another couple of trips inside were enough to fetch the rest of the components, which Ukyo quickly assembled into a fighting ring in the middle of the road.  She took her place in one corner and called, "I'm ready whenever you are, loser."

***************

                Not ten minutes had passed since the Crepe King had declined Ukyo's version of a cooking challenge.  Yet in those few minutes that had elapsed, a crowd of onlookers had formed, seemingly out of thin air.  He gave them all a disgusted glance from where he stood now, in the corner of the ring opposite Ukyo, then turned to face his opponent.  "Anytime, girlie."

                Declining to comment, Ukyo slowly began spinning her combat spatula in a defensive pattern.  The Crepe King tensed as the massive weapon began to move more and more quickly.  He didn't _think_ the angle at which she was moving it would let her suddenly release it to shoot toward him, but he wasn't quite sure.  Deciding that it would be better not to give the initiative to his opponent, he slipped one hand inside his chef's outfit, reaching for a few of the 'special' crepes...

                With a fierce scream, Ukyo exerted every bit of force she could muster, changing the angle of her combat spatula's path to send it crashing into the floor.  It sliced easily through the padding and shattered the wooden boards beneath, sending a cloud of splinters and fluff into the air.  Through this smokescreen, Ukyo launced a fistful of throwing spatulas.

                The Crepe King recognized his danger with just barely enough time to respond.  Getting out of the way wasn't an option.  Ranma could have snatched all the spatulas out of the air, but the King was nowhere near that skilled.  Instead, he blocked with the only thing he had that was large enough to serve as a shield.

                Ukyo grimaced to see her opponent stop her projectiles with what looked to be a giant, unrolled crepe.  She freed her own oversized cooking item and darted forward.

                The Crepe King spared an instant to glance at his makeshift shield, confirming that what would have been a Golden Crepe of Death was now useless.  Ukyo's spatulas had lodged deeply within it; if he tried to use this one as it was intended, to wrap his opponent and then explode, chances were excellent that it would fail in some way.  And so he tossed it at Ukyo, not to entrap her but just to slow her down a bit while he jumped over her head to a safer corner of the ring.

                She swung her giant spatula, knocking the damaged crepe aside, trying to nail the King with it in midair.  However, to one who didn't know how to use such a thing, the massive pseudo-pastry was extremely awkward.  It came nowhere near the Crepe King, instead tumbling through the air to land next to the door of Ukyo's Okonomiyaki.

                Where it exploded.

***************

                Perhaps a quick digression is in order here, to discuss the Crepe King's final attack in more detail.  The Golden Crepe of Death is a crepe in name and general appearance only.  It certainly isn't edible, given the fact that the 'whipped cream' filling is made from C-4 explosive and the 'pastry' is composed of highly durable synthetic compounds.  The extreme strength of that material is necessary to prevent one entrapped from freeing themselves before the explosive can go off.

                And this explains why the Crepe King used an explosive as powerful as C-4 in the attack.  A weaker one wouldn't be able to shred the outer crepe; all the force would be spent inside, on the martial artist trapped there.  Ironically enough, less powerful explosives would be far more likely to cripple or kill the target of the attack.

                Of course, there was also the minor detail that the crepe needed to be folded properly, in order to correctly shape the charge.  It had taken quite a bit of research and experimentation on the Crepe King's part to achieve the perfect design.  When the Golden Crepe of Death was folded into the correct configuration, most of the energy of the explosion would be used up in destroying the crepe, only a relatively little remaining to damage the victim of the attack.  Of course, that 'relatively little' amount would be enough to knock just about anyone unconscious.

                It might seem dangerous and irresponsible of the Crepe King to use an attack that could conceivably rip his opponent to shreds if something went wrong.  As the crepes were engineered not to explode without having been folded first, he would have denied this with an arrogant smirk and a rude comment.  However, the fact remains that here and now, the damage from Ukyo's mini-spatulas caused that safeguard to fail.  And so, when the C-4 detonated, it did so without being muffled at all by an enshrouding blanket of damage-resistant fibers.

***************

                The blast from behind her sent Ukyo whirling around, her face ashen as she took in the sight before her.  "No... my restaurant..."  The windows were broken, the front door was a charred, gaping hole, and tables and chairs inside had scattered like leaves in the wind.  All thoughts of the fight were momentarily lost from her mind.

                "Mistake," the Crepe King said reprovingly, as he whipped out the second Golden Crepe of Death he'd been carrying.

                "Ukyo!"  "Ucchan!"  "Look out!"  These and various other cries of warning came much too late, as Ukyo spun around, only to find herself wrapped in the twin of the pastry that had assaulted her restaurant.

                "Just so you know, girlie..." the Crepe King smirked, feeling a serious surge of relief at his quick victory, "...this has been the least challenging match I've ever fought."

                The trapped chef looked down at the pastry around her, then reared her head back and screamed in rage, her hair actually flying up with the fury of her response.  And then there WAS an explosion, quite a powerful one, as Ukyo's battle aura surged out, shattering the crepe and freeing her.

***************

                Ranma frowned.  "Seems so familiar, somehow," he muttered.  "Like I've seen all this before."

                "Of course it does, silly," Kodachi said.  "Remember when we were watching those Tenchi OAV episodes last night?  This is just like when Ryoko broke free of Kagato's hourglass trap."

                "Oh yeah, that's what I was remembering.  Thanks, Dachi-chan."

***************

                "You just pushed me WAY too far," Ukyo said in a deathly quiet tone.  Her battle aura flashed blindingly bright, as she called on the powers Rouge had taught her to access.  As the surge of magic combined with the chi energy she was already pumping out, most of the onlookers had to shield their eyes or look away.

                A swarm of glowing mini-spatulas flew towards the Crepe King.  He desperately threw out chi-charged paper serving cones to block, but many of the spatulas sheared right through these without slowing.  The ones that didn't flew off to the sides, speeding even faster as their paths curved again, bringing them back in line with the Crepe King.  He was hit from all directions at once, twitching and jerking spasmodically as the projectiles released their payload of concentrated electrical magic into him.

                A light breeze began to blow, thinning the haze of smoke coming from both Ukyo's restaurant and the scorched Crepe King.  She stood still and sneered at him, giving him the chance to climb back to his feet.  As he did so, the breeze strengthened.  And as the Crepe King launched a desperate counteroffensive, pulling out all the crepes loaded with nasty surprises that he was carrying and throwing them at Ukyo, the wind began to howl.  The crepes flew right back at their creator, dumping spiders, snakes, flame canisters, and exploding pellets onto him.

                After the smoke had cleared again, the Crepe King's battered form was sprawled along the floor of the ring.  He was twitching feebly, and still technically conscious.  Which frankly suited Ukyo just fine.

                The chef paused, looking at him for a long moment.  At last she said, "So you thought throwing exploding crepes around was funny, did you, jackass?  Well, HERE!  LET ME SHOW _YOU_ WHAT IT FEELS LIKE!!"

                Most of what was left of the padding on the ring floor ripped up at this point, winging forward and wrapping around the hapless Crepe King and pulling him upright, rendering him far more helpless than Ukyo had been.  His eyes, dazed and pleading, met hers.

                Ignoring his pathetic nonverbal attempt to beg for mercy, Ukyo spoke quietly.  "One loser to go."

                The cloth and padding that had wrapped the King suddenly unrolled, sending him spinning in place like a top.  As he slammed into a corner post and fell to his knees, head spinning, almost unable to focus on anything, the glowing pseudo-crepe soared through the air and over to his truck.  Ukyo was generous--when the explosion came, it was in the open-air food-preparation area of the vehicle, which didn't breach the gas tank or even leave the truck inoperable.  But it would be a long time before any more crepes would be served from there.

                It was anybody's guess whether the Crepe King was really capable of realizing what had just happened.  Ukyo didn't give it much time to sink in, either.  "Good night," she hissed, lobbing a sleep spell his way.  He collapsed at last into the relative mercy of unconsciousness.

                Silence fell, holding sway for a long moment over the street.  Then the cheers of "Ukyo!  Ukyo!  Ukyo!" began.  The chef stepped from the remains of the ring, preparing to bow.

                Ryoga barely managed to catch her as her knees buckled.  "Th- thanks, sugar," she managed, her voice coming in labored gasps now.  "I had... had a feeling I was pushing it... a little with that last couple of attacks..."

                "No joke," Shampoo said reprovingly.  "You use very much of energy up, Ucchan.  Should have been able to tell you were running low before it come to this.  You really need to rest now."  She cast a pained glance at Ukyo's restaurant.  "Come back with us to Kuno place, okay?  Tatewaki and Nabiki, you please get police or whoever here to protect restaurant.  Ryoga, you help Ukyo walk."

                Ryoga gulped, then said, "I- I've got a better idea."  He gently scooped Ukyo up, carrying her with ease as the martial artists began to walk away.

                'All right,' Ukyo thought, settling back into his arms with a smile, 'this part worked out even better than I'd hoped.'

***************

                "Wonder what that is," Akane said to herself as she noticed a plume of smoke off in the distance.  She hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to take to the rooftops and go investigate.  When the smoke thinned in the breeze and all but vanished, she decided it was probably just some typical Nerima weirdness and not actually someone's house on fire, and continued on her way.

                She had made good time on her trip back from Ryugenzawa; spending the month as Shinnosuke's guest had left her with more funds than she'd originally expected to have remaining.  She had been able to afford all the bullet train rides she needed.  Akane was looking forward to finally seeing her family again, although she suspected the first few hours back home might not be much fun.  Which, at least subconsciously, was the reason she was now walking along the streets of Nerima, not speeding over the rooftops.

                Akane _told_ herself that the reason for taking the slower route was so she could get used to the city again.  It was quite a change of pace from the solitude and abundant presence of nature at Ryugenzawa.  She stopped for a few minutes to watch a brawl between two young men (blinking and rubbing her eyes when she realized one of them wasn't casting a shadow).   Some little distance from Akane, a girl stood next to a horse that seemed to be frozen in some kind of force field, calling soft encouragements to whichever of the boys was named 'Ken'.

                When the shadowless boy manifested some kind of darkness attack and began wiping the floor with his opponent, while shouting that nobody tries to kidnap his friends, Akane decided there wasn't any need to get involved.  Although she now considered herself a dedicated adventuress, it looked like justice was already being served here.  Consequently, she began walking toward home again.

                Nothing further happened to delay her, though Akane almost succumbed to the temptation to stop off at an ice cream parlor.  She'd missed some things more than others during her stay in the wilds of Ryugenzawa.  But she valiantly resisted this impulse, taking a deep breath and picking up the pace as she fought the sweet siren song coming from the dessert shop.

                "That actually felt harder than facing the Orochi," Akane muttered once she'd left temptation behind her.  She wiped a fair quantity of sweat from her brow.

                A few minutes later she came within sight of the Tendo home.  Her father was standing in the yard, sweeping it clean.  Akane took a deep breath, released it, took another, then ran forward.

                "Hi, Dad!  I'm back!  I missed you guys a lot, did you miss me?" she asked, projecting as cheerful and chirpy an image as she could, on the theory that this might make it harder for her father to be upset with her.

                As Soun caught sight of his wayward daughter, the broom went flying.  "A- A- Akane! My precious little baby girl is home at last!!"  He grabbed Akane in a hug, fortunately not connecting with the wounded portion of her arm, and proceeded to let loose with the waterworks.

                Just as Akane's vision was beginning to fade from the bone-crushing embrace, Kasumi came to her rescue.  The Tendo homemaker had been in the back of the house when she heard a crash; hurrying to the source of the sound, she found a broom had come flying through a window.  On going outside to investigate, she caught sight of her little sister, back at last from her adventure and apparently none the worse for wear (aside from turning purple from Father's overenthusiastic response).  "Oh, my!" she exclaimed, hurrying over and pulling back one of Soun's arms so she could join the hug.

                Akane took deep breaths for a few seconds, then hugged Kasumi and Soun back.  "It's really good to see you guys again," she said at last, pulling back a little.  "I'm sorry I just took off like that, but it was something I needed to do.  You understand, right, Dad?  How could I call myself a martial artist if I didn't have the guts to go on a training trip?"

                For a long moment, Soun struggled to be stern.  But that quality had been largely beaten out of him during his early training with Happosai, and the loss of his beloved wife had crippled most of what remained.  Threats to his precious daughters could still raise the ghost of the iron-willed young man he'd once been, but that didn't mean he was capable of turning that strength of will on _them_.  Giving up the feeble attempt, and resolving to ask Kasumi to have words with Akane when he wasn't around, Soun said at last, "Akane, you should have discussed it with me first.  But never mind that!  This is a joyous occasion!"  His eyes teared up again.  "I'm so glad you're home safely!"

                "Me too."  Even though she had begun missing Shinnosuke well before arriving at the Nerima train station.  Better not think about that, Akane chided herself.  It would be a long time before her next school break.  "Hey, where's Nabiki?  She's not at school, is she?  I didn't think Furinkan would have started yet, but I could have lost count of the days."

                "Oh, no, you still have a few weeks until it reopens," Kasumi reassured her.  "The school was damaged in an explosion or something, and it's being repaired.  The reason Nabiki isn't here is that she and Tatewaki eloped a few days ago."

                "W- What?!" Akane cried, shocked.  The last she'd heard, Nabiki had wanted to wait until after graduation to get married!

                "W- What?!" Soun exclaimed, horrified.  "M- my little Nabiki has eloped?  Without even inviting me to the wedding?!  WAAAAHHHHH!"

                Kasumi sighed in light exasperation.  "Father, I was playing a joke on Akane.  Remember that Nabiki was with us at the dinner table last night?"

                Soun's tears switched off, and he adopted perhaps the most sheepish face he'd ever worn.  "Um, now that you mention it, yes."

                'Crud,' Akane thought ruefully, 'she got me again.'  Kasumi didn't play practical jokes often, but so far whenever she had whichever sister was the target would inevitably fall for the prank.  Akane swore to herself, again, that NEXT time she would see through her big sister.  Seeking a change of subject, she asked, "Can we go inside now?  I'd really like to take off this backpack."

***************

                Once they were inside, Soun glanced sheepishly at the broken glass on the floor, then began sweeping it up with the convenient broom.  Meanwhile, Akane went upstairs to deposit her pack in her bedroom.  It was a little puzzling to her when Kasumi followed along, even shutting the bedroom door behind her.  "Um, did you want something, big sister?"

                Kasumi's smile melted away, replaced by a look of mixed worry and sternness.  "Akane, when I hugged you earlier, I felt something very much like a large bandage on your arm.  Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

                Akane flinched.  So much for keeping it secret by just wearing long-sleeved blouses.  "Um, it's really no big deal, Kasumi," she said weakly, _knowing_ that wasn't going to cut it but trying anyway.  Kasumi's expression didn't change one iota, and Akane's resistance crumpled.  "I got a cut on my arm during my trip.  I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Daddy about it, at least not until it's finished healing."

                "Let me see it," Kasumi said in tones that brooked no argument.  Meekly, her youngest sister slipped out of the blouse and unwound the bandage.  Kasumi winced at the sight revealed.  There was no sign of infection, and the wound was in fact quite close to being healed... but there would always be a scar clearly visible there.  Whatever had cut Akane, it had left a ragged wound, not the clean incision of a blade or sharp rock edge.  "Oh, little sister.  What happened to you?"

                "I saved somebody's life, that's all," Akane replied, feeling slightly cross at another overreaction.  "Being a martial artist means you have to take risks, Kasumi.  This doesn't bother me, so it shouldn't bother you."

                "How did you save someone's life?" Kasumi asked, still not happy at the sight of the wound but willing to accept Akane's argument for now.  "Where were you, anyway?  Mr Saotome is still looking for you in the mountains."

                Akane winced.  "Um, well, I didn't actually go to the mountains.  I went to Ryugenzawa.  Remember how we had that family trip there, so long ago?  I kinda wanted to go back, and see what there was for me there."

                "Oh, did you?  Are there really any monsters in the forest, like the tourist brochures say?"  Kasumi's smile made it clear that this was a joke.

                Akane met her eyes.  "Yes, there are, Kasumi."  The older girl blinked.  "There's giant animals, and traps to keep them from getting outside the forest.  There's even an eight-headed dragon that sleeps in a lake.  It's because of that that there's all those other things.

                "And there's also a family there, an old man and his grandson, who act as caretakers of the place.  Shinnosuke, that's the boy, he... I met him before, when I was lost there on the family trip, he saved me..."

                Kasumi pushed aside thoughts of monsters and braced herself.  Judging from Akane's last few words, the blush on her cheeks, and the way she was looking down at the floor while twisting her fingers together nervously, the eldest Tendo daughter suddenly had a pretty clear idea where this was going.

***************

                'Yes, little sister has it bad,' Kasumi thought to herself half an hour later.  So far the eldest Tendo daughter had heard quite a lot about Shinnosuke, whereas she'd practically had to drag details of anything else out of her sister.  When Akane would rather talk about a boy than an epic battle in which her martial arts skills had led her to a stunning victory, it was clear that she had fallen and fallen hard.  Aloud, Kasumi said, "He sounds like a very nice boy, Akane.  It's too bad he can't come visit you."

                "I know... hey!"  Akane brightened as a thought struck her.  "You said school wasn't going to start for an extra few weeks, right?  We could all go down there and visit him!  You'd all like him, and I know he'd like to meet you!"

                Doing so made her feel as if she were kicking a puppy, but Kasumi forced herself to say, "Akane, I don't think Father is ready to find out that his 'precious baby girl' has picked up a serious boyfriend.  He's taken this month really hard... give him some time to get over that before you spring anything else on him.  All right?"

                Akane deflated as her sister's words sunk in.  "All right, Kasumi," she said reluctantly, "but he may figure it out before too long anyway.  I'm going to be talking to Shinnosuke on the phone a lot, after all."

                "Well, I wouldn't worry about that until Father actually does notice," Kasumi said sweetly.  She was too kind to give words to the rest of thought, 'which might even happen after a year or so.'

                Perhaps Akane picked it up anyway through some sort of sisterly telepathy, because her expression cleared and she nodded. "Okay."  Then she remembered something else.  "Say, Kasumi, you don't think Nabiki will mind that I left her cell phone with Shinnosuke, do you?  Their house is too remote to get normal phone service."

                Kasumi winced.  "Well, Akane, I don't suppose Nabiki will be _too_ harsh on you, but I doubt she'll just let something like that slide.  At the very least she's going to force you to take over the payments on the phone plan."

                "I was hoping she'd just be happy for me, since I finally found a good guy for myself," Akane confessed.

                "I think you would have had to catch her within a few days of Tatewaki's proposal, if you wanted to find our Nabiki in that romantic a mood," Kasumi replied.

                "You're probably right," Akane sighed.  She rummaged in her pack, eventually pulling out several odd pieces of a dark green, glossy material.  "Maybe she can help me get a good price for these dragon scales, and I can square things by giving a bit extra on her commission."

***************

                Ranma leaned back against the rooftop of the Kuno mansion.  It was the first time he had done this since the return from China, coming up here at night and regarding the sky.  The stars shone only faintly, their presence dimmed by the backwash of light from the city.  Ranma didn't really mind, though... although the last month had been plenty stressful in its own way, the beauty and unspoiled nature of the Amazon village had refreshed him on a deep inner level.  He'd been missing that.

                Thoughts of his recent sojourn away from modern industrial Japan made him consider someone else in a similar situation. "Wonder what Pop's doing right now," Ranma said quietly to himself.  "Heh... the old fool's probably in panda form chowing down on bamboo.  How's he think he's gonna find Akane anyway?  Is he just gonna wander through the mountains like a Hibiki, hoping to stumble onto her?

                "That'd be just like him.  Stupid old man."  Ranma wiped some dust or something out of his eyes.  "Kinda impressive, though, that he's tryin' this hard to find Akane.  Sure didn't do that to get back to me, once I left the Tendos behind..."

                The dust content of the wind was apparently increasing.  Ranma wiped his eyes again, then turned to face the other way and concentrated on other thoughts.  'I wonder how the cleanup's going at Ucchan's place.  Man, I can't believe that jerk trashed it so bad.  And the worst thing was he didn't even mean to!  Ucchan oughta have asked Shampoo to use the Xi Fang Gao on that scumbag, make him forget anything he ever knew about fighting.  Moron uses an attack that powerful and doesn't even bother to keep it under control...  Heck, maybe I'll track him down and give him the works myself one of these days.'

                Ranma smiled slightly, his memory shifting to a scene from the late morning, after Ukyo had recovered most of her energy and they'd gone back to inspect the damage.  'That was pretty funny, when Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung got into an argument with Dachi about who's gonna be the one to pay all the expenses of gettin' Ukyo's up and running again.  Never thought we'd see the day when the twins were so insistent about helping Ucchan out.  Guess they really felt like their honor was on the line, cause of getting the Crepe King here.'  He chuckled.  'Of course, it's easy to be generous with someone else's money.  I wonder what Great-Grandmother's gonna say when she finds out they signed away a huge chunk of her cash.'

                While there were some elements of unpleasantness in contemplating that thought, it nonetheless left Ranma with the warm fuzzy comfort that _he_ wasn't the one in such a situation.  He turned back around to catch the wind in his face again.  The dust seemed to have all blown past now.  He closed his eyes and relaxed, letting the breeze flow around him.

                Ranma wasn't certain how long he lay like that, enjoying the sensation of peace.  When he opened his eyes again, he was just in time to see a trail of light crawling across the heavens, barely visible through the glow from Nerima.  "A shooting star?  Cool!  I wish... I wish..."

                The star had vanished before he could find any way to complete the thought.  Ranma just sat there, staring into the sky where it had been and blinking occasionally.  At last, he admitted, "I don't know what I want."

                "What was that, Ranma?"  The call came from below.  Ranma blinked, then scooted over to the edge of the roof and looked down.  Either Ryoga or Ryu, he couldn't tell in this light, was standing below.  Apparently the breeze had carried enough of his words for the other to hear something.

                "Hey.  Nothing much, man.  Just talking to myself."

                "If you're _that_ desperate for company, I guess I'll have to hang around for a while."  The Hibiki boy tensed and jumped to the rooftop, landing a few feet from Ranma and allowing him to make out the dragons coiling along the other's forearms.

                "Gee, thanks, Ryu.  I am sooo honored," he retorted with a sarcastic grin.  "Taking time out of your busy schedule and all.  Even though Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung are probably looking out their bedroom window right now, just wishing a certain someone would come sneaking up the trellis and pay them a visit."

                "Actually," Ryu said, "right now they're probably too sore to even get out of bed."

                "What?!  You sly dog!  Man, I didn't think you had it in you!" Ranma exclaimed, more than a little shocked.  Yes, it is entirely possible for someone to see an innuendo when it doesn't involve himself, and be completely oblivious when it does.

                "What're you talking about?" Ryu asked.  "How is it my fault their great-granny ran them into the ground in a training session?"

                "Oh, heh heh, never mind.  I was thinking of something else.  Was this some kinda punishment for throwing her money around without asking?"

                "Kind of.  Well, yes and no.  There's a big tournament coming up in a month, and first prize is enough yen to pay for all the repairs to Ukyo's and still have some left over.  Cologne has told the twins that they're going to train their hardest to win that."

                Ranma frowned.  "Way I heard the story, it was _her_ idea to get the Crepe King here, not theirs.  She oughta be willing to carry some of the burden."

                Ryu hesitated, wondering what to say.  When he had made that same argument to Cologne, the ancient Amazon had sworn him to secrecy, then informed him that she was going to allow Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to keep the entirety of any prize they managed to win.  The Matriarch was just using this situation to encourage them to think before acting, as well as motivating them to train harder.  "Maybe you should tell that to her, when Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung aren't around to hear you," he replied at last.

                "Or you could, when they ARE around, so they know their Airen is watching out for them," Ranma retorted.

                "I already did bring it up, and we need to change the subject, okay?  So where are Kodachi and Shampoo right now?"

                Ranma blinked, then let it go.  He concentrated on the Heart Link.  From Kodachi, he felt a frustrated annoyance mixed with determination.  The same basic feeling of determination was present in Shampoo, and tinged slightly with satisfaction.  "Practicing arts and crafts," he replied.  "Sham-chan had kinda let her painting practice slide for a while, but ever since I gave her her betrothal gift, she's been enthusiastic about it again.  Dachi-chan's still working on getting the hang of sculpting."

                Ryu rolled his eyes.  " 'Still', you say.  As if it might have been reasonable for her to learn it in the short little bit of time she's been trying."

                "Well, it wouldn't be _that_ surprising if she had, right?  I mean, it took me most of a month to get good enough at carving to make Sham-chan's portrait, but I had to figure it out all by myself, with just the painting experience I got from Dachi-chan's memories to help me.  She actually had some of the best artisans in the Amazon village show her sculpting techniques.  Wouldn't've surprised me if she started turning out really good statues with just a little practice."

                "Just like how you can pick up new martial arts moves so quickly, right?"

                "Yeah, more or less."

                Ryu shook his head slowly.  "Ranma, I don't see how you haven't figured this out for yourself.  Heck, getting the memories from two other people should've clued you in.  But the way you learn so quickly is not something just anybody could do if they put their mind to it.  It's a gift, something you were born with.  You really ought to recognize that one of these days.  Sometimes I think you don't see just how lucky you really are."

                "Hey, whoah!  You're talking to a guy who proposed to and was accepted by the two best girls in the world less than two weeks ago!  I know darn well just how lucky I am!  If anything, _you're_ the one who needs to get a clue about how good he's got it now!"  Which statement should make it clear that Ranma hadn't spent much time with either Hibiki brother over the past month.  He had yet to get over the impression of despair and confusion that he'd received from Ryoga prior to the trip.

                "Nope.  You're wrong."  Ryu was smiling now.  "I do know how good I've got it.  I got out of the biggest dilemma in the world without hurting Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung or Ukyo.  Heck, I didn't even _lose_ anyone!  Ukyo's still my friend, and Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung..." he laughed, a little nervously, a little embarrassedly, but there was warmth there under it all, "...well, I can't say I'm going to be ready to walk down the aisle with them anytime soon, but I... I am glad things are like they are.  I like being with them, and I especially like it that they like being with me.  And the... the other stuff... that'll come in its time.

                "And as if that wasn't enough, my family is together again.  It's even bigger than it ever was.  I've got all the benefits of a brother without the sibling rivalry, and another little brother or sister on the way.  My parents won't get lost anymore, except maybe once in a blue moon if there's an accident with hot water.  We really will be a family from now on.

                "No, Ranma," he finished, with determination shining forth, "you don't need to tell me how lucky I am.  I _know_ it."

                "Yeah.  Guess you do at that," Ranma said, looking off into the distance.  For a long moment he was silent, then asked, "Ryu?  What'd you feel like back in the Amazon village, when you first saw your mom and dad again?"

                "I think I pinched myself something like fifty times.  I could hardly believe I wasn't dreaming.  It felt like I was."  In fact, he hadn't even noticed when Ling-Ling murmured, "That look like fun," and gave him a pinch of her own in a rather personal area.  "It had to be the best surprise of my life."

                "Sounds like you were really glad to see them.  Like I didn't already know that, of course."  Ranma sighed.  "Wish I knew how it feels."

                Ryu frowned in puzzlement, wondering just what his friend meant.  A moment's thought, and his face shifted into somber realization.  "Are you thinking about your father?"

                "Got it in one."  Ranma looked off into the distance, where the edges of mountaintops would have been visible had there been daylight.  "I left the Tendos, he stayed.  Next few months after that I see him every now and then, when he's trying to pull that must-marry-a-Tendo crap even though Dachi got me out of all his promises.  Except for one time, when I had to deal with that stupid Kaori chick.  Really nice hearing how he traded me off when I was just a baby for rice, pickles, and a fish.

                "After that, Dachi-chan takes down the old lech, and Pop shuts up about the stupid marry-a-Tendo business.  Hell, he even said he'd be proud to call her his daughter!  And when's the next time I see him?  Huh?  Months later, when he comes back to the Kuno place, pulling Akane along, callin' me a lazy freeloader and sayin' he's trained her to kick my butt!"

                Ranma let out a shuddering sigh.  "And now he's gone into the mountains searching for her.  Don't get me wrong, I'm actually kinda proud that he hasn't given up yet and come slinking home.  But I'd feel a lot better about it if he'd ever showed that kinda concern for _me_."

                Silence fell for a while.  Eventually, hesitantly, Ryu said, "Then you need to tell him that."

                "It ain't easy, you know?  Especially when he's not here," Ranma pointed out.

                Ryu shot the argument down.  "Don't give me that.  Shampoo can find him any time you ask her to.  Remember?  And unlike with MY parents, er, how they used to be, you don't have to worry about him being in Sapporo one evening and Saskatchewan the next morning!"

                Ranma sighed.  "Look, he's the one who needs to make the next move.  Before we left for China, I told him that I wanted to talk to him again about stuff."

                "If I remember correctly, what you said was, 'Look me up again when you've learned how to do something other than dump garbage on me.'  And then you knocked him unconscious."

                "Yeah, that sounds about right.  What's your point?"

                "Never mind."  Ryu wondered whether Tatewaki would be doing better if it were him having this conversation with Ranma.  The kendoist was the one whose family had always been stable and functional.  "I just think things might go better if you didn't decide it had to be him to come to you."  A thought struck him then.  "Besides, you were wrong about something you said just a little while back."

                "What's that?" Ranma asked guardedly.

                "When you said you didn't see Genma between him giving up on you marrying a Tendo and just before we left for China.  There was one time we saw him.  Remember?"  Not bothering to give Ranma time to search his memory, Ryu continued, "We ran into him when you, Kodachi, Shampoo, Ukyo, and I were going out to have some fun.  And they had fun, all right... the girls beat him senseless and stuffed him in a trash can, and all we did was stand back and watch."

                "He had it coming for the way he treated Ucchan," Ranma protested, but it was a weak effort.  Ryu didn't bother to respond.  After a few seconds of tense silence, the Saotome heir sighed loudly.  "Maybe you got a point, Ryu.  Okay, guess I will ask Sham-chan to use the Eye of Bastet again tomorrow."

                "I really think it's for the best," Ryu said, a little awkwardly.

                "Guess we'll see," Ranma said quietly, looking off into the distance once more.  After a while, during which Ryu began to fidget uncomfortably, he spoke up again.  "Thanks for the company.  By the way, why'd you come over this late, anyhow?"

                Ryu laughed sheepishly in the trademark Hibiki fashion.  "Ah... well... here."  He pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to Ranma.

                After opening it and skimming the contents, Ranma looked back at his companion.  "This is a joke, right?"

                "Nope.  It's the real thing."

                "A challenge letter."  Ranma glanced down at the paper again, as if to make sure it hadn't morphed into a page of math homework or something.  "Exactly why are you doing this, Ryu?"

                The other shrugged.  "Isn't challenging someone who's farther along than you the best way to get better?"

                "Then why a formal challenge like this?  I'll spar with you anytime you want!"

                "I know that."  Ryu met Ranma's puzzled stare with a serious look.  "And if you did, you'd hold back like crazy.  I know you won't go all out even in a formal challenge, but you will fight harder than you would if it was just a sparring session.  That's the fight I want, even if I can't win."

                "Well, if you're sure..."

                "I am."

                "Then I accept."

                The breeze gusted a little higher, ruffling their hair.  Crickets chirped in the background.

                "You do realize that the date you've set this thing for is going to keep me from going after Pop, right?  At least for the next three days."

                Ryu smacked himself on the forehead in disgust.

***************

                The breakfast table seemed rather desolate the next morning.  The lack of a Hibiki still felt strange, Hitome and Godai had yet to return, and Kodachi was absent as well.  "Where's Dachi-chan?" Ranma wondered aloud after the three who were present had waited for several minutes.

                That was Sasuke's cue to pop up from under the floorboards, causing Ranma to jump, Shampoo to fall out of her chair, and Tatewaki to roll his eyes.  "The young mistress remains in her studio, practicing the basics of sculpture, master Ranma.  She left instructions that she did not wish to be disturbed until she comes out on her own."

                "Aw man, not this again," Ranma sighed.

                "What you mean, Airen?" Shampoo asked.  "And what little ninja mean by 'remains' in studio?  She was still there when I leave last night... did she spend whole night there?"

                "Most likely," Kuno replied, as he served himself from the various dishes on the table.  On hearing Sasuke's message, he'd known there was no point in waiting for his sister.  "Remember that she can go without sleep more or less indefinitely."

                "She did this before, Sham-chan, back when she was about thirteen.  She'd gotten serious about learning how to do watercolor painting, and she spent something like seventy-two hours straight practicing it.  She didn't stop until she felt like she'd made enough progress.  So we might not see her for a while."

                "Actually, if 'Biki-chan were here I'd place a bet that my sister will emerge before the afternoon is well advanced.  When she was thirteen she didn't have a fiancé whose company she would miss," Kuno said dryly.

                "Good point," Shampoo said, snickering as Ranma blushed a little.  Conversation flagged as everyone turned their attention to their food.

                A little while later, when they had more or less eaten their fill, Ranma spoke up again.  "Hey, Sham-chan, you wanna go visit your granny this morning while Dachi's working the sculpting bug out of her system?"

                "Sure, Airen.  What is reason you ask?"

                He looked down at his plate.  "Last night... Ryu came over while you girls were both working in the studio.  We talked for a while, and he wound up convincing me I need to go ahead, track my old man down, and talk to him.  Waiting for him to come to me is just making this harder.  So I was thinking we could go, borrow the Eye of Bastet, and at least check things out, find out where he is now and make sure the old fool hasn't gotten himself into any trouble."

                "If Ranma sure about that, then is fine with me," Shampoo responded after a slight hesitation.  "Can go find him this morning, come back, and start making up backpacks for trip into mountains to fetch him."

                He shook his head.  "Not unless it turns out Pop's in trouble or something.  I've got a challenge match with Ryu in a couple of days.  That was why he came by in the first place last night."

                Shampoo blinked.  "For real?  He make real challenge to you?  Is glutton for punishment or something?"

                "Nah, he just said he wanted a fight where I wouldn't hold back as much as I would in a sparring session.  Said it didn't matter if he couldn't win, that was the kinda fight he wanted, to help him get better by going against someone better than he was."

                "Still seem strange to me," Shampoo said.  "If just about getting better, Shampoo would think he would rather train than make formal challenge."  Then she shrugged.  "Is probably because Ryu have too much pent-up energy, after spending month in home village and having to keep his true skill secret.  Bet he is really anxious for good fight."

                "Y'know, I bet that's it."  Ranma chuckled wryly.  "If I could've, I'd have been glad to share some of my challenge matches with him and his brother during that trip."

                "Most of matches you have then, you fight to win as fast as possible.  Probably should not do that with Ryu, it not give him time to get the kind of fight he want,"  Shampoo said thoughtfully.  "You want to spar with me after we get back from Nekohanten?  Will help Ranma to get in right mindset for challenge match with friend."

                "Sure, Sham-chan.  Thanks for thinking of that."  Ranma pushed back his chair and stood up.  "You ready to go now?"

***************

                "Man, Cologne sure wasn't kidding back before we left for China, when she said that stuff about this place being just a hobby for her and she closes whenever she feels like it," Ranma muttered a bit later.  They had arrived at the Nekohanten to find the restaurant closed for the day and, on entering, had confirmed that nobody was there.  "I'd've thought for sure she'd be here this early in the morning."

                "Oh well," Shampoo said.  She took a hesitant step toward the staircase that led to the room where Cologne's chest of valuables waited.

                "What's the matter?" Ranma asked as she stopped.

                "Is just... Shampoo beginning to feel a little guilty about all the times we go behind Great-Grandmother's back.  Is not like last time or this time is any big crisis."

                Ranma frowned thoughtfully.  "You know... you're right.  It's not very respectful, is it?  Why don't we just come back later.  We're not gonna be leaving until after my match with Ryu, after all.  We got plenty of time between now and then to track Pop down."

                "You sure?  Earlier you say you want to do this now so to make sure father is not in trouble or anything."

                "Eh, he can take care of himself."  In the bright morning sunlight with Shampoo by his side, it was a lot easier not to worry.  "Remember, it ain't like he could starve or freeze or nothin'.  One splash of water and he's got all the bamboo he can eat lying around, and a big fuzzy coat to keep him warm."

                Shampoo giggled.  "Is good point.  How about this?  I leave Great-Grandmother a note, so she know to call us as soon as she get back here, and we go back home."

                "Sounds good to me."  Ranma wandered over to a window and peered out, looking up at the sky and speculating idly about the chances of it remaining clear and sunny.  There weren't any clouds to be seen right now, but that didn't always count for much in Nerima.

                Shampoo dug out a pad of paper and a pencil, wrote a quick message to Cologne, and went over to leave it on the main counter where the Matriarch would be certain to see it once she returned.  "Hmmm?" she said in surprise.

                "What's that?" Ranma asked.  He turned around to see his Amazon fiancée was now holding a second note, with a rather large sweatdrop visible on her forehead.

                "Is from Great-Grandmother," Shampoo said nervously, walking over and passing the note to Ranma.

                The note read as follows:  'I have taken Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung to Chuushinteki Park for training.  I can be found there if anyone needs to speak to me, such as perhaps my great-granddaughter might have come by to borrow something from my chest of treasures and was considering just opening the chest herself since I'm not here, which would be a most unwise decision on her part.  Do you take my meaning, Shampoo?'

                After Ranma finished scanning the note, there was silence for a few minutes.  At last he said, "Wanna head to the park, Sham-chan?  Or would you rather go back to the Kuno place, spar for a while, call back later and come over when we know your granny's here, and pretend we never saw this note?"

                "Which would Shampoo rather do?  Second choice.  Which is smarter one to take, considering just what Great-Grandmother write here?  Probably first one."

                "Well, if you're gonna be _reasonable_ about it..." Ranma grumbled.  They left the restaurant and headed for the park.

***************

                Ling-Ling maintained control as best she could, taking deep measured breaths and holding herself in a ready stance.  What she really wanted to do was collapse on the ground and gasp for air.  Her sister was in much the same state as they continued to prowl slowly through the park, senses straining for a hint of the Matriarch's presence.  Ling-Ling knew that if Great-Grandmother was going to test their defenses on this pass, then that hint wouldn't come until the proverbial last second, when she and her sister would have only just enough time to brace themselves.  Or rather, they would have what Cologne considered _should_ be only just enough time.

                Lung-Lung forced herself to concentrate through the buzz of weariness in her head.  'It'll all be worth it in a few weeks,' she thought, allowing herself a slight distraction in an attempt to raise morale.  'Great-Grandmother's pushing you this hard to make you get better as fast as possible.  Sure, it feels like hell now, but think how much better you'll be when it's all over.'

                Cologne watched from a position of concealment inside a treetop, her aura aligned with the tree's life-force to hide her presence.  She waited, giving the twins a bit longer to recover, and considering her next move.  The dual-sided training method she was using this morning was one of the best general ones she knew.  It helped improve the trainee's offense, defense, reaction time, and commitment to a course of action.

                Either Cologne would move in with lightning speed, forcing the young Amazons completely on the defensive, or she would make her presence obvious and give Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung the chance to attack.  In the latter case, if she judged their efforts adequate she would simply hold a defensive posture for a few minutes, then disappear and let them recover for the next round.  If their attack wasn't up to par, Cologne would go on the offensive and not worry about whether she was moving at a speed they could actually counter.

                'Defenses again this pass,' Cologne decided.  Just as she was preparing to spring forward, launch another furious volley of staff strikes at the absolute maximum speed they could handle, and disappear back into the trees when they were on the verge of collapse, the Matriarch noticed something.  She relaxed and smiled.  'Well, well... this could prove amusing.'

                The burning in Ling-Ling's lungs had nearly faded now, and her pulse was approaching normal levels.  'That must mean it's just about time for Great-Grandmother to strike again.'  The cherry-haired girl focused even more sharply.  If the Matriarch gave them the offensive, they had to attack very quickly indeed for her to be satisfied with their response.

                A loud, obvious rustling came from the nearby bushes.  It was all the warning they needed.  "KIIIIYAAAA!" Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung shouted, rocketing forward and striking with all the speed and skill they could muster.

***************

                "We really sorry, big sister Shampoo, Ranma," Ling-Ling said mournfully.

                "So much for coming to park being smarter choice," Shampoo muttered, holding a wet cloth to the large bump on her head.  She tried not to feel jealous as she noted the swelling had already subsided for her Airen, and reminded herself that she'd eventually get the same power-up.

                "They did know I was training you two," the Matriarch said heartlessly.  "They should have been better prepared."

                Ranma bit back an annoyed comment.  "Well, anyway, we got your note.  How'd you know we were gonna need to borrow the Eye of Bastet again?"

                Perhaps she secretly did feel a little bit of sympathy for him, or perhaps she just didn't want to bother with the 'mysterious Elder' impression.  Cologne answered, "I didn't know, son-in-law.  I left that note just in case someone needed to know where I was."

                "So why'd you put all that stuff in there about not opening the chest, then?" Ranma asked.  Shampoo glared at him, as she would have preferred not to get into that if it could be avoided.

                "As a warning," Cologne said flatly, turning her gaze from Ranma to Shampoo, and then back to him.  "I'm not certain how you managed to avoid the trap on the chest last time, but you will not do so again.  And I assure you, I have upgraded it to something that you'll wish to avoid at all costs."

                "Which is?" Ranma prompted.

                A hard, grim smile from the Matriarch.  "Why, son-in-law, I'm not going to say.  Just remember... curiosity killed the cat."  Ranma flinched at that, but not nearly as badly as he would have had she given the details.  Should an unauthorized person tamper with the chest now, the trap would send a spray of Instant Maonichuan water through the room.

                "Oh, great," he muttered.  "Well, could we pretty please borrow the Eye of Bastet, so I can find my old man?"

                So that was what they wanted.  Cologne's expression softened ever so slightly, and she decided to ignore the uppity tone of his request.  "Very well, Ranma."  She reached inside her robe and pulled out a rune-scribed triangle of glazed pottery.  "Press this against the chest while you lift the lid, and the trap will not activate."

***************

                Tatewaki's prediction turned out to be right on the mark.  After using the Eye of Bastet, locking the chest again, and returning the runic key to Cologne, Ranma and Shampoo returned home to find Kodachi waiting for them in the doorway of the main greeting room.

                "Shampoo thought so," the Amazon said, with just a hint of teasing mischief in her voice.

                "Thought what?" Kodachi asked, confused by the apparent non sequitur.

                "When Ranma tell me about how you work on painting for three days straight, back when you was thirteen, Tatewaki say he didn't think you would be able to stay so long this time.  He think you would miss Airen, give up, and come out long before then.  And I thought so too."

                The White Rose gave a small, mysterious smile and stepped backwards out of the doorway, motioning wordlessly for them to follow her.

                The room looked much as it had two hours prior, when Ranma and Shampoo had passed through it.  Aside from Kodachi's presence, there was really only one difference... the north wall was now dominated by a large panel of marble, carved to resemble a waterfall cascading down a rocky slope.  The attention to detail was incredible, even to the point of distinguishing foam on the water.  Kodachi walked over to it and made an elaborate, sweeping bow, waiting for their responses.

                "Water.  Why does it always have to be water?"  This was Ranma.

                "I thought you was working with clay, not stone."  This was Shampoo.

                Kodachi blinked, straightened up, and sent a hurt gaze their way.  Then she got a good look at their faces and relaxed, giggling a little at the poleaxed, dumbfounded expressions of shock.  "So do you like it?"

                "You... you really make this, Kodachi?  How?!"

                "Once I made a certain breakthrough, it, ahem, _flowed_ fairly quickly."

                Ranma was still a little too surprised to notice the pun.  Who says shock is always a bad thing?  "What breakthrough?  Shampoo's right, you've been working with clay up until last night.  How'd that experience help any with carving..." he gestured helplessly toward the masterpiece, "...this?!"

                Kodachi shrugged.  "It didn't, actually, at least not in any meaningful way.  That isn't the kind of breakthrough I was talking about.  What actually happened was, I had the thought to try and blend in something with which I was already familiar.  It helped tremendously.  Observe."  She winked at him, pulled out her ribbon, charged it with chi, and sent it lashing toward the base of the statue.  Ranma and Shampoo blinked as the darting edge of cloth effortlessly carved the signature 'Kodachi Saotome' into the base of a boulder.

                "Whoah.  That is just plain awesome, Dachi-chan," Ranma said.  "I am really impressed."

                "Thank you, Ranma-sama," she replied softly.

                Shampoo began unobtrusively edging backward toward the door, ready to give them privacy if it looked like they wanted it.

                Then Kodachi sighed, and said in a more pragmatic tone, "Of course, the technique is only effective on a rigid medium.  My efforts to work with clay remain abysmal failures.  But I'm going to let that slide for now."

                "Sounds good to me," Ranma responded.  "Can't say I was really happy about the thought of not seeing you for a few days."

                "Ha.  _I_ have been missing _you_ after just one night's absence," Kodachi said playfully.

                "So you not normally spend nights apart from Ranma?" Shampoo asked oh-so-innocently.

                "Ack!  That's not what I meant!" Kodachi protested, blushing furiously.  "I meant... twelve hours apart from Ranma... just that they happened to be nighttime hours when we're not normally awake...  Eep!  I mean..."  She sought a quick change of subject.  "So what did you two do this morning?"

                "Stopped by the Nekohanten," Ranma said, fighting his own blush, and doing his best to ignore Shampoo's snickering.  "The Matriarch wasn't there, so we went an' tracked her down to get permission to borrow the Eye of Bastet."

                "Whatever for?  To seek out your father?"

                "Yeah."  By now Shampoo had forgotten her amusement, and Kodachi her embarrassment.  Ranma continued, "Like I told Shampoo this morning, Ryu came by last night, and we talked for a while.  He convinced me that I needed to go ahead and be the one to take the next step.  We don't... we don't even know Pop ever would."

                "I think he would seek you out, Ranma dear," Kodachi said reassuringly, "if nothing else to thank you for the Nannichuan.  Still, who knows how much longer it would take, since he has no way of knowing his search for Akane is a lost cause."

                A thought occurred to her then.  She hesitated for a moment, then bravely asked, "Shampoo?  Ah... this time, when you used the Eye of Bastet... well, you know there's been a certain unpleasant trend... did you have any, er, trouble finding Genma?"

                Shampoo made a truly disgusted face.  "When I find him, he was taking bath in mountain stream.  No clothes at all.  Shampoo think she scarred for life."

                "Very funny," the White Rose returned, a reproving smile on her face.  "I don't think the sight of a bathing panda would scar anyone."

                "Grrr.  You not supposed to see through joke," Shampoo complained.  "That really was what happen, anyway, so if not for Jusenkyo, trend would still be going."

                "How deep was he in the mountains?  Will it take very long for us to reach him?"  There was an unmistakable lack of enthusiasm in Kodachi's last question.

                "Not too far.  We could get to where he is now with just couple days of travel."

                "Well and good."  Kodachi sighed.  "Might as well get it over with, I suppose.  Shall we go pack?"

                Ranma shook his head.  "Can't.  I've got a challenge match with Ryu the day after tomorrow.  Since Pop's not in trouble or nothin', I'm not about to skip out on a fight to go look for him.  He can wait until after that's settled."

                Kodachi appeared relieved.  "That's good to hear.  I'm glad we'll have a few more days to relax.  I'm in no mood for another trip just now."

                "What's that about a trip?" Ukyo asked, walking into the room.

                "Hey, Ucchan.  I didn't know you were over here," Ranma said.  "We're gonna go into the mountains and bring back my old man."

                "You sure you want to do that, Ranchan?  I know I wouldn't want to get out and go trekking through the wilderness again real soon.  It's time to enjoy the comforts of home for a while."

                Ranma shrugged.  "That's what Dachi was saying when you came in.  And I pretty much feel the same way.  But we need to get Pop back here."

                Ukyo gave him a look that indicated she thought he was an idiot but was too nice to say it out loud.  "Well... hey, I know!  There's something in one of the scrolls Rouge copied for me about contacting somebody in their dreams.  How about I do that and tell Genma to haul his own sorry butt back here?  That way he gets back sooner and you guys don't have to go to any trouble."

                "Sound good to me," Shampoo said gratefully.  "But is you sure you can do this, if you never try before?"

                Ukyo shrugged.  "If I can't get it to work you won't have lost anything.  You weren't going to go after him until after your match with Ryu anyway, right?"

                "Yep.  Thanks a lot, Ucchan.  I really appreciate this."

                "Hey, I'm glad for the chance myself.  Gives me incentive to learn a new skill, and helps me take my mind off the mess back at my restaurant."

                "How is the cleanup coming, anyway?" Kodachi asked.

                "Actually, that part's finished.  Ryoga honey and Ryu helped me get that done today, and we bought some new tables and chairs.  All that's left now is the actual repairs--fix the door, replace the windows, and put down new tilework around the entrance."

                "I still wish I could have helped you with the cost of all this," Kodachi said, a slightly dissatisfied look on her face.  "After all, what are ridiculously wealthy friends for?"

***************

                Ranma spent most of the next couple of days preparing for his match with Ryu.  When the other had first made his challenge, the Saotome heir hadn't expected to put this much effort into it.  Shampoo's point had been well taken, though; Ranma didn't _want_ this to be a farce where he blew his opponent away with speed the other couldn't touch.  Not only would that be an insult to his friend, and of no real help in honing Ryu's skills, the victory wouldn't mean anything either.

                He and Shampoo had spoken more of this that morning, explaining the situation to Kodachi and asking for her thoughts.  She hadn't hesitated a moment before pulling the solution out of her hat.  What was needed, Kodachi decided, was for Ranma to completely refrain from using chi to boost his speed.  That was the single greatest advantage he had over all the other young martial artists in Nerima; if he should forego it, the battle ought to be challenging for both Ryu and Ranma alike.

                An easy thing to say, not so easy to do.  It had been a very long time since Ranma had first studied his fiancée's advanced chi-manipulation scrolls.  In all the time since then, he had practiced the speed-increasing path wholeheartedly.  By now it took conscious effort _not_ to invoke that mindset in a fight.  Or, looking at it another way, not doing so was a challenge, and Ranma never turned away from those.

                However, it didn't take long to discover an unpleasant truth:  he had come to rely on his enhanced speed more than he should have.  The first sparring match under the new system, in which he tried to go against both Shampoo and Kodachi at once, made that crystal clear.

---------------------------- 

                A true martial artist should not depend on ANY one thing to bring him to victory, whether that be a weapon or a single facet of the Art.  Ranma reflected moodily on this most basic truth of Anything Goes as he lay on the floor of the training hall, bound to immobility in Kodachi's ribbon.

                Shampoo idly played with the Dragon's Whisker that bound his pigtail.  "Could Ranma repeat what he say five minutes ago, about still fighting us both at same time?  Oh, you can not, mouth is tied up too."  She slipped from her seated position on Ranma's back, moving to kneel beside him, and began untangling the ribbon.

                "Yeah, yeah, no need to rub it in, Sham-chan," Ranma grumbled once he could speak again.  "Point taken.  I haven't kept my basic skills as balanced as they need to be."

                "It seems Ryu has actually done you a favor with this challenge," Kodachi remarked.  She could clearly sense annoyance on Ranma's part, directed toward himself, and a determination to remedy the hole he'd allowed to develop in his form.

                "Guess you're right.  I'll thank him after the match.  But for now," Ranma stood up, flexed, and assumed a ready stance, "we've got work to do."

---------------------------- 

                The remainder of his practice bouts, alternating between Shampoo and Kodachi as the opponent, were both grueling and challenging.  In point of fact, Ranma even lost a few.  But there were no more humiliating defeats after that first one, and by the end of the second day, he felt he was ready to give Ryu the kind of fight his friend would want.

                The next morning, they met in a park midway between the Kuno mansion and the Hibikis' new apartment.  Unlike Ukyo's challenge match, there would not be many spectators for this fight.  Ryoga and Ukyo were meeting with a contractor to discuss the repair job at her restaurant.  Ichiro and Kozue were at the courthouse dealing with legal matters relating to their long absence.  Nabiki was still asleep; Tatewaki was arranging for a romantic flower delivery to be there to surprise her when she got up.  Cologne was occupied with her own affairs.  This time, the only witnesses would be the girls closest to the two combatants.

                The match was set quite early in the day.  Shampoo had been a little irritated when she first heard that, but now she found herself glad of it.  It was the most beautiful morning she had seen yet in Japan.  A soft breeze murmured through the foliage around them.  The clean scent of growing things, mixed with the subtle fragrance of flowers, filled the air.  Birdsong trilled in the background.   Sunlight sparkled in the water dripping from Ryu's head.

                Ranma stared, looking almost as if his eyes would pop out of his skull.  "No way.  I walked over here without getting splashed, but you, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung are soaked through?!"

                "Well, thanks for leaving me holding the bucket!" Ryu complained jokingly.

                "Yeah, thanks a lot," Ling-Ling chimed in with a smile.  "See Airen in wet clothing is not so good as no clothes at all, but is still fun."

                Ryu made a strangled sound somewhere between "Ack!", "Ulp!", and "Argh!".  "Ling-Ling, you're gonna destroy my concentration!"

                "Okay, sorry.  If you lose fight will be my fault.  I be sure to make it up to you if that happen," Ling-Ling promised, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

                By now Ranma was laughing audibly at Ryu's discomfiture, as was Shampoo (Kodachi had, with difficulty, limited her response to a smirk).  Annoyance at this allowed the former lost boy to shrug off his embarrassment.  "Anytime you want to get this match going would be just fine by me, Ranma."

                "Wait," the White Rose interjected, "surely you don't want to fight in those dripping wet clothes."  Lung-Lung grinned even more broadly and opened her mouth; before the lime-haired girl could say, "WE not want him to fight in them," Kodachi continued, "Brace yourself and I'll generate a strong enough wind to dry you of the worst of it."

                Ryu did so.  Kodachi turned her gaze to the Amazon twins.  "No offense, but I think the two of you are too lightweight to stand up to this."

                "We not want to sit in soaked-wet clothes either," Lung-Lung protested.  "Airen, you let us hold onto arms to brace ourselves?"

                "Ah... heh heh... sure..." Ryu nervously extended his arms to either side of him.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung took hold, but to his relieved disappointment they didn't use the opportunity to tease him further.

                After a few minutes of a low-powered Horizontal Shear, Ryu's clothes were left only a little damp.  His hair was also sticking out in wild spikes, but he ignored that.  "Thanks, Kodachi," he said.  "So are you ready, Ranma?"

                "You got it."

                "Okay.  End point of the battle... obviously, if someone's unconscious or yields, they lose.  And just to make things interesting..."  He made a circular motion with one hand.  "If anybody goes outside the ring of trees around this clearing, that'll also end the fight in the other guy's favor."

                Ranma glanced around the clearing.  It was about the size of the smallest practice hall in the Kuno mansion.  The new restriction would be something to keep in mind, but with the training he'd been doing recently he didn't think it would really be a problem.  "Good thing I wasn't planning on using the Saotome Secret Attack," he commented, amusing Shampoo and Kodachi and confusing everyone else.  "Okay, you're on."

                Kodachi, Shampoo, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung retreated to various gaps in the treeline, and the battle was joined.

***************

                Ryu made the first move, closing quickly and coming in high with a power strike to Ranma's torso.  Ranma absorbed the punch on his forearm, wincing at the pain from the heavy impact.  Ryu winced at the sight of a bruise that vanished almost as quickly as it formed.  'Nothing like being outclassed,' he thought grumpily, and launched another flurry of punches.

                Had he but known, Ranma was thinking something similar.  Whether it was because the former lost boy had significantly increased in skill while Ranma wasn't paying attention, or just due to his determination to put forth a good showing in this fight, Ryu was moving at a speed greater than Ranma could match without tapping his chi.  As his opponent pressed the attack, Ranma began to give ground, retreating slowly in an outward-expanding spiral.  This would give him plenty of time before he got too close to the boundary line, time enough for Ryu to slow down or get careless.  He concentrated on defense, not trying any of his own attacks just yet.

                After a few minutes of this, Ryu caught on to what was happening.  He knew good and darn well that he'd never be able to outlast his opponent, given recent developments.  And so he hesitated just for a second, gave a tremendous kiai, and then exploded forward in a fierce series of punches and kicks.  Ranma was forced to abandon the angular retreat.  He fell back in a straight line, dodging what blows he could without resorting to chi-enhanced speed, and blocking the rest.

                As he neared the edge of the trees, he changed tactics.  Ryu had just launched a hard punch toward his shoulder.  Ranma shifted his weight, put out one hand as if to block, then let the force of the attack push him aside.  Before Ryu could recover from his attack, the pigtailed martial artist launched one of his own.  His spin kick just grazed his opponent's side, though, as the other boy continued to press forward away from him, rather than whirling as Ranma had anticipated.

                The Saotome heir blinked as Ryu increased in speed, despite the fact that he was only ten feet from the treeline and closing fast.  Given the loss condition Ryu himself had set out only a few minutes back, Ranma was at a loss as to just how to respond here.  He quickly decided against running after his opponent, instead drawing back a few steps and assuming a loose defensive stance.

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung grinned, thinking back to the day before, when they had come to this clearing with Ryu and formulated various strategies.  Lung-Lung in particular was looking forward to seeing her husband put this tactic to use.  She hoped it would be as effective in reality as it had been in her mind's eye.

                By this time it seemed obvious Ryu couldn't stop in time to avoid stumbling out of the clearing, unless he ran headlong into a tree.  This looked to Ranma like it just might happen, too... the largest, sturdiest tree in the area stood directly in the path of Ryu's headlong flight.  His first clue that this wasn't an accident came when Ryu changed his run to a jump, bouncing off the trunk, altering his direction nearly by one hundred eighty degrees, and landing on a branch.  Without pausing, Ryu leaped again, going higher and causing Ranma to lose him in the foliage.  And then, with a loud crackling sound, Ryu soared free, but Ranma still couldn't see him--he was backlit perfectly by the early morning sun.  Just as Lung-Lung had planned.

                Before Ranma could do the smart thing (namely, race to one side of the clearing, bounce off another tree, and take to the air as well), Ryu struck.  Somewhere between leaving the ground and leaving the tree, he had apparently acquired a fistful of streaming cloth.  As he reached the apex of his leap, he began to spin the bandanas, charged them with chi, and let them fly.

                On the one hand, Ranma certainly wasn't expecting an assault like this.  After all, it had been so very long since Ryu... Ryoga... whoever... had used that technique in battle.  The unexpected nature of the attack, coupled with the difficulty in seeing it coming through the bright light, left him standing flat-footed as the projectiles stormed down around him.

                On the other hand, it _had_ been a long time since Ryu had used that kind of attack.  And even back when he had, he'd mostly thrown one bandana at a time.  The former lost boy had practiced this maneuver yesterday, with a limited measure of success.  He had managed to change the attack so that the bandanas struck with bludgeoning rather than cutting force, but he had been unable to precisely control the spread of the attack.  Sometimes the bandanas would all stay on target.  More often, they would spread out in a broader pattern.  This would make dodging harder, but would basically ensure that no more than two or three of the missiles would actually connect.

                And this was what happened now.  The bandanas spread apart as they flew.  Only two of them hit Ranma, blasting into his right shoulder and left thigh before he realized what was happening.  The others smacked into the ground around him.  Ranma stumbled back, trying to get some space between himself and Ryu, and barely managed to avoid tripping on a patch of torn-up earth.

                Ryu landed from his jump and charged forward.  He'd seen Ranma limp backwards, and didn't have any intention of giving his opponent the time he needed to recover.  Ranma blocked the first couple of strikes as best he could, but he was hampered quite a bit by the torn ligament in his shoulder.  Sensing the advantage, Ryu braced himself, discarded any thought of defense, and threw everything he had into the assault, landing first one blow into Ranma's side, then connecting with a kick to his hurt leg.

                Kodachi bit her lip and fought the urge to nail Ryu with a gymnastics club to the head.  Beside her, Shampoo thought darkly about the 'friendly sparring match' that she had expected to see.  Just because their fiancé _could_ soak up all this damage with no real repercussions, that didn't make it much easier to watch.

                Ranma gritted his teeth.  At this point not even boosting his speed would make much of a difference--that last blow to the leg had really cut his mobility.  'I can't believe this!' he thought, with a mixture of desperation, disgust, and disbelief.  'All this from him just catching me off guard once...  Got it!'

                A smile curved across Ryu's face as his last series of attacks opened a massive hole in Ranma's defense.  He launched his most powerful haymaker yet, directly into Ranma's stomach.  No way could he stop this one, Ryu thought triumphantly.

                Nor did Ranma try.  And Ryu was completely unprepared for the head-butt that slammed him even as his punch connected.

                The former lost boy's head snapped back, his vision swimming in blurs of black and red.  He fell to his knees.  Ranma was knocked completely off his feet, rolling backwards a few paces before coming to rest nearly in the center of the clearing.  Despite the fire in his gut, he pulled himself immediately back to one knee, making it obvious he hadn't ever lost consciousness.

                "Airen!  Snap out of it!  Ranma still in fight!" Ling-Ling called desperately from the sidelines, as their husband continued to hold his head and groan.

                "You can do it!  Please, Ryu!" Lung-Lung echoed her.

                Their cries helped Ryu focus.  As his head cleared, and the pain faded to ignorable levels, he got shakily back to his feet.

                "Pretty impressive," Ranma said, standing now.  He waited, letting the last of the pain fade away as his most recent gift from Kodachi did its thing.

                "Same to you," Ryu returned steadily.  He was pretty certain that Ranma was fully healed by now, which was more than he could say for himself, but there was no way he was giving up yet.  Still, he had no desire to repeat that last exchange.  Instead of rushing to the attack again, he assumed a defensive stance.  Let Ranma come to him.

                Although he faced Ryu with as cocky a grin as ever, Ranma knew that he had come within a hairsbreadth of losing the fight.  He had left himself open to get an opportunity for a power attack of his own, but had very nearly blacked out under the combination of Ryu's blow and the inevitable pain of his own counterstrike.

                Closing with Ryu and trading blows again didn't seem like the best of ideas.  He was still determined not to use his true speed in the fight.  Ranma assumed his own defensive stance and began to consider strategy while he had the chance.

                Ten minutes later, Shampoo finally yelled, "Will one of you please make attack already?!"

                "Hey, we are fighting," Ranma called back.  "You just haven't seen this kinda style yet, Sham-chan.  It's Endurance-Fu, the school with the longest challenge matches of them all.  An ancient and terrible martial art that seeks perfection through havin' a high boredom threshold."

                "Not to mention good bladder control," Ryu added, rising to the challenge of the comic interlude.

                Kodachi rolled her eyes.  "I wonder why I've never seen such a match televised or advertised."

                Lung-Lung tried to think of a witty comment of her own, but was coming up empty.  A low rumble in the background turned her focus to other matters.  "Did you just hear thunder, Airen?" she called encouragingly.  "Keep on with stand-off, and soon rain will give you advantage."

                Ranma growled, risking a glance upwards.  The sun still shone overhead, but the surrounding trees kept him from seeing very far away.  For all he could tell there might already be thunderheads dropping a deluge on the outskirts of Nerima.  "Okay, okay, intermission's over, boys and girls."  Without warning, he leaped backward, landing twenty feet away in the midst of Ryu's discarded bandanas.  He bent down and picked them up.

                "I've got a bad feeling about this," Ryu muttered.  He took a quick glance around the clearing to orient himself, then raced over to another tree.  A quick jump into the lower branches brought him to another cache of items he and the twins had secured the day before.  Ryu landed back on the ground, armed this time with a pair of short staves, each of which was about the length of his long-abandoned battle umbrella.

                "Y'know, some people might think it was a cheap trick, if the guy who picked out where the fight would take place hid a buncha stuff there before the battle to help himself," Ranma remarked.

                "But I bet none of those people practice a martial art called Anything Goes," Ryu returned.  Ranma snorted, but couldn't find any good comeback to that.  He began stalking forward slowly, one bandana in his right hand, the others all gathered in his left.

                This was Ryu's cue to charge the staves with chi and start whipping them up and down, back and forth, in a defensive pattern.  Ranma began spinning the bandana in his right hand.  And then... he focused his chi... poured it into the cloth in a very special configuration... he grinned, suddenly not even caring that he was in the middle of a fight, feeling the rush of satisfaction and joy that comes when you develop something new, something all your own...

                "BAKKUSAI TENKETSU KIREKUZU!"

                The bandana flew from his fingers, glowing with the energy he'd infused.  It struck the ground a few feet from Ryu...  and the chi dispersed, and the breaking points were triggered, and the explosion blew Ryu completely off his feet.

                "Dang... little too powerful," Ranma muttered.  As Ryu scrambled back toward a standing position, he charged and threw another bandana, and then another, and another, putting about two-thirds the energy into these missiles as he'd used on his first attempt.  The explosions knocked Ryu around further, momentarily raising a huge cloud of dust that hid him from sight.

                Ranma paused in his attack, letting this settle.  It did so, revealing the Hibiki boy dazed and covered with dirt, coughing and choking and on his knees once more.  His shirt was torn in one place, a smear of red caking dust to the cloth.

                Ranma blinked, coming off the rush of creating a new technique.  "I..."  He let the remaining bandanas fall to the ground.  "Aw, crap.  I'm sorry, Ryu.  I didn't mean to go that far."

                After another few seconds of hacking, Ryu forced out, "Don't... *cough* don't apologize."  He struggled back to his feet, glanced down at the staves he'd dropped in the first explosion.  Then he deliberately turned and walked a few steps away from them, taking deep breaths all the while.  Once he was confident he could speak clearly, Ryu said, "I told you this was the kind of fight I wanted, Ranma.  Where I'd go against someone who was better than me, where I'd throw everything I had at you and push myself to my limits."  He stared into Ranma's eyes, determination burning in his gaze.  "Don't you dare apologize for this.  Win or lose... it doesn't matter, in the end.  What matters is that I will be stronger from this."

                "You and me both, Ryu," Ranma said.  "I'll tell you what I mean later, but for now, I'm just gonna say... thanks."

                Ryu nodded.  His face was set like flint.  "Then let's finish this.  And remember... no hard feelings."

                Ranma nodded.  "Right, man.  No hard feelings."

                "Right."  They stood there, framed one instant longer in perfect stillness, and then...

                ...Ryu shot his hands forward in the classic Street Fighter stance.  "HA DO KEN!!"

***************

                Had he shouted _anything_ other than that, well, nearly anything, or just kept silent, things might have turned out differently.  But as it was, Ranma was caught totally off-guard by the sight of his friend apparently forgetting the difference between reality and a video game.  The Anything-Goes heir simply was not prepared for the blast of chi that shot forward from Ryu's outstretched palms, smashed into him, and sent him flying.

                A minute earlier, when Ryu had gotten back to his feet and taken those steps away from his weapons, it hadn't been obvious that he was deliberately maneuvering to a specific location.  It had just seemed coincidental that his movements had lined him up with Ranma directly between him and the nearest break in the tree wall.  And so there were no obstacles now to impede the pigtailed boy's flight.  When he crashed to the ground, dazed, confused, and feeling like the world had just turned upside down, he was well outside the clearing.

***************

                Explanations were given, and congratulations were grudgingly offered, and a rematch was scheduled.  Ryu, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung headed for the Nekohanten, the young Amazons grafted onto his arms and practically glowing with pride.

                The mood was somewhat less pleasant as Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo made their way back toward the Kuno mansion.  No-one said anything for at least ten minutes.

                Eventually, though, Ranma broke the silence.  "One of these days, Sham-chan, I am going to give your great-granny a boot to the head."

                "Now Airen, that not fair.  She has right to teach techniques to other persons than you.  Is not very nice that she keep secret from us, but..."  That was where Shampoo's family loyalty could no longer fight off her aggravation.  "Oh, forget it.  I with you, Ranma.  Great-Grandmother going to pay for this."

                "Frankly, I'm a good bit angrier at Ryu."  Kodachi all but bit the words off.  "All that high and noble speech about not caring whether he won or lost, and all of it just a smokescreen to lower your guard as he prepared his attack.  I hate it when people use such dishonorable tactics."

                Seeing his fiancée _that_ angry actually helped Ranma lose some of his aggravation.  "Well, I wouldn't say it was that dishonorable, Dachi-chan," he said half-heartedly.  "Actually, that isn't even really what he did say, is it?  Wasn't it something more like, what really mattered was getting stronger from the battle?  And now that I think about it, back when he first made the challenge, he said he wanted to fight me even if he couldn't win.  NOT that he didn't think he could."

                "I'm in no mood to be reasonable, Ranma dear," Kodachi warned him.

                "Yeah," Shampoo agreed.  "Ryu will pay for this.  Maybe I go to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, tell them that Ryu tell me he is too shy to ask them outright but would really like them to join him in bath some night."

                "WHOAH!"  Ranma cried out.  "That'd hurt them too when he freaked out, y'know."

                "Okay, something else," Shampoo snapped.  "He going to pay for throwing such dangerous attack around.  Super power or no super power, you is not immortal, Airen.  Get hit with big chi-blast like that could have hurt you bad.  Is not right at all for match between friends."

                Ranma shook his head.  "It looked a lot worse than it was, Sham-chan.  See--my shirt isn't burned or torn up or nothing where the thing hit.  I'm the one who really was careless, when I adapted the Bakkusai Tenketsu like that.  I coulda really hurt him."  By now a good bit of his aggravation had faded, at least temporarily.  What remained was mostly focused on himself, for freezing in disbelief at the sight of Ryu's final attack.  'Still can't believe him, pulling that 'Ha Do Ken' trick, though,' Ranma thought ruefully, thinking back to Ryu's explanation of his newest move.

----------------------------

                "Of course it's not really called the Ha Do Ken," Ryu explained.  Sheepishness and triumph made an odd mixture on his face.  "The real name is Kikotsu Bakuha."

                "Kikotsu..." Kodachi repeated.

                "...Bakuha?" Shampoo finished.

                "Yeah.  A pure chi attack, um, I guess you probably figured that out already though," Ryu said.  Ranma nodded curtly.

                "Is technique Great-Grandmother tell about to Airen and Ryoga while we in home village," Lung-Lung said.  "She also tell us be sure and warn you, Ranma, that is not safe for you to learn."

                "What?!  Whaddaya mean I can't learn it?!"  While there _were_ ways to get Ranma's ire up faster than suggesting he couldn't do something related to martial arts, these were few and far between (insult one of his fiancées, threaten one of his fiancées, hurt one of his fiancées... that was pretty much it).

                "We not say that.  Is that it would be too dangerous, now that you have same super high chi as Kodachi have.  You try use this, you might as well call it Kame Hame Ha."

                Ranma glanced at Ryu's hair, still sticking up in wild spikes and tufts, and forebore to comment.

                "Anyway, the technique works by focusing on one emotion," the former lost boy said.  "Feel it through and through, use it to pull in power, and then let it go in one blast of energy... that's pretty much it."

                "An emotion?  I suppose you mean determination?" Kodachi asked.  That was really the only thing that would fit with the name.

                "Exactly.  Determination and strength of will."  Ryu chuckled.  "And I needed all the practice I could get, to be strong enough to yell something else instead of the real technique name."

                "Yeah, that was a pretty funny trick," Ranma said flatly.

                "Hey, as I recall, you said you wanted me to show you a Ha Do Ken.  I was just doing what you asked."

----------------------------

                They walked in silence for a few more minutes.  At last Kodachi let out a long, aggrieved sigh.  "All right, I'll be honest.  The real reason I'm uspet is how much damage you took in that fight, Ranma-sama.  It hurt... it hurt so badly to watch him knock you around like that..."

                "Was not much fun for me either," Shampoo said.  "Was time there when it seemed like he was really out for blood.  I almost have flashbacks to your memories of fighting old Oni-soul Ryoga."

                "It wasn't like that," Ranma said firmly.  "I guess it coulda looked like it to you guys, but remember I was the one in the middle of things.  Yeah, he hit pretty hard, but not as much as he could've done if he went all out.  Remember, Dachi, he did the same kinda thing as me when you lent him those scrolls, focused all his potential into just one area of chi-manipulation.  'Cept, he learned to boost his strength.  You remember when he nailed me in the stomach, right?"  Twin growls assured him that they had not forgotten.  Ranma hurriedly continued, "Well, if he'd hit me as hard as he could've, massive chi healing or no massive chi healing, I woulda been coughing up blood.  At least."

                "That mental picture does surprisingly little to comfort me," Kodachi informed him.

                Ranma sighed.  "_Listen_.  I'm the one who nearly hurt him.  I'm the one who whipped out a brand-new, untried, and frankly too-powerful technique in the middle of the fight.  Don't be angry at Ryu, okay?"

                Shampoo gave him a long, considering look.  "Ranma say that as if you not upset he won."

                "I'm not."  Before his fiancées could do more than snort in disbelief, he continued, "I'm upset that I lost.  There's a HUGE difference."

                The girls tried to swallow their giggles at that.  But it was too late--the atmosphere of gloom and resentment had been dispelled.  They continued the rest of the way home in better spirits.

                "All the same, though," Ranma remarked suddenly, as they neared the Kuno mansion, "I don't think I'm gonna tell Pop about today's match."

***************

                A sneeze echoed through the quiet morning air.

                Wearily, irritably, Genma shook his head.  If he were coming down with a cold, there wasn't much he could do about it now.  The older martial artist turned his attention back to the fire, or more precisely the trout cooking over it.

                Once the fish were done, he removed them from the flames, gently peeling back the blistered outer skin and exposing the tender flesh underneath.  Genma ate slowly, making the meal last, stripping every last edible shred of meat from the skeletons of the trout.  He tried not to remember that this was the last day he would be following the stream.  He tried not to think about bamboo.

                Of course, that made it all but impossible to think of anything else.  Genma suspected he'd eaten three or four times his combined bodies' weight's worth of the blasted stuff over the last month.  Traveling in his cursed form had made the going easier, and a panda's heightened sense of smell could theoretically have made the difference between finding Akane and missing her by a few hundred feet.  But that was cold comfort; he had yet to find the first trace of the missing Tendo daughter, and he had begun to loathe both the taste of bamboo and the feel of wet fur.  Silently Genma promised himself, for the thirteen hundredth time, that once he got back to Nerima he was _never_ going to spend time in this damnable cursed form again.

                The current repetition of the promise was made with a greater sense of anticipation than the others had been, though.  This morning had brought him to the point of decision.  Genma was going back.

                It wasn't the continued hardship of his trek through the wilds that had decided him.  Genma didn't enjoy this, not even a little bit, but he would suffer more than this for the sake of his friendship with Soun.  The other's daughter, _his_ student, was lost.  Genma wouln't let discomfort keep him from the search when he might be the only thing standing between her and a long, grisly death from exposure.

***************

                Akane leaned back in the furo, luxuriating in the spacious expanse of near-steaming water.  There definitely were some things she'd missed more than others during her stay at Ryugenzawa.

***************

                No, Genma would not have set his face toward Nerima, except for the dreams.

                The night before last had been the worst experience he could remember in his entire life.  At least, of the things that didn't have anything to do with the Master, or Jusenkyo, or Ranma's occasional accidents with the Cat Fist, or the time he'd been suckered into fighting an infestation of rat demons when Ranma was too young to help, or that business with Azusa Shiratori, or... well, it had been bad.

                He'd been exhausted after a hard day's worth of searching, tired enough that no dreams should have troubled him.  But for the first time in a month, nightmares had disturbed his sleep.  They had gripped him and held him fast, choking him in blackness and shame, murmuring that he wasn't fooling anyone, he wasn't searching for Akane here, he was _hiding_ from her failure to find her.  He hadn't made the slightest difference, the voices whispered, and was just making a fool of himself with this pointless, stubborn folly.

                The tone of the voices changed then, and they had roared at him.  Go back, Akane has already returned, there's nothing for you here.  Fool not to consider the thought that she might return on her own.  Idiot not to keep in touch with Soun.  Return to Nerima, and don't waste any more time like this.

                He had awoken that morning feeling more fatigued than before he'd gone to bed.  His head had throbbed, and the bright morning sunlight had been oppressive, faded, and dull.  Trees seemed to jeer at him, whispering the messages from his dreams again and again and again.

                Genma had taken on panda form, and covered four square miles of harsh, broken, mountainous terrain that day.  He still hadn't found any sign of Akane.

                The next night, for all his exhaustion, a dream had come again.

----------------------------

                He stood in a featureless grey expanse.  Nothing before, nothing behind, nothing beside.  And then, between one instant and the next, that changed.

                Ukyo stood and regarded him quietly for a few moments, before speaking.  "I'll admit I'm a little impressed, Genma.  Thought you'd fold like a wet paper bag under last night's program.  I guess you really are determined to find Akane."

                "What is this?!" he had demanded, recovering a bit of his self-possession.

                His visitor snorted.  "This is me, using magic to contact you in your dreams, like I did last night," for a moment she looked a little guilty, "and telling you Akane's already back home.  She didn't even go to the mountains in the first place, you jackass.  She just said that stuff before she left so you wouldn't look where she _did_ go.  Now quit wasting time and haul your sorry panda carcass back to Nerima."

----------------------------

                And there the dream had ended.  This time, when Genma awoke, he was willing to accept that it had been more than just the workings of his own slumbering mind.  He caught, cooked, and consumed breakfast, gathered up his gear, and set out for home, with one thought uppermost in his mind.

                'That business with the okonomiyaki cart was the worst bargain I ever made.'

*********************************************************

                Author's Notes

                Lest anyone think I don't like Ukyo, or that I'm trying to portray her as a spiteful, vindictive witch, let me say that's not so.  She's just in a difficult time right now, still in the process of redefining who she is after some major upheavals in her life.  This does not happen in the original series, where to a great extent all the main characters' lives are interlocked in spinning circles, unable to really grow until some form of resolution is made to the various conflicts.

                I have not taken that route here.  The characters are free to grow and change.  The whole 'Ukyo-working-out-her-frustrations-on-Genma' theme is a necessary part of this, as I see it.  She's endured ten years of insecurity, loneliness, and hurt, which she now identifies as never having been Ranma's fault at all, only his father's.  Has she inflicted as much pain on Genma yet, as she suffered over the years?  Not even remotely close.  Does that mean she's going to keep tormenting him?  No.  I think she's now ready to move beyond that.

                While it might be more satisfying to have explained all this through actual narrative, writing more sections that focus on Ukyo considering these things and making a deliberate decision to let it go and forsake any more bouts of Genma-bashing, instead of just explaining it in these Author's Notes, some things must be cut.  I'd never finish this beast if I went into the utmost level of detail for everything in the story.

                On a similar note, sharp-eyed people familiar with the anime might be a little confused by the occasional references to tables in Ukyo's, as her restaurant in the original series does not have any.  This is because, for whatever reason, this time around she found a different building up for grabs and opened her restaurant there instead.

                While we're on the subject of things different from the anime... obviously without Ranma or Ryoga present, as well as Shinnosuke not yet on the brink of death, events in Ryugenzawa would proceed differently.  For one thing, Akane wasn't nearly such a picture of gentle sweetness and light to Shinnosuke (remember, she doesn't know he was dying), which explains why he hadn't yet told her he loved her before the events of this chapter.  For another, with so few people to help, and with time not yet being critical, much more effort was put into planning the assault on the Orochi (including use of the horned mongoose whistle, which Akane had shown to Shinnosuke's grandfather).

                One last note of acknowledgement:  the opening scene was inspired by an email from Essex, who pointed out that there hadn't been much random splashing going on during the trip to Joketsuzoku.  He also asked whether Shampoo and Kodachi would now become water magnets.  My response:  yes, but rarely.  My take on this is when a Jusenkyo victim is in their cursed form, they will only occasionally draw water to seek them out.  Since Kodachi and Shampoo are always in their cursed forms (Nyannichuan, remember?), and for that matter so are Ryu and Ryoga, their splashings will be a good bit less frequent than Ranma's.

                Next time:  Genma keeps his promise.

                Kikotsu Bakuha:  roughly translates to 'determined soul's blast' (I hope)

                Kirekuzu (from Bakkusai Tenketsu Kirekuzu):  scraps of cloth


	17. Karma, Love, and Other FourLetter Words

                White Rose

                A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 16:  Karma, Love, and Other Four-Letter Words

***************

                "Let that be a lesson to you."  Akane spoke the words in her best tone of triumphant righteousness.  She sent one more glare flashing toward the boy, and noted with satisfaction that even in his current semiconscious state he flinched at the sight.  She turned on her heel and marched briskly away.  After a minute or two, her would-be abductor's horse edged its way back from around the corner where it had taken refuge.  If a telepath fluent in Equine had been there, he might have been puzzled by the thought, 'At least this one didn't zap me.'

                'Honestly,' Akane thought to herself as she left the scene behind, 'it's like this place got even weirder while I was away.  Nobody ever tried to kidnap me off the street in broad daylight to be their bride before.'  She paused, thinking back to Ryoga-Oni.  'But it did happen when I was at home.  Is that really any better?'

                She gave that thought due consideration, coming only to the conclusion that if she didn't want weirdness landing in her lap she probably shouldn't be walking the streets like this.  Giving a decisive nod, Akane tensed, then sprang to a nearby second-story rooftop.  'That's more like it,' the youngest Tendo thought.  Yes, walking along the streets would have been far more normal... but that wasn't something she cared about anymore.

                Akane continued along the path she'd been taking before her unfortunate (well, for him anyway) encounter with Sentaro.  She kept one eye on the rooftops before her, plotting the best route to take, and one on the streets below her.  An hour and numerous miles passed, with no further sight of anything deviant or threatening.  No rampaging monsters (not that she'd expected any of those, but after Ryugenzawa she wasn't going to rule the possibility out entirely), no other would-be bridal kidnappers, not even a random mugging.  It was a quiet, peaceful afternoon in Nerima.

                Eventually, Akane's brow wrinkled in doubt.  'Maybe I'm not doing this right.  Or maybe I was, and I'm not anymore.'

                On the one hand, it did seem to make sense that if she got back down on the street and offered herself up as bait, that might be the provocation she needed to bring out the dangerous, irresponsible types who needed defeating.  On the other hand, what little research she'd been able to do had indicated that what she was doing now was the right way to approach her task.  You didn't wait for trouble to come to you, you went looking for some that was already happening to someone else.  That way you could dive in, catch whoever was causing the problems completely off-guard, and get the situation back under control before anyone else could recover their balance.

                Hey, if it worked for Batman, why shouldn't it work for her?

                Of course, Akane knew full well that those stories about that gaijin vigilante were just urban legends, but still -- the idea had seemed to be sound.  And it was much more attractive than letting danger crystallize around her.  She had just been trying to apply what Mr. Kuno had told her, about using your head to find adventure without running the serious risks.  But despite the huge first success she now had under her belt, Akane was still aware that she was very new to this.  Maybe one of the unwritten rules of adventuring is that you have to stick your neck out a little, at least more than she was doing right now.

                'I should probably go and talk with Mr. Kuno again.  It would be good to get some more pointers,' Akane mused.  She turned that thought over in her mind.  While an attractive idea, there was one drawback... what sort of excuse could she use for going over to his home?  As much as Akane had focused on the relationship revelations during her last trip to the Kuno mansion, she had still paid enough attention to notice the pronounced lack of warmth with which Kodachi (and to a lesser extent, Ranma and Shampoo) had regarded her.  She wasn't sure whether Ryoga had flinched when he first saw her, but thinking back to the things Akane had said to him in the wake of the P-chan discovery, she wouldn't bet against it.  No, if she wanted to go over there again she had better have a very good reason.

                After spending a few minutes searching for one, Akane's eyes widened.  She smacked herself in the forehead.  "I can't believe I didn't think of that!" she cried, dismay causing her to speak the words out loud.  It was Mr. Kuno's encouraging words of guidance that had given her the determination and direction to make these choices for herself!  She might never even have gone back to Ryugenzawa if it hadn't been for him!  She owed him a story and one heck of a thank-you!

                'Thank goodness Nabiki hasn't found a buyer for the dragon scales yet.  I'll just have to take one of them back, and give it to Mr. and Mrs. Kuno as my way of saying thanks.'

                With that decision made, Akane decided she might as well head back home.  It was late afternoon now, probably too late to go over to the Kuno mansion today.  But she'd gotten enough exercise, and even though her first patrol hadn't been the blaze of excitement she'd hoped for, she'd still accomplished something worthwhile.  And Shinnosuke would surely be glad to get a phone call and learn how vehemently faithful she'd been to him today.

                As she turned in the direction of home and telephones, something registered out of the corner of her eye.  She made another half-turn, staring down a street that ran perpendicular to the course she'd been taking.  It wasn't much, or at least it didn't seem like much at first glance, but there was a noticeable pocket of unrest several blocks down the street.  People weren't actually fleeing in panic, but they were definitely backing away from something.

                Akane made a mental note to ask the Kuno patriarch whether this sort of timing happened very often, then headed over to investigate.

                She slowed her pace as much as she could during the final approach, taking the last jump with a sort of crouching hop designed to minimize her profile.  From her new vantage point, she was just in time to make out a glimpse of the door of a restaurant as it swung shut.  The various onlookers had stopped backing away, but they were still wearing expressions of shock and disbelief.  Akane tensed, straining her senses, trying to determine if anything were happening inside that restaurant that she needed to stop.

                After a minute, her pose of hawk-like readiness dissolved into confusion.  Had she really just heard that elderly man say what she thought he'd said?  She focused again, listening as hard as she could.  This time there could be no doubt about it.

                "Strangest panda I ever saw."

                "Maybe it got lost from a circus or something."

                "What's it want in that restaurant anyway?"

                "Probably got tired of all the bamboo."

                "Just wait til it comes out of the restaurant," advised one man on the far edge of the crowd.  "You haven't seen anything yet."

                As Akane felt the first real stirrings of let-down, the door opened.  Sure enough, it was her sensei, Genma Saotome, back from his long fruitless search for her.  His gi was threadbare, worn nearly through in some places.  His backpack was battered and scratched.  Here, it was obvious even to those onlookers who'd never seen the elder Saotome before, was a man who'd traveled many long weary miles and was very eager to rest.  'I should go down and apologize,' Akane thought half-heartedly.

                A second later, as Genma leveled a glare like a blowtorch on the various pedestrians clogging his path, scattering them like leaves in the wind, she began to entertain second thoughts.  'Or maybe I should just let him cool off for awhile.'  Genma wasn't actually radiating a battle aura, but his mood was pretty plain to see nonetheless.

                Deciding that the better part of valor would be to stay hidden until her sensei was out of sight, Akane remained in her position, crouched down with only the top of her head visible from the street below.  She winced rather painfully a few moments later when a delivery girl zoomed by on a bicycle, splashing the one visible puddle of water over the one Jusenkyo-cursed individual present.  She ignored the excitement rippling through the various people on the street.  Genma's reaction was rather more important just then; the man-turned-panda stood stock-still for several seconds, then turned on his heel and stalked directly into the door of the building next to him.  His battle aura still wasn't out, but Akane was certain she'd seen a vein bulging in his forehead.  That it had been visible even under the fur... well, the youngest Tendo knew that wasn't a good sign.

                Deciding not to risk bolting in case Genma should come back out at just the wrong moment, she stayed crouched down, frozen motionless.   Akane was thus in position to see her sensei reappear in human form once more, cover another half-block's distance, and get splashed again.  This time the water had come from a window above him.  And this time, as he headed indoors in search of hot water, Akane clearly saw a battle aura flickering around him.

                This time, as soon as the door closed behind him, she took off like a shot.

***************

                "Saotome, my old friend!  It's good to see you again."

                "It's good to be back," Genma said shortly, doing his best to hide his current mood of bubbling, seething frustration.  It helped immensely to have finally made it back to the Tendo home, but while that went a long way it by no means eliminated his bad mood completely.  "Has Akane returned?"

                "Yes, she came back last week."  Soun chuckled sheepishly.  "Apparently she didn't go to the mountains after all.  She did quite a job of pulling the wool over our eyes, eh?"

                "Yes.  Why don't I go congratulate her," Genma retorted through clenched teeth.  Turning quickly away before his sudden facial tic could set off any of Soun's parental warning senses, Genma strode down the hall, up the stairs, and into Akane's room.

                It was empty.  He gave a snort that rattled the windowpanes, and headed back through the door.

                "If you're looking for Akane, she's out in the dojo," Kasumi said helpfully.  Just as her aura of peace and cheerful domesticity began to soften Genma, she continued, "Why don't you let me draw a bath for you first, though."

                Genma rumbled a wordless growl, none too happy to be reminded of the thirty-seven 'baths' he'd already had on his way over here, and then even less happy to realize that the sound he'd just uttered could have come straight from his hateful cursed form.  "Perhaps later, Kasumi," he said, hurrying away.

                As he passed back through the house on his way to the door, he caught sight of Nabiki out of the corner of one eye.  The middle Tendo opened her mouth as if to say something; Genma just sped up.  He wanted to get this business with Akane over with, and then maybe take Kasumi up on the offer of a long hot bath, and then settle down for a real dinner, and then sleep on an actual futon.  Talking with Nabiki didn't figure in there at all, as far as he was concerned.

                He made his way out of the house into the yard and slackened his pace just a trifle, walking toward the dojo with a measured tread of impending doom.  He paused just for a second outside the door, then swung it open and strode inside.

                He very nearly stumbled over Akane.  The youngest Tendo was kneeling on the dojo floor just slightly beyond the reach of the door.  Before Genma could quite recover his balance, she spoke up.

                "Here, Sensei.  This is for you."  Akane picked up the bundle on the floor before her and held it out.

                This of course was no aid whatsoever in recapturing his burning sense of offended authority.  Mechanically, Genma's hands reached out and took the offering, and began unwrapping the silk around it.  Meanwhile, his brain struggled to get back into gear.  "Akane..." he growled, just as the last layer of cloth came free.  Automatically he glanced down, postponing the tirade just long enough to see whatever this was she'd pressed on him.

                He very nearly swallowed his tongue when he realized he was holding a dragon's fang.

                It could be nothing else.  The size and shape didn't mean anything; any decent craftsman could create a fake that looked this authentic.  But with the tooth resting against his skin and his eyes staring down at it, Genma's trained senses could feel the energy burning within.  This was the real thing, as real as the fang he'd seen so many years ago.  That one had been the prize item in the collection of a master whose skills were a normal man's lifetime beyond Genma's own, a treasure as far out of his reach as diamonds from the moon.

                And this one, unless he had completely misheard Akane, now belonged to him.

                "What... where... how... why... who..."  For the moment, Genma's speech centers were well and truly flummoxed.  The string of pronouns was the best he could manage.

                "Have you ever heard of Ryugenzawa, Sensei?" Akane asked respectfully.  "That was where I went on my training journey.  The stories about the Yamata No Orochi are really true."  There weren't actually any stories about the Orochi outside Ryugenzawa itself, at least as far as Akane knew, but there was no need to let details get in the way of telling her story.  "The eight-headed dragon that sleeps in a lake, only waking up every five hundred years with a craving for the flesh of beautiful young girls."

                "Y- you went there?  And fought that?!"  Genma's eyes widened even further.  'Oh kamis above, what have I done?!  Is _that_ the kind of challenge she thinks she's ready for?!  I should never have taken her to fight Ranma!  Soun is going to kill me!!'

                "Well, I didn't mean to, at first," Akane said, out of a desire to sound modest, not because she sensed his unspoken thoughts and wanted to reassure him.  "My family went to Ryugenzawa a long time ago.  I was just a little kid.  I wanted to go back now and see what it was really like... and things just kind of snowballed from there."

                She went on to tell the complete story.  About meeting up again with Shinnosuke, about the wound he'd taken protecting her all those years ago, and how it would eventually have killed him without the miracle moss from the Orochi.  Told him how they'd lured the dragon forth, and fought it (and if Genma was left with the impression that the battle had been more of a fierce struggle and less a desperate game of keep-away, well, could anyone really blame her?).  Confirmed that they had -- that _she_ had -- eventually located and retrieved the moss, and finally healed Shinnosuke for good.

                "One of the smaller heads did almost get me," she confessed.  "But Shinnosuke hit it really hard at the last minute, so I didn't get eaten after all.  That was what knocked that tooth out."

                "And you're giving it to me?!"  Not a protest, exactly; he just wanted an explanation.  "Why?!"

                "Because Shinnosuke's alive.  Because _I'm_ alive.  I was good enough, skilled enough, fast enough, to go head-to-heads with a dragon and live through it.  And it's because of you, Uncle Saotome.  You're the one who's given me all the harsh, hard training.  You're the one who pushed me and pushed me and wouldn't let up.  That's what kept me alive then."  Akane bowed her head.  "Thank you."

***************

                'So she did follow through on it,' Nabiki thought, observing her dazed houseguest.  Genma had just stumbled his way past her en route to his room.  Master of his own branch of martial arts or not, he was staggering through the hall with all the grace of a drunken sailor, his attention far too captivated by the object in his hands to take notice of such trivial things as bouncing off walls.

                Then again, Nabiki didn't suppose that was particularly surprising.  The research she'd already done indicated that to the right buyer, that tooth in Genma's hands was worth more than their entire neighborhood, and probably the ones immediately adjacent to it as well.  And Akane had just _given_ it to the man!

                It had been less than a week since little sister's return home, less than a week since Akane had told her the story of Ryugenzawa and asked for her help in selling the scaly souvenirs she'd picked up there.  Nabiki had assumed at first that the reason Akane hadn't mentioned including the fang in the sale was that her younger sister wanted to keep it as her own personal memento.  But after preliminary research indicated just how much more valuable the fang was, Nabiki had gone to her sister and tried to get her to change her mind on the subject.  Only to hear that Akane wasn't saving the tooth for herself, she was planning to give it to Genma.

                And she had now followed through.  Apparently Nabiki had wasted every breath of the long, impassioned argument she'd made to Akane, 'suggesting' that she should just give Genma one of the scales if she felt like she had to reward him somehow.  Nabiki sighed.  'What will Akane do once I'm not around anymore?  Little sister has all the financial acumen of a small bowl of miso soup.  She gets her hands on a treasure like that and then she just gives it away?  When is she going to start planning ahead?  What on earth is she going to do with her future?'

                The middle Tendo considered that thought for a few pensive moments.  For some strange reason an image kept trying to intrude, a vision of her sister wearing a fedora and carrying a bullwhip, racing through crumbling ruins with a golden statue clutched firmly in one hand.  Nabiki shook her head, discarding the bizarre image, and reminded herself that she had something more immediate to attend to.

                Inside his room, still more than halfway lost in shock, Genma sat down on the floor.  The fierce glow of possessive pride warred with wonder.  He knew Akane had improved dramatically under his tutelage, but he would never have bet on her emerging triumphant against a dragon.  Not even backed up by someone as strong and brave and capable as this Shinnosuke boy apparently was.  Before hearing this story, Genma would certainly not have thought Akane would be able to handle a test of that magnitude.  But she had, and it was thanks to his teaching.

                And if Akane had managed to reach such heights... he found himself wondering what Ranma had been up to recently.

                From her position in the doorway behind him, Nabiki coughed, then coughed again, louder.  Neither attempt managed to reach Genma, and so she walked forward and around in front of him.  "Hey, Mr. Saotome.  Present for you."

                'Another one?' he thought, with the small portion of his mind that wasn't reeling from recent events.  'That must have been what she wanted to talk to me about earlier.  Hah, I should have listened to what she had to say.  After Akane's thank-you, everything else is just going to be a let-down.'  So much so, in fact, that...  "Keep it," Genma said magnanimously.  "Akane has already thanked me enough.  And really, I was just doing my duty as a martial artist.  I didn't train your sister for monetary reward."

                Nabiki rolled her eyes.  "This isn't from me, and it has nothing to do with Akane.  It's from Ranma."

                "From Ranma?" Genma echoed.  "What is it?"

                "Just a little souvenir he brought back from China," Nabiki replied.  She retreated backward through the door, bent down and to the side, then straightened back up into Genma's field of vision.

                The elder Saotome would have laid extremely good money just then against anyone who wanted to bet that something could take his mind off Akane's gift.  As his gaze riveted on the cask, and specifically on the ink-stained characters 'Danger -- Nannichuan!!' drawn by Nabiki herself, he would have lost.

***************

                Night had fallen.  He'd had his long, warm soak in the furo.  He'd had a wonderful meal cooked by Kasumi.  And Genma was now stretched out, enjoying the relative heaven of a futon after the long, hard search for Akane.  Basking in the glow of civilized comforts, made all the more attractive by contrast to the labor he'd so recently endured, the cold cheerless thankless -- 

                'Well, not thankless,' Genma amended with a mental chuckle.  He turned on his side, gazing toward the impromptu display stand that he'd set up.  It was positioned just perfectly for the moonlight streaming into the room to bathe the fang in its pale light.  He gave another satisfied smile, then rolled back to his previous position, looking straight up into the ceiling.  A much more attractive view than the thin material of a tent, or a sky choked with rain clouds, both of which had been far too common sights of late.

                Of course, the thought of rain clouds had lost all its sting this afternoon.  Genma still couldn't quite believe it, couldn't completely grasp the depth of the good fortune that had been waiting on his return to Nerima.  He'd finally escaped the greatest tribulations of his life!  Whatever kami had seen fit to torment him must have been appeased at last!  It had been a long hard road to get here, but finally everything was right in his world!  With a satisfied sigh, Genma closed his eyes, ready to sleep the sleep of the deserving just.

                After half a sleepless hour, he got up, and hit the kitchen for a midnight snack.  That ought to help him drop off.

                Thirty minutes later, with a bit more frustration, he repeated the process, finishing all the leftovers from dinner.

                After yet another half-hour's interval passed, Genma concluded that the food just wasn't cutting it.  He knew he'd been gone a long time in the wild, and that he would have to adjust to such comfortable surroundings again, but it shouldn't be giving him this much difficulty!  Oh, well, there was an easy enough solution.  This time, instead of the refrigerator, he headed for the sake cabinet.

                Genma and sake had plenty of experience with each other, but drinking alone was something he almost never did.  It was just far more enjoyable to share the liquor with his good friend Soun.  Given a choice in the matter, Genma would have preferred to do that this time as well, but somehow he didn't think that Soun would appreciate being woken up just to join him for a nightcap.  And so the elder Saotome quickly polished off one bottle, not enjoying it nearly as much as he otherwise might have, but confident at least that this would send him off to slumber quickly enough.

                Fifteen minutes later, and beginning to feel real frustration, he hit the cabinet again.  Another bottle went the way of its predecessor.  Genma retired to his room once again, hoping that this would finally be enough to put him to sleep.  After two bottles of sake, though, it no longer seemed like such an important thing.  His frustration was fading, replaced by a rather pleasant haze.  Slumber would be nice, but for the moment Genma was feeling too mellow to care whether it continued to elude him.

                He lay back down on his futon and closed his eyes.  Sleep still wouldn't come.  It didn't matter that much, though, he told himself.  Look at everything that had happened today.  Look at all the good things he did have.  Losing one night's sleep was nothing, certainly no reason to feel as if there was something deep and fundamental missing from his life...

                As that thought percolated through the alcohol, Genma's brow wrinkled and his eyes opened again.  Something big... missing...?

                The sake which had eroded his usual barriers spoke again, whispering the answer across the dusty, closed-in expanses of concepts and conventions Genma had never really learned how to deal with.  He wasn't fully aware of this, certainly not at all levels... but as if on instinct, he rolled onto his side, and looked at a bare patch of floor several feet off to his left.

                It had been quite a long time since his son's futon had been spread there beside him.

                That realization came like a spark, igniting the vapors of sake and burning them away in a blinding flash of inspiration.  Of COURSE there was one last thing to deal with!  Of COURSE there was one significant piece of his life that he still needed to put back into shape!  Just because the obstacles for doing so had been removed from his path, didn't mean he didn't still have that one last bit of work to do.

                With no trace now of alcohol-induced lethargy or mellow repose, Genma rolled to his feet and hurried from the room.  There were still several things that needed to be done, and he would take the first step without delay.  Now, where did Kasumi keep the stamps and envelopes...?

                Forty-five minutes later, Genma returned to his bed.  This time, sleep came almost immediately.

***************

                "Kodachi was right," Shampoo remarked.

                "Right about what?" Ranma wanted to know.  He was curious, too, as to why she'd said it in such a mischievous tone.

                "She said she thought it looked like rain, told me to bring this umbrella."

                Ranma gave a wry chuckle.  "Like predicting it's gonna rain in Nerima is any big deal.  But I'm glad she did anyway."  A date was the single most annoying time for his Jusenkyo curse to get triggered.  There had been a couple of close calls on their way to the theatre, and another between the theatre and the restaurant, but Ranma had successfully dodged each bullet.  That was probably why the heavens had decided to cut loose with this shower.

                "Shampoo glad too.  Besides, that was not only thing she said, that I agree with."

                "Huh?  It's not?"

                "Mm-hm."  The impish gleam in Shampoo's eyes was brighter than ever.  "After she say take this small umbrella, she add that it is perfect size for us to use."

                "Heh."  Now it made sense.  Being squashed this tightly against his Amazon fiancée was rather enjoyable, Ranma had to admit.  "Can't argue with that, Sham-chan."  He tightened the arm that was wrapped around her, giving her a quick squeeze.  "Being stuck this close together... it does make for some nice opportunities."

                "Like what?" Shampoo purred, turning (with some difficulty) to look him in the eyes.

                Ranma's eyes acquired their own mischievous gleam.  "Like... this!"  His free hand shot out, launching a barrage of Amaguriken-speed tickle strikes against the spot on Shampoo's side where she was most vulnerable.  She shrieked, jumping instinctively away; Ranma followed, matching the move with precision enough never to leave the umbrella's protection.

                "I never told you I was ticklish there!" the Amazon shouted.  Love of her life or not, that was one secret she'd _never_ intended to give away.

                "Heart Link, remember?" Ranma said smugly.

                "Grrr.  I will get you back for that, Ranma!"

                "Go ahead an' try," he taunted her.  "You know I ain't nearly as ticklish as you, Sham-chan."

                Shampoo stuck her tongue out at him... and then in one smooth motion she closed the umbrella.  "Guess Shampoo will have to get creative then."

                The rain had been slackening off for the last ten minutes, and by now was barely even a drizzle.  Ranma held his breath... and the shower finally died, and the sun broke through the clouds, and his curse remained quiescent.  "Hah!  Nice try, Shampoo!" he crowed.

                "I thought so too," she replied with a smirk.  Spinning the umbrella, she discharged more than enough moisture to shift her husband-to-be from he to she.  Glumly the redhead reminded herself that going head-to-head with Shampoo in anything related to sneakiness and guile was a good way to win second place.

                A quick side-trip got Ranma dried off and back in his birth form, and then the duo resumed their trek back to the Kuno mansion.  "Are you still learning new shiatsu points from your great-granny, Shampoo?" Ranma asked after a few minutes of companionable silence had passed.  "Or have you started working on a new special technique yet?"

                "If it was special technique, don't you think I would have tell already?"

                "Of course not," Ranma replied.  "You'd try an' keep it a secret, and surprise me with it... uh, okay, should we change the subject?"

                Shampoo giggled.  "No, no need.  We still working on shiatsu.  Would Ranma like to learn some of the new points she teach me?"

                "Yeah, that'd be -- Hey!" he protested, catching her finger just before it could poke into his lower abdomen.  "What're you trying to do?!"

                "To fake you out.  That was just poke.  Shampoo not know any shiatsu points on Ranma's belly."

                "This is more payback for the tickling thing, isn't it."

                "Is nobody's fault but your own that I am in playful mood now, Ranma."  He was still holding her hand; Shampoo twisted her wrist, bringing her index finger into contact with _just_ the right spot on his palm.

                "Whoah!"  Reflexively Ranma dropped her hand.  His own suddenly felt like it had been plunged into ice water, and the sensation was quickly spreading.  "What'd you... do...  Man, this is weird.  My whole body feels like you turned it to ice."  He made a few experimental twists and turns, confirming that he hadn't lost any strength or range of motion.  "But it doesn't feel bad or anything... just real strange.  What's this point for?"

                "Is not point for use in battle, at least not against opponent," Shampoo replied.  "Great-Grandmother say it can be used in teaching Hiryu Shoten Ha.  Point brings about a condition called 'Soul of Ice'.  Puts away all passions, keeps student from feeling anything too hot or too strong, which is necessary for technique."

                " 'Can be used' to teach it?  What's the alternative?"

                "If teacher want to give student hard time, she can teach him Soul of Ice without using point to first show what is like.  Great-Grandmother say that is harder on student, but good for plenty of laughs for teacher."

                "So this is the key to the Hiryu Shoten Ha..." Ranma mused.  "I'm not sure I like it."

                "Why not?"

                "Like you said... it puts away all passions, all the strong feelings...  I can look at you right now, and I know I love you, but my heart don't start pounding, and I can't feel the usual excitement."

                Shampoo grimaced, and said something impolite under her breath.  "Should have thought of that.  At least I waited til late part of date to make this stupid mistake."

                "Do you know a counter point?"

                "Is not one.  Just have to wait for effect to wear off.  Will not take very long."

                "So I guess we better take the long way home, right?"

                "Why?"

                "Cause I want to be able to give you a decent goodnight kiss, that's why."

                Shampoo smirked, her mood rising again.  "This was lunch date, Airen, is only afternoon right now.  Will not be goodnight kiss.  It will be end-of-date kiss.  Goodnight kiss will be when you come to my room tonight, tell me to sleep well, tuck me in, and leave to have X-rated dreams of Shampoo."

                 Ranma blinked.  "Whoah... I think I just felt a crack in this 'Soul of Ice' thing."

                "Oh?  Then I will keep going.  I don't want my Airen's feelings blocked off even for one minute longer!"

                "Ranma!"

                The Amazon blinked, shocked out of her search for just the right steamy speech.  That had sounded like...

                The Saotome heir had already turned in the direction from which the cry had come.  "Maybe you'd better leave me like this for now, Sham-chan," he decided.  "See ya back at the Kuno mansion, okay?"

                "Okay, Ranma," the Amazon said quietly.  "Hope this goes well for you."

                "Me, too," her fiancé replied, striding away toward Genma.

***************

                Father and son stood now on the bank of the Nerima canal.  A few hundred feet downstream there was a bridge over the water, but for the moment nobody seemed to be using it; they had as much privacy as could reasonably be asked for.  The bank where they stood was bare dirt, with a few large stones scattered around.  In point of fact it was quite near the spot where Ranma had done his best to console Akane over her disappointment with Dr. Tofu, so long ago.

                Not that the Saotome heir recognized this.  Thanks to Shampoo's shiatsu slip, he wasn't feeling nervous or angry or even tense, but despite his artificial calmness (a calmness that he suspected was already beginning to crack at the edges), he knew that this encounter was important.  What did his father have to say for himself?  Why had the old man really sought him out?  What would happen now?  Ranma had spent almost all his life with his father as his closest companion... but lately, for all these many months while his life tumbled through convulsions of change, Genma had been absent.  He'd altered so much since coming to Nerima, certainly more profoundly than he had during any three-year period from his years with Genma.  Did his old man even care?  Just where did his father want to go from here?

                "I wanted to thank you, Ranma," Genma said, breaking the silence that had stretched between them since his son first caught up with him back on the street.  "You don't know how much I was beginning to hate that curse."

                "So you got the Nannichuan, I guess."

                "I did."  Genma smiled broadly.  "I'll admit you caught me totally off-guard with the news about Shampoo, boy.  But I can see there are wonderful advantages to having an Amazon for a second daughter-in-law."

                "I officially proposed to her near the end of the China trip, by the way.  To Dachi, too," Ranma said, eyeing Genma closely, trying to detect any hint that his father might be bothered at all by the changes in his son's life that he'd missed.

                "Congratulations!" Genma said, smiling broadly.  "Have you set a date for the wedding?"  He frowned thoughtfully.  "Just how do Amazons do that, anyway?"

                "Same basic deal, just that the ceremony's a little different," Ranma answered shortly.  "And we haven't really talked about dates yet.  Prob'ly wait until after high school."

                "Well, if that's what you want," Genma said.  "But remember there's no need to wait that long if you don't want to.  It's not like you'll have to chain yourself down to a job to support your new family, after all."

                "Guess not."  That last comment had tipped the balance.  Ranma was through trying to work his way up to the important questions gently.  "Maybe I'll talk to them about having it sooner.  Should we bother to send ya an invitation?"

                The younger Saotome had said the words without any trace of irony or anger.  It took Genma a few seconds to realize just what he'd been asked.  "W- what?!" he stuttered, still a little too shocked to really make any kind of coherent response.

                "I asked if you even wanted an invitation," Ranma said calmly.  "You sure as hell haven't been around for any other of the big things that've gone on in my life lately."

                "RANNNMA!!  How can you... can you..."  Genma's protest, initially quite heated, ground swiftly to a halt.  His son _wasn't_ glaring at him, hadn't demanded this, hadn't made it any kind of insult or challenge.  Genma would have known how to handle either of those things (or at least he would have believed he knew how), but not this.  The boy had just calmly asked the question, showing no sign that it wasn't a serious request for information.  He wasn't showing anything at all to indicate that the answer mattered to him... hadn't given any clue that he particularly cared one way or another...

                The fear he'd choked down over a month ago, as he'd walked stiffly away from the Kuno mansion, reared back to life stronger than ever.  How could Ranma ask him such a question?  How could the foolish boy be overreacting this badly?!  It hadn't been that long, had it...?

                Grabbing desperately at that thought, Genma countered, "It's only been a few months, Ranma!  Does it really bother you that much that I wasn't there to see you fall for a second girl?  Most teenage boys would rather their parents keep their noses out of business like that!"

                "Is that all you think happened?  And what do you mean, 'a few months'?  It's been a lot longer than that, old man.  Didn't you even care enough to notice?"  Deliberately, Ranma began to build his battle aura.  Not giving his father a chance to cut in, he continued, "Didn't the fact that I kicked your butt instead of Akane's clue you in?  Does it really not matter at all?"  By now his aura was shining brightly enough that Genma had to shield his eyes.  "That's what I'm asking.  That's what I want to know.  Do you care at all how far I've come and how much I've changed, all this time while you were nowhere around?"

                'Oh, Kami-Sama.  What's happened to him?' Genma thought, desperately searching his son's face (as best he could through squinting, watering eyes) for any sign that the answer would mean anything to him.  'How can he even ask that?'  Through the choking fear, he cried, "Yes!  Of course I care!  Why do you think I brought Akane over there anyway?!"

                "You said it was to challenge me," Ranma replied.  "In fact, you said she'd beat me, cause of how I'd been 'slacking off' and 'getting soft'."  He flared his battle aura even brighter, then let it die.  "Oh, yeah, and there was something in there about leeching off my rich girlfriend too, wasn't there?"

                "So I made a mistake!" Genma half-yelled, half-pleaded.  "I thought after you lost to Akane, that would be enough for you to come back to me!  For more training, if nothing else..."

                This time, it was undeniable -- Ranma felt a definite crack run through the Soul of Ice.  It wasn't enough to break the technique, but it was a warning sign that he wasn't going to be able to hold this cold calmness forever.  "That sure as hell isn't what I heard from you then, old man.  Just a bunch of insults and junk.  Nothing that woulda made me think you wanted anything other than to see your new student beat your old one."

                Genma's face twisted in anguish and fear.  "It, it was just a means to an end.  I already said what I thought would happen.  Why I did it.  What I hoped..."  He gulped, and as the last traces of color faded from his face he continued, speaking just barely above a whisper, "Yes, Ranma, it matters.  I do care.  But... but... do you?"

                "I ain't the one who did the abandoning here."

                "Maybe not."  This time it _was_ a whisper; Ranma had to strain to hear it.  His father was no longer meeting his gaze.  "But you're the one asking me all these things... not looking like the answers mean anything to you..."

                "Amazon technique," Ranma said coldly.  "Soul of Ice.  Blocks all strong emotions.  Shampoo was nice enough to give me a little protection before we had this talk.  You think I could've done all this without something like that?"

                "I, I hope not."  Genma took a deep gulping breath, and forced himself to meet Ranma's eyes again.  "I'm sorry, boy.  I never meant to leave you for good.  It still doesn't feel like it's been that long.  Not to me."  Except for the recent eternity that he'd spent searching for Akane, but _that_ was hardly Genma's fault.

                There was a long, strained, tense moment of silence as Ranma considered his response.  "So what you're saying is, this whole mess was really just another one of your boneheaded mistakes, right, Pop?  Like the Cat Fist, and engaging me to half the girls in Japan?"

                "Yes!  That's it exactly!!" Genma said, nodding with such fervor that he nearly gave himself whiplash.  "I'm sorry I waited too long!  But, Ranma... _son_... never think that my family doesn't matter to me!!"

                Another crack, and then another... with the first spark of true fear he'd felt so far, Ranma realized that the effect was fading -- and he could feel his emotions rising up through the breaking ice, far too strong for him to handle right now.  With a tremendous mental effort, he forced his way back into the technique as best he could, reassembling the Soul of Ice through sheer need, skill, and force of will.  It stabilized into something not nearly as complete as before, but at least it was enough to suppress the flood.

                The pigtailed teen took a deep, ragged breath, then risked a smile.  "Okay.  I hear ya.  So, old man... you want to see something new I learned over the summer?"

                After taking a few deep breaths of his own, trying not to choke on the overwhelming sensation of relief, Genma nodded.  "An Amazon technique?"

                "Not exactly.  But yeah, let me show you one of theirs first.  It's the Breaking Point."  Ranma took a few steps to the side, bent down, and demonstrated said technique, reducing a rock to rubble.

                "Ah, yes, I've heard of that one," Genma said sagely, switching for the moment from 'extremely relieved father' to 'wise old sensei'.  Then what he'd seen actually registered.  "WHAT?!  You actually KNOW that?!  Something so powerful..." his voice trailed off, as visions of the future glory of Anything Goes danced through his head.

                "It's got plenty of drawbacks, old man."  Something Cologne had told him, about a common misconception concerning this technique, bobbled up in Ranma's memory.  "You _did_ know it only works on rocks and dirt and stuff like that, right?  Not yer opponent."

                "Oh."  Genma blinked.  "Well, it's still an impressive move, Ranma."

                "Heh.  You ain't seen nothing yet.  I actually made a new variation of it.  Wanna see?"

                "Of course."

                Resisting the urge to send the technique right underneath his father's feet, Ranma let loose an Earth Slash.  The trench roared away at an angle, racing up the bank of the canal.  "How's that, Pop?  Impressed?"

                Judging by the flabbergasted expression on his father's face, and the way he didn't even twitch as the bank collapsed into a miniature landslide that sent him tumbling into the canal, the answer was definitely 'yes'.

                The splash woke Genma from his stupor.  He scrambled back onto dry ground, ironically enough even _happier_ at the dousing.  'Never gonna be a panda again, never gonna be a panda again...'  "It's a wonderful accomplishment, boy.  I'm proud of you."  The elder Saotome had no idea how to achieve the Soul of Ice, but in this moment, relief and awe and the supremely reassuring realization that his family apparently wasn't going to fall apart after all combined to do for him what Shampoo's trick had done for his son.  Just this once, the old barriers and patterns were broken, and he could talk of such things without any real difficulty.  "It's every father's dream to see his son surpass him.  That you've done so at such an early age... that you've found two wonderful girls to share your life with... that you finally laid Jusenkyo to rest for both of us... I couldn't be happier, Ranma."

                Ranma glanced upward, noting with real surprise that the sky was swiftly becoming clouded over again.  The first raindrops should _already_ have been falling.  'Missed your cue,' he thought toward whatever kami or demon was responsible for the water magnet component of a Jusenkyo curse.

                Aloud, he said, "Uh, about that...  Wait.  Lemme backtrack."

                "Hmmm?" Genma asked absently, for the moment paying more attention to giving the gathering clouds a good old-fashioned Japanese red-eye.  Let the rain pour!  Would he care?  Not a chance!

                "It goes back to when me and Shampoo first started gettin' close.  We had ta battle an Oni, and Sham-chan got hurt really bad.  She would've died, but Dachi and I donated some life force to bring her back.  Thanks to that, both girls' souls are tied to mine for good...  Hey, old man!"  Ranma irately bounced a small rock off his father's head.  "Are ya listening to me?!"

                "Yes, yes, you just said Kodachi and Shampoo are tied to you... and you beat an Oni?!"  Genma smiled even more broadly.  "Well done, boy!"

                "That ain't the important thing here," Ranma grumbled (especially since it had been Cologne who actually put Ryoga-Oni down).  "I was _trying_ to tell ya about being linked to Dachi and Shampoo.  For good.  Forever."  As the first raindrop splattered on his head, he continued, "That's really cool most of the time.  There was just one drawback..." and now the rain was really falling, thickly enough to wash away his male form.  "When I got in the Nannichuan, it gave the both of them guy-curses.  Which is why I hopped back in another spring before we left Jusenkyo behind."

                By now Genma's face was nearly the color of the clouds above.  "You... you mean..." he spoke in a choked whisper barely audible over the rain, "...you can never be cured?"

                "Not by the Nannichuan, anyway."  Ranma-chan paused, fighting for control over her rudimentary Soul of Ice.  It kept wanting to slip from her grasp... and seeing her father radiate such massive grief and disappointment sure wasn't helping.  "Wanna take back anything you said, Pop?  Still proud of me?  Or not so much, now?"

                "Don't say that, Ranma!  I'd give up my cure in a heartbeat, if it broke your curse!!"

                His son-turned-daughter just stared, shocked at that response even through the fading Soul of Ice.  Genma wasn't always the most honest of men... but in the extremis of emotion such as this, there was no way that statement could have been a lie.  That he would say that... that he meant it...  In a flash of dread, Ranma-chan realized that she wasn't going to be able to hold the Soul of Ice much longer.  'Got to... got to get back home... can't break down in front of him...'

                Meanwhile, Genma's mind was working just as desperately.  This just wasn't fair!  "Ranma, please believe me -- curse or no curse, I'm still very proud of you.  I'll come by tomorrow and we'll talk more.  But for now there's something I absolutely have to take care of.  See you tomorrow, son."  And with that he was gone, shooting away so quickly that even in the rain he raised a slight trail of dust.

                Ranma-chan just stood there and blinked, shock replacing all other emotions for the moment.

***************

                The morning sunlight streamed through the large window, tinted with just a hint of green from the foliage outside.  It shone brightly on three teenagers seated at a large table, and it shone briefly on the food that the servants brought for their breakfast.  "What time you think Genma will show up?" Shampoo asked after the majority of her hunger had been assuaged.

                Ranma considered, chewed, swallowed.  "I just don't know.  It could be any time."  A shadow of melancholy crossed his face.

                "What's bothering you, dear?" Kodachi asked gently.  She could feel that it hadn't been more than a small pang, but as far as the White Rose was concerned, that just meant it needed to be stopped now, before it grew into or triggered a larger one.  "I don't think we'll have to wait too long.  It's obvious this matters to Genma.  After all, remember what Tatewaki told me yesterday."

                Her fiancé blinked.  "What did he tell you yesterday?"

                Kodachi gaped for a second, then smacked herself theatrically on the forehead and made a wordless sound of disgust.  "I didn't mention it?!  Grrr.  He told me that Genma just returned to the Tendo household two days ago.  Which means that your father sought you out the very next day, Ranma-kun.  So we can take it as a given that he does care, and that this is important to him.  I don't think we'll have to wait too long."

                "You're probably right," Ranma agreed.  "But..." again there was the glimpse of melancholy, "...he might not be able to get away real early.  That's what I was thinking of.  I mean, what's the old panda been up to all this time?  All I really know is that somewhere in there he got serious about training Akane.  For all I know, they could have a couple hours of training scheduled each morning."

                "Is that why Ranma was feeling little bit down?" Shampoo guessed.  "Because is not just Genma has not been around to see changes in your life, is also you have not been around him?"

                Ranma exhaled a long sigh.  "Yeah, Sham-chan.  You hit the nail right on the head.  It's something I said to him, yesterday, something that I got to thinking about last night.  He was getting real freaked out cause the Soul of Ice kept me from looking like I cared about whether he stayed or left for good, he challenged me over something -- I don't even remember exactly what it was -- an' I shot back at him that I wasn't the one who'd done the abandoning here.

                "But... but you know, that's not a hundred percent true.  He didn't try to get back to me, and I didn't try to get in touch with him either.  I mean, yeah, going back to the Tendo place woulda been way too awkward, at least for a long time there, but I could've sent him a letter or something."

                "Airen, that crazy!  It was not your fault!  Is responsibility of parent... to..." Shampoo's voice trailed off.  "Okay, I remember now.  Is Genma Saotome we talking about.  Is not good idea to expect too much responsibility from him."

                Ranma grimaced.  "Yeah, he made his mistakes.  But I did too.  And... and it's like I couldn't even see them, until yesterday. Until LATE yesterday."

                "That isn't very surprising, Ranma-sama," Kodachi said quietly.  "It seems to me like everything was all jammed up, like a great number of logs trapped in a stream, under pressure, but unable to move until the right thing finally shifts.  Before yesterday, when was the last time Genma ever said he was proud of you?"

                The pigtailed teen was fairly sure she knew the answer to that question even before she'd asked it, but he replied nonetheless.  "There've been times he showed it, kinda, when I'd master something new.  But he's _never_ come out and said it so plainly as that."

                "And Ranma know from both our memories that that is not how most people grow up."  At least Shampoo knew that was the case from her memories, and she knew the Kuno parents well enough to be quite certain Kodachi had received that same kind of loving, nurturing encouragement.  "Should not be hard on yourself, Airen, if you were not able to do some things until after Genma had done what he needed to do."  She gave him the warmest, kindest smile she could manage.  "Look at it this way.  Since there is mistakes on both sides, that means both people have to walk together to meet in middle.  Is not one person has to go all the distance, to other one who not move one bit.  That way would not be good for family at all anyway."

                Ranma exhaled, then gave a smile of his own.  "Thanks, Sham-chan.  That... I think I needed to hear it," he said finally.  Then, with a bit of irony, he added, "Anyone listening to ya wouldn't have a clue you'd just as soon pack my old man off to the Americas or something."

                Shampoo grinned sheepishly.  "You know I not so forgiving as you, Ranma," she admitted.  "But just because it seem to me like it no should matter this much to you, that does not make it matter one little bit less.  So I will do best to be one big happy family with Genma, now that he is finally getting his head out of his..." she broke off, and gave a loud, utterly unrealistic cough.

                "What we want is for you to be happy," Kodachi said firmly.  "If that means keeping Genma close, and just riding herd on him to prevent any more idiotic blunders... well, then that is what we'll do."

                For the moment, he couldn't say anything through the lump in his throat.  Instead, Ranma reached out with his right hand, taking hold of Kodachi's left, and grabbing Shampoo's left with his right.  He gave them both a squeeze, which successfully shifted the tightness from his throat to his grip.  "Thanks," he said.  "Thanks, Dachi-chan, Sham-chan.  I _am_ happy.  With both of you, how could I not be?"

                Shampoo and Kodachi both smiled brightly back at him -- very brightly indeed, with the way the sunlight caught the tears shining in their eyes.  Moments like this could never, ever come too often...

                A few moments later -- _just_ late enough not to ruin the mood -- Sasuke popped up through the floorboards next to Kodachi's chair.  "Forgive me for running late, Mistress Kuno!" he said, bowing until his head rested on the floor.  "I have no excuse for my tardiness."  Forehead still flat on the ground, he stretched out one hand, which held the various items that had come in the mail that morning.

                Kodachi gave a gentle, long-suffering sigh.  "Sasuke, why are you apologizing?  Father isn't even _here_ to receive this.  He's the one who reads the mail at the morning table.  Not any of us.  In fact..." she flicked quickly through the various envelopes, "...there's nothing here for anyone except Mother and Father."

                "Yeah, man, you're not late.  You're way, way early," Ranma pointed out.  "They're still off on that business trip to wherever."

                "That doesn't matter!" Sasuke said vehemently.  "A true ninja should never let such things keep him from the timely execution of his duties!  The Master has charged me with bringing the mail in at a certain time in the morning, and nothing should ever keep me from doing it!  Not snow, not sleet, not freezing wind, not driving rain, not burglaries at all the post offices within twenty miles of here..."

                Shampoo blinked, wondering where that last one had come from.  Then again -- she glanced through the window at the bright warm sunny weather outside -- it could easily have just been the strange little ninja talking to hear the sound of his own voice.  "What you mean about post office burglaries?"

                Sasuke straightened up, apparently in order to enable himself to hang his head.  "I don't know many details.  I only stopped for a few moments, to listen to some other servants gossip.  But it seems all the post offices nearby were broken into last night."

                "That many, all at once?  Weird," Ranma commented, as Sasuke vanished back through the trapdoor.  "Wonder what the deal was with that."

                "Hmmm.  Probably somebody plan to challenge you soon, Airen," Shampoo suggested cheerfully.  "Heir to school of Martial Arts Papercuts, or Martial Arts Postal Service, or something silly like that.  And he wanted to gather ammunition for special attacks."

                "Awww, man, I hope that's not it," Ranma complained.  "I mean, yeah, we're back in Nerima where life goes crazy all the time, but come on!  Surely this stuff with Pop is enough for now."

                "But it sounds like you'll be making peace with him quite soon, Ranma-sama," Kodachi pointed out.  "That's going to leave you wide open."

                The Saotome heir gave a long, theatrical sigh.  "Why me?"

                "Look on bright side, Airen.  At least this happening to someone who is man enough to take it," Shampoo said, sliding her chair over far enough to pat him on the back.

***************

                The three of them left the breakfast table behind shortly thereafter, heading with unspoken consent to the main living room closest to the Kuno mansion's front door.

                They beat Genma there by all of a minute.

                The door slammed open and the elder Saotome raced in.  He was halfway across the room, heading for the doorway that would take him deeper into the Kuno mansion, before the presence of the room's occupants registered.  He jerked to a stop, spun around to make eye contact with his son, and gave a deep sigh of relief.  "So there you are, boy.  Good to see you again."

                "You, too," Ranma said, somewhat hesitantly.  What kind of an entrance was that?!

                Kodachi gave Genma a long, evaluating stare.  Judging from his rumpled, bleary, red-eyed appearance, she didn't think it likely that he'd gotten a wink of sleep since yesterday afternoon.  Her fiancé's father looked to be running on that curious peak of nervous energy that comes just before the final reserves of will and anxiety are exhausted.  It wasn't something she'd ever experienced herself, of course, but she'd seen it several times during her younger years, back when her brother still had a significant skill advantage over her.  The only way she could win their sparring contests back then would be to outlast him, which Tatewaki always decried as a really cheap trick.  Cheap, but effective, Kodachi would counter, usually with a rude gesture or two.

                Of course, she highly doubted that Genma Saotome had reached this extreme of exhaustion through something so innocent as battling someone with greater reserves of endurance.  Perhaps he was still suffering the lingering effects of his long journey through the trackless wilds, searching for Akane.  After all, Genma had only returned two days ago.  And she knew from her beloved's description that the encounter of yesterday afternoon had been plenty stressful for Genma as well as for his son.  Perhaps, also like his son, Genma had found his whirling thoughts to be too great a burden last night to allow slumber to come easily.  The unease and intensity of Ranma's thoughts had been keeping not only himself awake, but also both fiancées as well, through the Link they shared.  None of them might have gotten a decent night's sleep had Kodachi not eventually snuck over to Ranma's room and taken his mind off all such issues for the rest of the night.

                However, unless Tatewaki had given some as a present to Nabiki, the Tendo household didn't have any sleep wards available.  Even if they did, she didn't suppose Nabiki would have used one of them on Genma, as the White Rose had on his son.  It was quite possible that the elder Saotome hadn't been able to drop off at all.  Combine that with lingering fatigue from his wilderness jaunt, stir in stress from the upcoming meeting with his son, and that would neatly explain the nervous anxiety she could see so clearly in him now.

                That was what Kodachi told herself, anyway.  She _really_ didn't want to listen to the nameless suspicion rising up from the back of her mind, that they were about to be faced with yet another of Genma's unpleasant past mistakes.

                Unaware of the thoughts running through at least one of his listeners' heads, Genma reached behind him, unhooked one of the two backpacks he'd been carrying there, and tossed it to his son.  The pigtailed teen caught it, reflexively setting it in his lap.  "Ranma, you were right.  We haven't spent nearly enough time together.  And I'm sure you'd like to teach me some of the new things you've learned.  I think a nice training trip will let us fix both those problems at once."

                Ranma's jaw dropped until it nearly rested on the backpack.  "Wha?  What're you talking about, old man?!  I just got DONE with a massive trip!"

                Genma snorted loudly enough to shake the pictures on the wall.  "Bah!  Didn't that okonomiyaki enchantress tell you where I was, when she sent those dreams for you?!  I've spent my last month in the wild with nothing in the way of comfort!  If I can handle getting back on the road now, surely you can too!"

                "Look, Pop, I ain't saying I got a problem with most of that stuff.  Yeah, I want to spend more time with you, yeah, training with you again sounds good.  But the TRIP part ain't gonna fly!  I told you yesterday, I just recently got officially engaged!"  Ranma glanced to his right and to his left, indicating two girls who were NOT looking happy at the thought of their fiancé being snatched away.  "I ain't leaving them behind!  Not now, anyway, not like this.  Not even for you!"

                "Well, bring them along then," Genma said, trying to sound reasonable, and mainly succeeding.  It was clear that whatever was bothering him, the thought of taking these two additional participants on the proposed trip didn't.  "In fact, I should have thought of that myself.  I need to get to know my future daughters-in-law, after all."

                Just for a second, Ranma wavered.  Why the heck did this mean so much to his father anyway?  Maybe he ought to go along with it.  But... his jaw firmed.  At the very least Genma was going to have to give some kind of good reason.  "You still ain't said why this needs to be a trip, Pop.  Heck, we can just use the Kuno mansion.  Wouldn't ya like to check out some of the cool facilities we've got?  C'mon, at least let's stick around and have lunch here."  _That_ experience would shake Genma out of this idea unless he had a really good reason for it, Ranma knew.

                "Look, we can talk on the road!  Kodachi, Shampoo, shouldn't you be packing right now?"

                Shampoo snorted.  "Not until I hear good reason, not just your say-so, father-of-Airen.  I have training session scheduled with Great-Grandmother tomorrow afternoon.  I not show up for that, and you will not be happy with what happen when Matriarch of Chinese Amazons finds out is your fault."

                Genma blanched, losing his train of thought just for a few seconds.  Then the urgency of the situation got him moving again.  This was no time for listening to excuses!  All his effort the previous afternoon and night had been for nothing, and there was no time to lose whatsoever!  "Well, give her a call, and explain that you'll be going off for a different sort of training!  I'm sure she'll... she'll understand..."

                Those last few words escaped more or less under inertia.  All but the barest minimum of the elder Saotome's attention was riveted suddenly on a new sensation, an awareness, a warning his highly-developed sense of personal survival was screaming at him.  It was coming from behind him, behind and to his left, from the doorway through which he'd entered this room.  It was a sensation the older martial artist hadn't experienced many times in his life, but it was still all too easily recognizable.  As if on autopilot he turned, damning the post office for their insanely quick response, already knowing just what he'd see.  While this might no longer be the case for his son, Genma knew exactly who was on the other end when he felt himself receiving a burning, yearning, amorous woman's stare.

*******************

Kasumi glanced at the clock.  It was nearly time for the mailman to come by.  The eldest Tendo daughter allowed herself a brief moment of guilt, remembering the letter that sat now in the mailbox, the letter that should have been there the previous day.  But Akane had decided to try cooking breakfast yesterday morning, and in the chaos the missive had been lost.  Kasumi hadn't remembered or recovered it until quite late in the afternoon, far too late for it to be posted that day.  'I hope it wasn't anything urgent,' she thought.  It was the first piece of correspondence she'd ever seen Mr. Saotome send out.  'I wonder who Nodoka is, anyway.  Perhaps a cousin or a sister?"****

***************

                Genma blinked.  Not only was nobody there, the door wasn't even ajar.  He blinked again.  Still closed.  "I really am getting too jumpy," he muttered under his breath.  After all, even though the post office had apparently performed their duties with the speed of greased lightning, there was still no way Nodoka could have made it over here yet.  Not as slowly as his wife walked in that kimono.  Letting out a sigh of relief, he half-turned back to face his son and future daughters-in-law.

                Behind him, the door blew out of its frame, disappearing into a cloud of splinters.

                The newcomer paused, relishing that one frozen moment of shock on the faces of all she'd surprised.  Then, with a rustle and slither of cloth moving swiftly against wood, Yokehi crossed the distance to Genma and had him in her embrace.  "It's been a while, hasn't it?" the enchantress cooed.

                "What?!  You... I... but... this..."  The sight of this figure -- this amorous ghost that Nabiki had sworn her fiancé had laid to rest -- shocked Genma the rest of the way out of his wits.  He gibbered a few more incoherent words of protest, then, with a sigh, his eyes rolled up and his knees gave out.

                Yokehi frowned, but still caught him as he fell.  "Amaterasu's Adam's Apple!  I didn't even get to _kiss_ you this time!  We most definitely are going to have to do something about this fainting tendency!"  Shucking off his backpack and hefting him to her shoulder in a fireman's carry, she turned to resume the journey that had been interrupted by Akane, so long ago.

                "H- hold it!!" Ranma yelled, shooting to his feet and finding breath to protest, even though he'd nowhere near caught his balance at this development.  "Who are you?!  Where the hell are you takin' my old man?!"

                "Your father?" Yokehi replied, turning back to face Ranma with interest.  She gave him a long, considering stare, then twisted her neck and gave Genma a similar one.  Whatever the purpose of that examination had been, she seemed pleased with the results.  "Let's just say I'm taking him somewhere where the two of us can get... intimately acquainted."

                "Like hell!" Ranma retorted.  "I only just got the old fool back in my life, and some crazy witch shows up to snatch him away?!  I don't think so!!"

                The sorceress sniffed.  "You should speak with more respect to your stepmother."

                THAT took the wind right out of his sails.  "You... you're...?"  Apparently he'd massively underestimated the changes he'd missed in his father's life, Ranma thought dizzily.

                "Well, stepmother-to-be," Yokehi amended.

                "And what does _he_ say about that?" the pigtailed teen demanded, recovering somewhat, and reminding himself that Genma's reaction on seeing this new arrival hadn't exactly been favorable.  Yokehi just shrugged, which response caused Ranma's expression to harden a little more.  "That's what I thought.  You ain't taking him anywhere!" he yelled.  Then, glancing behind him, noting with some disgruntlement that Kodachi and Shampoo were still seated on the couch, he added, "Hey, you two!  A little backup here?!"

                "Oh, right.  Sorry, Ranma-sama."  Kodachi gave one last blink of astonishment, then got to her feet.  "You'd think I ought to be used to bizarre things happening by now.  I don't know why this caught me so off-guard.  So what if a beautiful, supernatural woman has apparently decided to make Genma Saotome... her love slave..."  Abruptly the White Rose sank back down to the couch.  "Sorry, dear.  Just give me a few more minutes."

                Unlike Kodachi, Shampoo had been born into a culture that seriously valued many of the qualities Genma had to offer.  She knew several Amazons who would have considered him superb husband material (after a period of judicious breaking-in, anyway), and so it wasn't nearly as hard for her to process this development.  "Ranma is right," she said, standing up and staring menacingly at the ghost.  "You is not going to take stupid panda man away.  Not now, not like this."

                "Bah.  As if you children could stop me."  Yokehi engaged her second favorite sorcerous ability (it had been her very favorite for a long time, but had recently been displaced by the one that let her escape Tatewaki's onslaught with her existence intact), sending a web of compulsion toward the only conscious male present.  He would buy her more than enough time to esc -- what?!

                Ranma staggered, clutching at his head in a sudden delirious blaze of disorientation.  Yokehi's mind-control abilities only affected men... and his soul was directly tied to two women.  She could temporarily knock away his own control, but she could not pull his strings herself.

                "Ranma-sama!" Kodachi shouted, diving from the couch and catching him as he fell.

                Satisfied that her Airen was being tended to, Shampoo whipped out a scimitar and focused as much chi into it as she could.  This encounter seemed awfully similar to the stories she had heard of the night when Ryoga received his twin Kisses of Marriage.  The woman before her didn't look particularly serpentine, but from what the Amazon understood neither had that ghost at first.  Shampoo couldn't do the Heaven and Earth Cut, nor could she match Kodachi's sheer chi output, but perhaps this much energy would be effective anyway.  "Put father-in-law down now!" she demanded, stalking toward Yokehi, faintly-glowing sword held menacingly before her.

                The witch's eyes narrowed.  "I think not!!"

                With no further ado, she lashed out with a new trick she'd developed quite recently.  Nearly being snuffed from existence on the very night she escaped from slumber in the enchanted brassiere had been a terrible shock to someone who'd seen herself as effectively immortal.  Only an ability tied to her alternate serpent form had let her escape, 'shedding a skin' at the last moment and fleeing invisibly.  It had been a rude shock indeed, and a subsequent worse one to learn just how much time had passed while she slept, but she had learned from it.  Yokehi had already developed a few new abilities, and she had no intentions of stopping that quest anytime soon.

                She gestured with her free hand, and the corresponding sleeve of her kimono exploded into unraveling threads, almost identical to the result of Akane's counterattack so long ago.  But this time the threads remained under Yokehi's will, multiplying, then shooting forward.  Shampoo managed to sever most of the first wave, but then the second was upon her even as the remnants of the first snaked around her sword arm.  The Amazon was bound securely, followed in an eyeblink by Ranma (still too woozy to effectively resist) and Kodachi (who might have escaped by flaring her battle aura strongly enough to char the threads, save for the fact that this would also have charred the love of her life).  The threads wrapped and wove around them, coccooning them securely enough even to prevent speech.

                Yokehi gave a prolonged, triumphant, but still demure and ladylike laugh.  "You should have known better than to try to stop me without that boy with the reality-tearing sword.  Don't worry, Ranma, you'll see your father again soon enough.  But the honeymoon is no place for children.  Until we meet again!"

***************

                The threads binding them faded within five minutes of Yokehi's departure, which was one bit of good news.  Kodachi knew good and darn well that when her parents finally did get back from their trip, one of the first things they would do was ask the servants for news of any interesting events that had transpired while they were away.  Having Godai and Hitome learn that their daughter had been caught so pathetically off-guard, and not only herself but her fiancé and sworn sister also... well, the White Rose would far rather avoid that eventuality.  The LAST thing she needed to do was trigger a reemergence of her father's overprotective side.

                "Think that might have been same spirit what tried to kidnap Genma before," Shampoo said as soon as she could talk again.  "You remember, from night when Ryoga defeat Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung?"

                "Yes, that's got to be it," Kodachi agreed.  "Hang on, let me go fetch my old night-light."  Shampoo wasn't the only one who remembered the stories she'd heard of that night.  Kodachi had always felt vaguely proud that her favorite childhood possession had been responsible for solving two crises so far.  And now, perhaps the third time would be the charm.

                Ranma shook his head in mild bemusement as he watched his fiancée vanish deeper into the house.  "It's a really powerful artifact with a cool name like the Orb of Amalthea, and she still calls it her old night-light.  Weird."

                Shampoo gave him a look that indicated she thought his response was far stranger.  "Ah... Ranma?  Why you not freaked out?  Ghost just stole your father away, took him right out from under your nose, just when he finally get back in your life.  Shampoo thought you would be really worried, impatient to get going.  You not still under some trick from stupid ghost, right?"

                After wondering for a second just how Shampoo expected him to answer that last question, Ranma opted to ignore it.  "Well, Shampoo, I am a little bit ticked.  But it's not near as bad now as it was right when that witch showed up."

                "Hope Kodachi get back with Orb quick," Shampoo muttered.  Louder, she said, "Why is that?"

                "Eh, cause I've had a few minutes to get my feet back under me and think about stuff."  There hadn't been much else to do besides think, for that five minute interval, and thinking over recent developments had been _much_ safer than thinking of the interesting sensation of having his fiancée tied so closely and so tightly against him.  "It ain't like I'm still stuck out in the dark wondering whether Pop even cares about bein' a part of my life anymore, after all.  He cleared that up yesterday.  The fact is, the next step needs to be me sayin' I'm sorry for not trying to get back to him either."  Ranma grinned, part sheepishly, part vindictively.  "I figure that'll come easier after I've hauled his sorry hide outta trouble.  Heck, this ghost lady may've even done me a favor, giving me a chance to save him like this.  It'll be something to hold over his head for years to come."

                That made a lot more sense, the Amazon thought.  "Still, Shampoo would have expect you to be in bigger hurry than this.  It not bother you that ghost is getting a big head start right now?"

                "Course not, cause it doesn't matter at all.  We'll find her with the Eye of Bastet, and catch up to her with the Nanban Mirror.  Heck, we probably oughta let that last part slide for a few hours, just to let Pop get good an' appreciative when we do come riding in for the rescue."

                Shampoo laughed merrily.  "How about giving a week?  After all, Genma has been alone for long time.  Maybe this sorceress deserve chance to catch his heart."

***************

                Genma wasn't totally certain, but he was fairly sure that he'd only been unconscious for a short while.  Less than an hour, almost surely, and if he had to guess he'd have said it was on the short side of fifteen minutes.  He was lying flat on his back, on what felt like a springy bed of moss.  He could smell the pungent odors of earth and vegetation, and could feel a slight breeze against his skin.  Ever so carefully, he cracked open one eye the barest fraction, while modulating his breathing to fake continued unconsciousness.

                The sun was well on its way down to the western horizon.  He was surrounded by trees that were definitely not indigenous to Japan.

                NOT a good sign.

                "Now, now," a seductive voice cooed from far too close for Genma's liking.  "Faking sleep isn't going to do you any good.  You should get some real rest.  You had a very busy night, after all."

                Shock from that message blew away every shred of confidence in his assessment of how much time had passed.  'Oh, merciful Kami!  Did I... did we...?!'  A few panicked seconds of wracking his brain failed to unearth any suppressed memories; the elder Saotome gathered his courage, sat up, and asked, "W- what's that supposed to mean?"

                "Your little series of raids on all those post offices.  I was most impressed," Yokehi explained.  "You swept through them like a whirlwind, sowing chaos and anarchy in place of all that boring order.  Just why did you do it, anyway?  Did a postman give you offense?"

                "No, I was looking for something.  A letter that I shouldn't have sent," Genma explained, relief loosening his tongue.

                Yokehi's smile broadened.  Ruthlessness in looking out for himself and no hesitation at all in correcting a mistake he'd made... AND a willingness to admit to her that he'd made a mistake!  Her old love Tenma might be dead and gone, passed to dust centuries ago, but so far all the signs were pointing to his descendant Genma as a replacement even more satisfactory than the original!  "Well, don't worry about that now," the sorceress purred.  "Whatever annoying consequences that letter getting out would have had, I promise you they won't be troubling you now."  Yokehi's eyes gleamed.  "I'll take verrrry good care of you, my love."

                "L- listen!" Genma sputtered, desperately thinking back to that night so many months ago when Happosai had unleashed this terrible, fearsome entity.  "I'm not the man you think I am!"

                "I know exactly who you are," Yokehi returned.  "Genma Saotome, a master martial artist.  You recently spent a month searching the wilds for a girl you thought was in trouble," an expression of mild distaste crossed her face at the memory of Genma's good deed, "but since she was your student and the daughter of your best friend I suppose that's all right.  And of course," now she was smiling broadly again, "she rewarded you very handsomely indeed."

                That level of familiarity with his private life struck Genma as perhaps the most ominous sign yet.  So much so, in fact, that he really didn't feel up to considering the implications at the moment.  "I... I thought you thought I was somebody else, that night all those months ago..."

                "I did," Yokehi said quietly, looking away.  "Tenma Saotome, your distant ancestor.  He and I loved each other very much.  But I ran afoul of another sorceress's curse, one that damaged the magics I used to keep myself young and beautiful.  In order to restore them, I had to abandon my body, enchant one of my close personal items, and seal my spirit within it.  My familiar Pata was to release me after ten years had passed and I had recovered," the sorceress grimaced bitterly, "but the same bitch who laid me low tracked her down and slaughtered her."

                "Sorry, could you repeat part of that?  You said you had to choose some item to seal your spirit in... and you picked a ­_bra_?!"  Genma boggled.  "Why?!"

                Yokehi stared back at him in equal incomprehension.  "Why not?"

                After a long moment of silence, spent by Genma in trying to find an answer to that question, Yokehi spoke again.  "Anyway, I now know better.  It hasn't been ten years, it's been centuries.  And you aren't Tenma."  The sorceress lowered her eyelids, giving Genma a sultry look.  "But you are quite like him, Genma dear."  She slipped forward across several feet of the distance separating her from Genma.  "A man of skill and strength, refreshingly free from the shackles of petty morality yet nowhere near the kind of heartless monster for whom that is most usually true."  Another move, even quicker this time, to counteract the fact that Genma was slowly edging backward.  "Just the kind of man I'm looking for."

                As his back thumped against a tree trunk, Genma decided that enough was enough.  "But... I'm not!  You can't!  I'm already MARRIED!!"

                "Oh, don't give me that cock and bull story."  Despite her words, Yokehi's tone was light and playful, showing that she didn't really mean the censure.  After all, this was more or less how her relationship with Tenma had begun.  In fact, Genma's ancestor had been even more skittish than this, since fear of the supernatural had run deeper in his time.  "When that young man introduced himself as your son, I scanned you.  You haven't been with a woman in over thirteen years."

                "That's because I was on a training journey, bringing my son up to his full potential as a martial artist!" Genma retorted desperately.  "It was never meant to be permanent!  I was planning to go back to Nodoka very soon!"  At least, that had been the plan in between receiving Ranma's gift of Nannichuan water and learning that his son hadn't been able to avail himself of that cure.  No need to go into quite that much detail now, though.

                Yokehi just gave him an arch look and continued advancing.  "To a woman who you left for that long?  A woman you didn't even visit during that training journey?  Bah, if you could abandon her like that then there's nothing there I need concern myself about."

                "That's not true," Genma said, finding a measure of backbone in the face of this slur.  "I did what I did for the Art.  I have no problem admitting that it is my first love.  But Nodoka is my second, I've never betrayed her, and I won't start now!"

                Yokehi sniffed derisively.  With a hint of true annoyance she replied, "It's hardly a betrayal.  There's nothing there to betray.  Anyway, it would be much better for everyone concerned for you to reach out to someone who really appreciates you."

                Genma's jaw squared.  "I said I'm not doing it.  I won't abandon my wife for the arms of another woman, and you can't make me!"

                The sorceress stared blankly at him.  "Of course I could," she said, her confusion at his statement plain to see.  "Are you forgetting that I'm a sorceress?"

                The elder Saotome's face paled, and he swallowed convulsively.  "Um... err..."

                Yokehi leaned forward, closing the last few inches that brought her into Genma's personal space.  The soft cloth of her kimono flowed and roughened, becoming viridian scales.  Her pupils extended up and down into serpentine slits.  Her legs fused together, lengthening into a tail.  "I can do quite a lot of things, Genma Saotome," she whispered, holding Genma's panicked gaze as a true serpent might that of a bird... a bird which was at the very top of the lunch menu.  "Does that frighten you?  Does this form strike you as more of a nightmare than a night-companion?  Do you fear me, and what I can do, and who I can be?"

                "Yes," he choked out, hoping it would be enough to finally kill whatever accursed fancy she'd taken to him.

                The _last_ thing the elder Saotome had expected was what actually happened.  Yokehi pulled back, an unmistakable expression of satisfaction on her face.  "NOW we're getting somewhere," the scaly sorceress pronounced.

                "W- what do you mean?" Genma asked, more than a little afraid of what the answer might be.

                "It's the same thing I had to go through with Tenma," she explained.  "Your ancestor was as fearful of the unknown, of the supernatural, as any man might be.  I had to work through that with him before we could come together.  I had hoped I wouldn't have to bother with such a tiresome task again with you, but it's nothing I can't handle."

                "Th- that's not it at all!" he protested.  "I already told you, this is about Nodoka!  About the family I already have!!"

                Yokehi waved the excuse aside.  "Whatever, dear."

***************

                "Are you sure you want to do this now, Ranma-kun?"  Kodachi had heard the explanation, but it still felt a little strange to her.  Although she personally didn't see a need to hurry to Genma's rescue with all frantic haste, part of her was still expecting her fiancé to feel exactly that way.  But then again, the White Rose reminded herself, she'd been operating under a bit of a misconception last night.  She had thought Ranma's anxiety and turmoil had been solely due to the thought of the reunion with his father, when in fact they had been primarily caused by belated realization of his own mistakes.  It almost made her wish she'd taken a few moments to talk to him then, rather than just knocking on his door at midnight and slapping a sleep ward on his forehead as soon as he opened it.

                "Yeah, it'd probably be for the best.  It's not real far out of our way.  And we know this stop won't take too long, but we don't know that about the one we'll be making at the Cat Café."  Ranma shrugged.  "Besides, I think I remember Kasumi usually does the shopping pretty early in the day.  We should let her know as soon as possible not to expect my old man for lunch, and prob'ly not supper either."

                Shampoo shrugged.  "If Ranma say so."  Without further ado, the trio headed down a side street, their path turning away from the route to the Nekohanten, bearing now toward the Tendo dojo.

                A few minutes' brisk walking brought them to their destination.  It felt mildly awkward to be admitted by Akane, rather than Kasumi, but Ranma didn't let it bother him.  Really, wasn't it all water under the bridge by now?

                The youngest Tendo favored him with a fierce stare.  "If you're here for a challenge, you're supposed to use the rear door."

                Ranma blinked.  Hadn't his father EVER managed to knock Akane's overconfidence out of her?  "Ah, that's not why we're here.  It's about my old man, actually."

                Akane gave a grimace of resignation, and inclined her head.  She'd been halfway expecting this, but the development was no more welcome for all that.  In fact, strange though it seemed, she would _rather_ the reason for this visit had been a challenge from a fighter she knew was way out of her league.  "I understand."

                "You do?" Kodachi asked, with more than a hint of disbelief in her tone.

                "He's leaving here to go back to you, right, Ranma?"  Akane took a deep breath.  "I know you'll want to spend more time together now.  Just... please tell him not to forget about my training, okay?  I've still got so much to learn!"

                'Is good thing Ranma not particularly care about all the changes he missed in Akane's life,' Shampoo mused, reflecting on the memories she'd gained from her beloved of the time he'd spent in this household.  'She maybe has not changed so much as Ranma, but for sure is more than Genma has.'  In fact, it might be a good idea to tell her Great-Grandmother about this new, improved Akane.  The Matriarch was always interested in shaping the development of strong women warriors, always on the lookout for those who could benefit the Amazon tribe, whether as new members or just as allies.  Shampoo hadn't ever really thought of Akane in those terms before, but times change.

                "Um, that's not what I'm here about," Ranma said.  "The thing is, Pop and I ain't had a chance yet to talk about anything like that."

                "Didn't he make it over to your place this morning?" Akane asked, confusion replacing disappointment.

                "Yeah, for all of five minutes," he replied.  "He was all nervous and jumpy, wanted me to hit the road with him for a training journey right then and there.  We argued about it for a little bit, and then I guess what he was running from caught up with him."

                "A woman blew her way through the door without bothering to open it," Kodachi explained, "knocked Genma unconscious through sheer force of either her will or his fear, and trapped the rest of us with a spell of binding."  'Spell of binding' -- yes, that sounded much more dignified than a literal explanation of what had  happened.  The White Rose produced a quick painting she had done of Genma's abductor.  There hadn't been sufficient time for any great detail, but enough was there to give the essence of Yokehi's appearance.  "Is this the spirit that tried to make off with him, that you and all the others fought several months ago?"

                "Sh- she's still alive?" Akane gasped, staring at the image in certain recognition.  "I thought Tatewaki's attack wiped her out!"

                "Evidently my brother's strongest technique was insufficient to make a final end of this ghost."  Something Kodachi hadn't really considered before now.  A slight frown creasing her brow, she remarked, "That is an unpleasant development, to be sure."

                "And you said she's come back now, and kidnapped Mr. Saotome?!"  Akane's jaw firmed.  "Okay, let's go!"

                "Excuse me?  Let's go?" Shampoo repeated.  "What you mean, us?  We just came here to tell you why Genma would not be back too soon."

                "Fine, you've done that.  I'll leave Kasumi a note so she knows not to make triple portions for lunch."  Akane stared stonily back at Shampoo.  "Then we can go and rescue him!"

                "Look, what's this 'we' business?" Ranma wanted to know.  "Shampoo's right, we didn't come here to ask for help.  Except for you confirming that this is the same ghost, anyway, for whatever that's worth.  Thanks, but that's all we need.  Now if you don't mind, we're kinda in a hurry."

                "You're the one who's wasting time arguing," Akane snapped, "instead of just saying 'Thanks, we could use your help.' "

                "That's cause we don't!" Ranma snapped back.  "Look, Akane, in case you forgot you didn't do too damn hot against this ghost before.  I didn't come here asking for somebody to tag along and slow us down!"

                The youngest Tendo forcibly restrained herself from the reaction she _wanted_ to take.  "Slow you down?  Okay, hands up everybody in the room who's fought a dragon and lived!"  Akane's own hand shot ruthlessly skyward.  "What, I'm the only one?  Gee, how about that."

                Ranma snorted.  "Man, I can sure see Pop's taught ya how to make ridiculous boasts and look like you mean every word."

                The only reason she didn't hit him at that point was because there was a more satisfying reaction available.  Akane took off like a shot, returning almost as quickly, carrying a handful of glossy dark green objects.  "These are the scales from the dragon that _didn't_ manage to eat me, you egotistical jerk!"  With some effort, she resisted the urge to throw them in his face.

                Before Ranma could say anything in response, Shampoo touched his arm.  "Airen, they is real," she said, with more than a touch of wonder.  She could see the draconic aura still coiled within the scales, faint, and without much in the way of power... but undeniably real.  And now that she was paying attention, there was a stronger hint of that in Akane herself, seeming to be mostly concentrated in one arm.  "Shampoo think she is telling the truth."

                "Of COURSE I'm telling the truth!" Akane all but yelled.

                The visitors were silent for a few moments.  Eventually, though, Ranma spoke up.  "Fine, I apologize for doubting you.  Maybe you wouldn't hold us back after all.  But..." his eyes hardened, and he spoke the next sentence with absolute, rock-hard certainty.  "You still ain't coming with us, Akane."

                "He's my sensei."  The youngest Tendo retorted in clipped, cold tones that just barely managed to hold back the anger and hurt.  "I don't care if you hate my guts, Ranma.  I'd say I'm sorry if I thought it would help.  But you owe me this!  You don't have any right to keep me out of it!"

                "Don't have any _right_?!" he yelled back.  "How the hell can you say that?!  Where's Pop been all this time, huh?  Here... training you... he spent all that time on you, and left me out in the cold!

                "And now, when I faced up to the old fool and asked him if he even cared anymore, when I got it through his head that yeah, it mattered to me that I hadn't seen him in so long, when he told me he was sorry and he was proud of me and he wanted to spend more time with me again, when he's in trouble and needs me to get him out of it, I get his student yellin' in my face and telling me I don't have any right not to count her in on the rescue?!  Well, screw that, Akane!  He's my father and this time I'm gonna act like it!"  He finished the diatribe, and stood there breathing heavily, though more to recover his temper than his wind.

                Akane was trembling now -- but it wasn't from anger.  Her own temper had been snuffed out like a candle in a hurricane's blast.  "Oh, Ranma," she breathed, through the light of dawning realization.  "I'm sorry.  I, I didn't think..."  She swallowed hard, then continued, "You're right.  I should sit this one out.  Go ahead and rescue your dad."

                "Thank you for understanding," Kodachi said, feeling a significant portion of the grudge she still carried toward Akane crumble to dust.  "Now, if you'll excuse us, we shall take our leave."

                "Okay... Wait!" Akane exclaimed, as a memory struck her.  The trio turned back to face her.  "I don't know if it will make any difference," she offered, "but that witch did say her name, back when she tried to kidnap Mr. Saotome the first time.  It's Yokehi."

                "Thank you, Akane," Ranma said quietly, struck by recollections of his own.  Memories of the many stories Kodachi had read, and specifically of the power of a name...  "That could help a lot."

                The youngest Tendo forced a chuckle.  "I would have liked to teach that stupid snake-lady a lesson myself."  After the Orochi, Akane was quite certain something like Yokehi's alternate form would hold no more terrors for her.  "But I guess this will have to do."

***************

                Nothing else was said between them until they reached the Nekohanten.  Ranma in particular had plenty to occupy his thoughts, which alternated between the current situation with Genma and curiosity over just what Akane had been up to lately.  A real dragon?  Where would you find something like that these days, anyway?  And what would be the best way to find out all those details without feeding Akane's apparently-still-too-large ego?  Maybe his dad would know...

                By the time the Cat Café came into view, the Saotome heir was more than ready to push these circling concerns aside.  It was late enough in the morning that the restaurant was open for business, but the three were glad to see that not too many customers were there yet.  While this was good news for Ranma and company, it was no particular stroke of fortune for Lung-Lung and Ling-Ling -- it just meant that the Matriarch was able to work even more training than usual into their current waitressing stint.

                Kodachi ducked, letting the bowl of ramen Ling-Ling had just thrown pass over her head, then twisted out of the way of the platter of dim sum Lung-Lung had tossed.  Neither twin had directed her projectile toward her sister, and each had to frantically scurry into position to catch what the other had thrown.  As soon as each girl caught her new burden she threw it again, on yet another seemingly-random trajectory.  This time neither of them were directed toward the White Rose; seizing the opportunity, she dashed over to join Ranma and Shampoo, who had already recognized this training method and were sidling along the wall.

                She kept one eye focused on the Amazons and their entrees, fairly confident that her current position meant they wouldn't be throwing anything her way, but not totally willing to bet on it.  Three more passes resulted in the twins converging onto a particular table, each catching the thing the other had tossed one last time, and setting them down before a bemused customer with a bow.  Kodachi blinked, realizing in that moment that the path the girls had woven throughout the room was roughly equivalent to the kanji character for 'honor'.  Either that was part of the focus of this exercise, or one really absurd coincidence.

                The White Rose broke from her musings to see that her companions, for whom that training exercise held no surprises, had taken the opportunity to hurry into the kitchen.  She dashed along in their wake before Cologne could dish out another couple of orders.

                "Good day, son-in-law, Shampoo," Cologne was saying, "...and you too, Kodachi."  The Matriarch paused just for a moment, evaluating the turmoil in Ranma's aura and the faintest fading tinges of some foreign magic that still clung to the three of them.  It looked like another interesting crisis had arisen.  Three hundred plus years of skill and control allowed the ancient Amazon to suppress the broad smile that wanted to curve across her lips at the thought.  Life in Nerima was so much more entertaining than all the boring duties she would have been facing back at home!  "What can I do for you?"

                "We're gonna need to use the Eye of Bastet again," Ranma replied.  "An' the Nanban mirror too, probably.  You did say this time you took it back here instead of leaving it at the village, right?"

                "That's right, Ranma.  But perhaps you wouldn't mind letting an old woman know just what's happened?"

                "Could we go ahead and get started with the Eye first?  It's kind of a long story and I don't really want to tell it all here in the kitchen."

                "Certainly."  Cologne bounced to the window that connected the kitchen with the dining room and called out, "Ling-Ling!  Take over the cooking!  Lung-Lung!  Trace the word 'pride' with your next delivery path!"  Ignoring the look of shock and trepidation that spread over the lime-haired girl's face, and turning a deaf ear to her protest of "You want me to pass to _myself_?!", the Matriarch headed out of the kitchen.

                Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo followed her up the stairs and to the room that held Cologne's chest of treasures.  The Matriarch opened said chest, retrieved the Eye, and passed it to her great-granddaughter.  "Now, what exactly did you need it for this time?" she asked curiously.  "Who are you searching for?"

                "For Genma," Shampoo answered before Ranma could, speaking in a strange, contemplative sort of voice.  "He just came back the other day.  Today he come to our home to see Ranma, but he was kidnap right in front of us.  Was taken by ghost witch.  By ghost witch that have try this before."  'By ghost witch that have big crush on Genma and want to be too too close to him.'  "By ghost witch who now have him somewhere off all by the two of them, nobody else to interfere, nobody else to watch, at least that is what she thinks."  Shampoo smiled sweetly and passed the Eye of Bastet back to Cologne.  "Would Great-Grandmother please be the one to search them out?  I not feeling up to it, actually."  Not considering the kind of luck she'd had in the past with this artifact, anyway.

                Cologne gave her great-granddaughter a strange look, wondering why she would have asked that.  All the Matriarch could really determine was that Shampoo was quite serious about the request.  Chalking up another question for the near future, she accepted the stone back and closed her eyes to invoke it.

                "An excellent job of dodging the bullet, Shampoo, if I do say so myself," Kodachi congratulated her sister.

                "Was not hard to see what stupid horny ghost had planned to do with him.  No way in hell is Genma first Saotome man I will see naked," Shampoo returned, favoring her husband-to-be with a saucy smirk.  Ranma gulped, his attention diverted for the moment from any thoughts of his father's plight.

                "Blast it all!"  The Matriarch's oath shocked him back to his senses.  Three pairs of eyes riveted on Cologne, and fear settled in three stomachs to see her registering more anger -- and worse, dismay -- than they had ever seen.

                Ranma found his voice first.  "What, what's wrong, Granny?!  Don't tell me something terrible happened to my old man?!"  Given the way this Yokehi had acted toward Genma, his father's actual safety was the _last_ thing he'd thought he had to worry about!

                "I don't know, son-in-law.  However, I seriously doubt it," Cologne added dryly, shaking off the worst of her negativity, and mentally berating herself for agreeing to take Shampoo's place without first discerning her great-granddaughter's reasons for hesitation.  Kodachi's comment and Shampoo's reply had made those all too unpleasantly clear, but since the Matriarch had given her word, she'd gone ahead and taken the risk.

                Her lavender-haired descendant needn't have bothered passing off this task, though.  What Cologne had seen would have annoyed Shampoo, not revolted her.  "This sorceress  is apparently taking no chances with her newfound privacy.  She has screened Genma quite thoroughly against scrying magic."

                Her words were followed by a period of awkward silence.  "So what does that mean, exactly?" Ranma eventually asked.  "Don't tell me you aren't gonna be able to find him after all!"

                "Not with this," Cologne said with another frown and a sigh.  She returned the Eye to the chest, exchanging it for the Nanban mirror.  "I'm going to have to go back home and ask for my great-granddaughter's aid in breaking through this witch's defenses."

                The Matriarch paused, fixing Ranma with a piercing stare, then said soberly, "I won't offer you false reassurance, boy.  I'm no mage myself, but I've picked up a good bit of the knowledge.  Since we know your father's true name, Rouge _will_ be able to eventually get a lock on him.  But without any sort of hold on the sorceress who's hiding him, it could take months."

                "MONTHS?!" Ranma squawked.

                "Her name is Yokehi," Kodachi said, rather more calmly.  "Or at least, that is a name she goes by."

                "Ah, that's more like it," Cologne replied.  "Don't hold me to it, but those two things together might be enough for Rouge to crumple this Yokehi's defenses like tinfoil."

                "Let us hope so."  Maybe it wasn't for her sake, but Shampoo's desire was no less fervent for all that.  No way did she want this matter dragged out for much longer!  Her Airen deserved far better than stress like that!

                "Anyway, I'll go ahead and talk to my great-granddaughter," Cologne offered unenthusiastically.  She started to raise the mirror to her face, then sent a piercing stare Ranma's way.  "Are you sure about this, Ranma?  After all, remember how little you appreciated it when your father tried to interfere in your love life.  Don't you think it might be better to leave well enough alone?"

                "You're joking, right?" Ranma asked flatly.

                "Not at all.  So what if you end up with a sorceress as a step-mother.  Considering how weird your life already is, would it really be that big a deal?"  Cologne paused for a long, hopeful moment, but found no crack in Ranma's expression of stony determination.  "Oh, very well, son-in-law.  The lengths I go to for family," she grumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear.  "This will likely take awhile, so will the three of you please help Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung in the restaurant until I get back?"  With no further ado, the Matriarch raised the Nanban mirror, concentrated for a second, then let a single tear fall to its surface.

                "The lengths _she's_ going to?" Ranma grumbled as the three of them walked down to fulfill Cologne's request.  "What's that supposed to mean?"

***************

                Their great-grandmother might have been unenthusiastic about recent developments, but the same could not have been said of the twins.  Ling-Ling was quite glad to relinquish her place in the kitchen to Shampoo, and both girls cheerfully accepted Kodachi's aid in waiting tables and Ranma's assumption of cleanup duty.

                Business picked up shortly after that, but with five people working it was just busy enough to help keep Ranma from worrying too much.  The lunch rush came and went.  The last few straggling customers finished up and left, and then there wasn't much to do except brood.  As fortune would have it, though, the Matriarch returned just a few minutes later.

                As soon as he saw Cologne coming down the stairs, Ranma dropped the cloth he'd been using to wipe tables and zipped over to meet her.  "So what now, Granny?" he asked.  The Saotome heir had expected Rouge to come back with Cologne; her absence struck him as none too promising a sign.  "What's the deal with finding Pop?"

                "My great-granddaughter has set up a spell to pierce this sorceress's defenses.  I'm sorry, Ranma, but it's going to take a little longer than we hoped.  We'll have results in four days' time.  This is as quickly as we can manage without running the risk of alerting our enemy to what we're doing."

                "So what if we do alert her?!" Ranma wanted to know.  "Couldn't we just break through, move in real fast, and take her down anyway?"

                "No, we couldn't," Cologne returned.  "The absolute minimum time for this spell to work would be two days, and rushing it like that would mean Yokehi would become aware of our efforts almost immediately.  Give her two days to prepare or take her by surprise four days from now... I'm sure you can do the math for yourself, son-in-law."

                Ranma gave a long, frustrated sigh, but didn't say anything.  The Matriarch was right.  That was one equation he could solve without even thinking about it.

                "And Rouge was able to cast some general auguries, as well," Cologne continued.  "She was able to confirm that Yokehi was not dissembling -- she really does feel a deep, yearning desire for your father.  Every indicator spell Rouge used showed that the sorceress is far more likely to squash someone or something that threatens Genma than to pose any sort of threat to him herself."

                "That's good to hear," Kodachi said gratefully, giving Cologne a deep bow of respect.  "Thank you for the reassurance, and for your efforts on our behalf."

                "I'm afraid I'm going to need something more substantial than just that, Kodachi," the ancient Amazon replied.  "Perhaps you noticed I wasn't very happy at the thought of going back and asking for Rouge's help?  I knew very well that she would seize the opportunity when she had me over a barrel.  I'm going to be spending most of my free time for the next week dealing with the duties that I usually foist off on her."  The awareness of what she was getting herself into had been the reason Cologne hadn't needed an onion to shed a tear for the Mirror.  "When I decide just what sort of compensation from you three is appropriate, rest assured I'll let you know."

***************

                Ling-Ling leaned back in her chair with a sight of contentment.  "It looks like last time wasn't just a fluke, huh?"

                "Sure does," Lung-Lung replied, an equally contented smile on her face.  The twins were seated at the table of a restaurant they'd stumbled across quite some time ago, back when they were scouring greater Tokyo for the Crepe King.  Both girls had been very impressed by their experience with the Jade Blossom; the food had been of superb quality, the prices had been surprisingly low, and the service had been excellent.  The only downside to eating here was the sheer distance that they had to travel from their normal stomping grounds in order to get to the restaurant.

                Of course, a single favorable experience shouldn't be enough to set one's opinion in stone.  The young Amazons had decided they needed at least one more under their belt, and so they'd come again today, taking advantage of the fact that Cologne was spending the day back at the village, and verifying that the quality of the place hadn't diminished since their last visit.  As indeed it hadn't.  The twins were winding down now, lingering over their desserts, cheerfully aware that the upcoming check for their combined meal would be half what they'd pay for this quality at many other places.

                "It'll be nice to come here with Ryu and his parents," Lung-Lung continued.  That had been the main reason for coming back here today -- to make sure that if they did bring their family-to-be here, that everyone would be favorably impressed.  "And Ukyo and Ryoga, too, if they want to come."  They would make the offer, but even though they'd finally buried the hatchet for good and all with Ukyo, neither Amazon would be particularly surprised if their former competition declined.  The Jade Blossom didn't serve okonomiyaki, after all.

                "Sure will be.  When do you think we should ask them?"

                The lime-haired girl considered.  There were still two days to go until Rouge's magics would overpower Yokehi's.  "Probably we should wait another four days or so.  That'll give plenty of time to finish up this business with that ghost and have any victory feasts that anybody might want to throw to celebrate.  But Great-Grandmother will still be jumping through hoops for Aunt Rouge, so we'll still have time free."

                "Sounds like a plan," Ling-Ling said.  She returned her attention to her dessert.

                A minute later, when the last crumbs had been devoured, she looked up again.  Her sister still wasn't finished -- in fact, she was staring across the room, all thoughts of her remaining food apparently gone for now.  Ling-Ling sneaked one quick bite out of Lung-Lung's torte, then turned her own gaze toward whatever had captured her sister's attention so thoroughly.

                There wasn't much to see, just a woman sitting by herself at a corner table.  She had apparently just sat down, as she was still studying the menu and had not yet been brought anything to drink.  At first glance she was just another Japanese woman, if one with a bit of an odd hair color, dressed in an old but high-quality kimono.  However... Ling-Ling's brow furrowed.  There was something... some hint of familiarity... had she seen this woman before?  Surely she must have to get such a feeling as this.  But for the life of her she couldn't think of when it might have happened.

                "Do you recognize her?" she asked her sister, hoping for but not expecting a solution.  "I could swear I've seen her face somewhere, but I can't think of anything more than that."

                "No, me neither.  And it's annoying," Lung-Lung complained.  "I'm pretty sure this is more than just someone we randomly delivered an order to once.  But I can't remember anything more than that."

                "Hmmm..."  Her sister's words had seemed to shake something slightly loose in Ling-Ling's head.  "Maybe we haven't seen her face-to-face.  It feels more like... a picture, or the television?"

                "You're right," Lung-Lung said, her eyes widening with realization.  "I think it _was_ something like that."  And if this woman had been on the news somewhere... Lung-Lung spent a quick moment reflecting on just how much trouble you had to get into before the Nerima news services felt it was worth reporting, then got to her feet.  "Come on, let's go talk to her."

                "Okay."  Ling-Ling followed her sister, thinking again how fortunate it was that Great-Grandmother wasn't around to ride herd on them.  She and her sister had had enough lessons in Japanese culture to realize just how badly what they were now doing went against the grain.  But since 1) Ryu wasn't around to be spooked by their faux pas and 2) the Matriarch wasn't there to hand out a couple of swats, she cheerfully ignored that knowledge.

                "Good afternoon," Lung-Lung said with a big smile as she drew near the woman.  "This maybe sound strange, but has we ever met before?"

                Nodoka offered an uncertain smile of her own.  "Ah... I don't believe so.  I don't know many people from China."  And yet... the Saotome matron blinked, suddenly realizing that the sight of these girls _was_ striking some faint chord within her.  "My name is Nodoka Saotome.  May I ask what yours are?"

                'Nodoka... Nodoka Saotome...'  Ling-Ling turned the name over in her mind, while at the same time reflecting sourly on the irritating Japanese custom of using too many names that were too long and too complicated anyway.  She could almost swear she'd heard 'Saotome' somewhere, or maybe just something similar, but 'Nodoka' wasn't ringing any bells at all.

                "I am Lung-Lung.  This is sister Ling-Ling," the lime-haired girl replied.  Like her sister, she thought she'd heard 'Saotome' before, but couldn't be sure.  Especially considering how she'd gone for two weeks thinking her Airen-to-be's family name was Hibachi.  "Has you ever had picture in paper, or on TV, or something like that?"

                "No, I don't believe so," Nodoka answered, puzzled at the question.  "Why do you ask?"

                "Because that what I thought I remember, from seeing your face.  Can not remember just where, Ling-Ling neither, and is really bothering us.  That why we came over to talk, to hope we could figure out."

                Nodoka's eyes widened, the mention of the television supplying a belated realization as to just what these girls were reminding her of.  "You... what area of China do you girls come from?" she asked, curiosity and years of loneliness overcoming her traditional Japanese restraint.  "Is it perhaps near the Bayankhala mountains?"

                "Mm-hm," Ling-Ling answered.  "Well, actually is in the mountains, not near.  We is proud Amazon warriors of Joketsuzoku."

                "That IS what I was thinking of!" the older woman said, smiling more widely now.  "I saw a special on the television some time ago, that talked about your people."  She was surprised it had taken her this long to make the connection; it should have been obvious as soon as she saw two Chinese girls with outlandish hair colors carrying weapons in plain sight.  One last vestige of restraint held her back for a moment, and then snapped under the weight of an opportunity for company.  Those had been all too painfully rare for far too long...  "Won't you sit down?  I would enjoy hearing more about your village."

                "Would be glad to," Lung-Lung said, setting her trident against the table, pulling out a chair, and sitting down.  "What would you like to hear?"

                Before Nodoka could say anything, a waiter materialized next to the table, inquiring whether the Amazon twins were ready for their check, or did they require something more?  Ling-Ling indicated that they were fine, paid the man, and waved him away.

                However, this break in the momentum had allowed Nodoka to realize that things were currently shaping up to be rather awkward.  She had yet to order anything, and her guests had already finished.  It simply wouldn't do to interrupt their talk with a meal if she were the only one eating.  The Saotome matron hesitated for a moment, considering her options, then said, "Would you like to come over to my house for tea?  It's not far from here."

                "We would be glad to," Lung-Lung said firmly.  So far this lady seemed nice enough, but until she was completely sure that 'Nodoka Saotome' wasn't really some terrorist or mass-murderer she wasn't going to let the woman out of her sight.  "But did you not want to order something for self?"

                "I'll probably just come back for dinner," Nodoka reassured her.  She signaled a waiter and told him that she had changed her mind about eating now, gathered up the long, cloth-wrapped bundle that rested beside her at the table, and led the way out of the restaurant.

***************

                Nodoka hadn't been kidding about her house not being far away, the twins reflected.  It had only taken them ten minutes to get here, even moving as slowly as Nodoka's kimono forced her to go.  The Amazons had barely scratched the surface of their culture so far; they'd spent most of the time correcting misconceptions that had come from the television documentary Nodoka had watched.  Lung-Lung, who had actually been in the village when the thing was filmed, suspected that the reporter had worked those things in on purpose, as a form of revenge on the Amazon who'd claimed one of his cameramen as her new husband.

                 "Is for SURE not true we use drugs to break people's minds and take away free will so they do what we want!" Ling-Ling was saying as the three entered the lane that held Nodoka's home.  "There is secret technique that can do something like that, but is punishment used only for people who commit really really bad crimes with no remorse.  Other lands have to kill or cage people like that, but Amazon wisdom mean we can take away dangerous, dishonorable part of them and let them live useful, even happy life."

                "What sort of secret technique?" Nodoka asked curiously.  "Do you mean a martial arts technique?"  Genma had certainly showed her some amazing things, all those many years ago.

                Ling-Ling shrugged.  "I not know whether to say yes or no.  When you go high enough, is hard to say something is just part of martial arts.  Like secret techniques me and Lung-Lung do.  We use as part of fighting style, but is principle that could be apply in many other ways too."

                Making a mental note to ask them for further details later, and realizing that they'd reached their destination, Nodoka turned and led them over to her house, pausing only to retrieve the mail from her mailbox.  "Welcome to my home."

                The twins eyed the area speculatively as they removed their shoes and followed Nodoka inside.  It seemed much like her kimono -- of high quality and well cared for, but quite old.  Not that two girls with three thousand years of Amazon history at their backs had any problem with that.

                Nodoka led them further into the house, settled them down in the living room, and headed off to get her tea set, the sheaf of letters still clutched absently in one hand.  Ling-Ling had just started to hiss a question under her breath to Lung-Lung, wanting to know whether she'd had any more luck remembering where they'd seen Nodoka before, when a fierce gasp echoed throughout the house.  Both girls shot to their feet and dashed from the room, finding their hostess staring down at one unopened letter, swaying like a willow in the wind.

                "Is you okay?" Lung-Lung asked anxiously, hurrying forward to catch the older woman if she fell.

                The Saotome matron didn't hear a word of the question.  "Genma... Ranma!" she breathed, staring down at the envelope for one instant longer, then ripping into it with the ferocity of a Tasmanian devil.

                Behind her, Lung-Lung and Ling-Ling swayed like a couple of pussywillows in the wind.

                Ling-Ling was the first to recover.  Nodoka... _Saotome_!  The picture she'd seen!  This was... but how could it be... Ranma's _mother_?!

                "Big Sister Shampoo's got a lot of explaining to do," the cherry-haired girl muttered under her breath.

***************

                The train hummed as it sped along its rails, carrying them quickly along, yet not quickly enough.  The papers rustled in Nodoka's hands.  The words blurred as her eyes tracked over them, no longer really registering the printed symbols -- she'd read, and reread, the letter Genma had sent.  And then she'd read it again, and again.  She knew where to find her son and husband now, and she had learned at least some things about Ranma's recent life.  Such details as Genma had included were reassuring... but they served more as teasers, appetizers to whet her hunger rather than sate it.

                The texture of the paper in her hands, still fresh and crinkling, contrasted with another paper she carried on her person.  That one was old, faded and brittle.  It had featured in as many dreams as had this message that heralded the return of her family... but those had been nightmares, terrible visions in which Genma failed utterly, bringing back a son with no concept of manliness or of honor, a broken sword rather than the perfect gleaming blade her husband had set out to forge.  Someone who gave Nodoka no choice save the one that she'd feared for longer than the girls who sat across from her had been alive.

                Ling-Ling stared curiously at Nodoka, wondering what the Japanese woman was thinking.  It was probably just as well that the Amazon didn't realize Ranma's mother had pegged her and her sister as a couple of ten-year-olds.

                "Would like to hear about Ranma?" she offered, tiring of the silence that had stretched for so long now.  It didn't look like her new acquaintance was really reading that letter any more, just shuffling the pages absently through her hands.  "Is for sure no way Ranma's father put all his adventures into even letter that long."

                It took a few seconds for the offer to register with Nodoka; when it did, her head snapped up and her eyes locked on Ling-Ling's with force enough to make the cherry-haired girl jump.  "Do you know my son?!"

                "Mm-hm," Lung-Lung answered, a puzzled look on her face.  "You not hear us when we realize you his mother?  We live near Ranma, see him all the time.  You go to see him, we come with you, we are going back home anyway.  Why you think we still with you now?"

                Since there wasn't a polite way to say that Nodoka hadn't thought it was important enough to wonder about, the Japanese woman pretended not to hear the question.  "Please, do tell me anything you can about my son!  Is he..." she took a deep breath, clenched one hand on the cloth-covered sheath of the Saotome honor blade for courage, and continued, "...is he manly?"

                "What 'manly' mean?" Ling-Ling asked, feeling a moment's frustration at how far she still had to go in mastering her Airen's language, and deciding that one of these days Ryu was darn well going to learn Mandarin.

                "It means a man who exhibits all the best qualities of men, an honorable, brave, kind, strong, handsome, virile man, someone who stands head and shoulders above the common folk and serves as an example for them to strive toward."

                " 'Manly' mean all that?!" Lung-Lung wanted to know.

                Nodoka blinked.  "Oh, sorry.  That last part was 'man among men'."

                Ling-Ling hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she dared ask for a definition of 'virile'.  Deciding that Nodoka's explanations had already made her dizzy enough, she answered, "Not sure how to answer.  Is what you want to know, would Ranma be good husband?"

                "That will do for a start," Nodoka replied.

                Pleased at having something to answer that she understood, Ling-Ling smiled and replied, "Yes.  He is very good catch, any Amazon who have normal taste for men would think so."  At that point a light bulb went off; she said, "Maybe now I get what you mean.  Most Amazon womans want husband who is strong and brave and skilled, not wimp who let wife make all decisions, and not man either who not have heart to be warrior.  Sound like 'manly' means 'kind of husband most Amazons want'?"

                "I _think_ so," Nodoka endorsed cautiously.  "Would you say that is true of Ranma?"

                "Of course so!" Lung-Lung reassured her.  "If he was not already taken, we would have go after him ourselves."

                Nodoka's eyes widened slightly, but she managed to control her reaction beyond that.  "Ah... forgive me if this is a rude question, but... how old are you?"

                "Fourteen years old," Lung-Lung replied, her smile becoming a bit strained.

                "I see."  Realizing that such matters weren't really that important, except insofar as they reflected on these girls' ability to accurately judge her son, Nodoka put the conversation back on track.  "So Ranma is a good catch by Amazon standards?  How many other girls do you know who have thought so?"

                "Was too too many to count last month, when we go on visit back to Amazon village," Ling-Ling answered.  "Ranma and Big Sister Shampoo and Kodachi had to fight other girls off whole time they were there just to get peace to themselves."

                After a long moment of silence, Nodoka asked, "Who is Shampoo?"

                The twins stared back at her in disbelief.  "It not say in letter?"

                "No.  Genma told me of Miss Kuno and Ranma's relationship to her, but that is all."

                "Stupid panda," Lung-Lung grumbled under her breath.  "He not think Amazons matter enough to talk about?"  Louder, she said, "Lung-Lung not mean offense, but Genma have no idea how to write good letter.  Big Sister Shampoo is Ranma's other Airen... uh, wife-to-be.  She is Champion of Amazons, great-granddaughter of Matriarch, is just as good match as Kuno daughter!  And half Ranma's heart belong to her, just like other half to Kodachi!  Be sure and tell stupid father of Ranma he need to work on letter-writing skills."

                Nodoka was too off-balance to take any offense, not that she would have anyway.  Those skills were hardly ones that she would expect of Genma or Ranma.  "Ah... you mean... my son... he intends to..."  Finding herself unable to put it into words just yet, and realizing that this was the second time these girls had mentioned something about multiple women pursuing the same man, she asked, "Is it common among Amazons for one man to have several wives?"

                "Not common, exactly," Ling-Ling answered.  "Happens only for man who is such good catch that womans willing to share him with others in order to be with him.  Like our Airen," she added with a big smile.  "Make for big families, many strong children from man who show he good enough that Amazons _want_ many of his kids to add to strength of tribe."

                The Saotome matriarch was still feeling rather dazed by this recent revelation... but at Ling-Ling's words a significant portion of that tumult morphed into hopeful happiness.

***************

                Eventually (to the part of Nodoka that was paying attention, it seemed to take years), the train arrived at their stop.  The Saotome matron and the Amazon twins disembarked, and Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung took point, leading their companion through the streets of Nerima.  The girls continued relating what stories they could of Ranma's life and the challenges he'd faced, wracking their memories for every last detail they could come up with.  Most of what they told her came second-hand, from stories they'd heard from Shampoo.  Ling-Ling suspected that, given the source, those stories (in which Ranma usually managed to come off looking pretty much like what Nodoka had said 'man among men' meant) might be a bit exaggerated, but she shrugged off such concerns.  Nodoka hadn't laid eyes on her son in well over a decade, and now that she was finally on her way to end that long separation, the woman's eagerness and anticipation were plain to see.  A little exaggeration at this point wasn't likely to get her hopes any higher than they already were.  And anyway, it wasn't as if lives were at stake or anything.

                With that comforting thought, she continued filling Nodoka in on everything she could remember, alternating turns with Lung-Lung.  However, wrack their brains though they might, the twins ran out of new material roughly halfway between the train station and the Kuno mansion.  Even though Nodoka was so plainly eager to see her son, the kimono she wore still constricted her to a slow walk.  As the silence stretched, Lung-Lung wondered why the woman hadn't taken a taxicab.  They were fairly uncommon in Nerima, but there had been one sitting idle at the train station.  Neither Amazon had pointed it out; they were in the Matriarch's home territory now, she always seemed to find out anything important that occurred around here, and they knew what Cologne would have to say about Amazons getting too dependent on the luxuries of technology.  Still, Lung-Lung thought impatiently, it might have been worth the risk.

                If she could have glimpsed inside her older companion's mind, though, the lime-haired girl might have found reason to curb her impatience.  While Nodoka's foot pace was roughly that of a turtle in a hurry, her mind was whirring with such speed that her average velocity was really quite high.

                She no longer needed to look at the letter to review its contents.  They whirled through her mind now, feeling more like a flock of geese than a solid stream of information.  Discrete facts, highlights, fragmentary pieces rather than the whole itself.  And those missing pieces... those things Genma had left out...

                Nodoka allowed herself one bright, hopeful smile.  It was quite reassuring, all the wonderful things Genma hadn't seen fit to include in his letter.

                She had had her worries through the years.  Lately, during this unusually long period with no letters or postcards from her husband, those worries had been growing larger and larger.  They had always been there in the back of her mind, squatting like some demon-toad swelling larger and larger with poison.  This letter had served as quite a large needle, jabbing that dark wall of worry, holing it, letting the venom begin to seep out.  But the stories her new Amazon acquaintances had told her went far beyond that; if Genma's missive was a spike through the darkness then their testimony had been a hail of shrapnel, rending it into tatters.

                It wasn't just the reassurance about Ranma that she'd gotten from the twins.  Not as such.  It was the fact that Genma hadn't seen it as necessary to tell her all these good things ahead of time, that he _hadn't_ used the letter to get her favorably predisposed before ever meeting her son in person.  That could mean only one thing:  that her husband was so confident, so assured that he had done his job and done it well, so certain that he had truly fulfilled his honor-bound oath, that he hadn't _needed_ any such hedging of his bets.  He had left so many of the best things as pleasant surprises for his wife, rather than revealing them all ahead of time.

                Nodoka blinked as she followed that thought to its logical conclusion, then spent a few moments feeling guilty over having spoiled the surprise.  Even as a little girl she had never snuck around looking for presents before they were wrapped.  It was a little disheartening to realize she'd tarnished her perfect record.

                But such thoughts failed to grip her for long.  Her family would be reunited at last!  She was finally going to meet her son!  And every sign showed that he would be more than enough of a man to let her rid herself forever of this terrible promise, the oath that had weighed against her heart, mind, and soul for so long.  She had more than half a mind to pull the paper out now and rip it to shreds!

                But no, Nodoka reminded herself, pushing away the excitement with great difficulty.  As hard as the dictates of honor might be, as heavy as duty might weigh upon her, she could not forget her own obligations.  Genma had given his solemn word, and she had accepted it.  No matter how terrible the thought of invoking that promise might be, or how unlikely the necessity now seemed, she still could not honorably use the Saotome blade to turn it into so much confetti.  Not yet, no matter how much she wanted to.  She contented herself with the thought that with everything she'd learned today, surely there was no need to worry about the judgment she would shortly have to pass.

                That thought even managed to keep her content for all of two blocks' distance.

                Shortly after that, the nagging doubts began to whisper again.  They were much less forceful now than they had been in the long, still, lonely watches of the night, but then again Nodoka's fortitude was also dramatically diminished at present.  The speed with which things had changed had just not given her a chance to catch herself yet.  In time, no doubt, she would find that place of balance again, but Nodoka would burn her best kimono before she would put off this meeting!

                Brave sentiments, to be sure, but it didn't much help to stop the sour whispers in the back of her mind.  What if Genma had failed?  What if Ranma had failed?  Or -- worst of all -- what if _she_ failed?  That was the one that had hurt the most over the years.  Other fears had the power to call down nightmares and trouble her slumber, but when this one arose (and she kept it pinned down and battened away as tightly as she could, but arise it continued to do) it would banish sleep entirely.  Sometimes for more than one night.

                What if she judged wrongly?  Oh, not that she should err on the side of leniency -- THAT thought had no power to twist her guts with nausea.  No, the deepest, darkest fear was that she might see something, might take something the wrong way or just not get all the facts, might feel she had to declare that Genma and Ranma had failed, had failed badly enough to force her to invoke her husband's sworn oath and finally end her family forever... and then, too late, learn what she had missed or misinterpreted, realize that honor had not after all forced her to such an extreme, but only her own terrible mistake.

                It was the worst fear, Nodoka believed, that she could _ever_ face.  It made her fingers positively _itch_ to rip the cloth from her katana, whip the blade out of its sheath, and do her best to reduce a particular sheet of paper to its component atoms.

                Now, as always, she was stopped by the inescapable fact that doing so would simply be too great a transgression against the bounds of honor.  There just was no way out of that... no matter how the fear should rise up to choke -- 

                Nodoka came to a dead stop, her eyes widening with astonishment, a gasp catching in her throat.  An idea had just slipped into her mind with all the subtlety of a direct meteorite strike.  She stood there, not daring to move, not even daring to breathe, examining it from all angles.  It might be playing a _little_ fast and loose with things, but did it cross the line into dishonor?

                No, she was satisfied after a few frantic moments of thought.  Not even close.

                The root and heart of the matter was the fact that Ranma's manliness was no longer just the concern of his own family.  Or rather, not of what had been his family when the promise was made.  This situation didn't just concern Genma, Ranma, and herself any longer; there were two young ladies (one of them the daughter of very famous, very wealthy samurai nobility and the other some sort of barbarian royalty) and their own immediate families that were intimately wrapped up in it as well.

                Could she, in good conscience, even think about depriving Ranma's two wives-to-be of the love of their life?  Well, yes and no.  Even a matter as weighty as her son's two fiancées couldn't overrule the promise Genma had made to her... but Nodoka didn't think she could honorably make any sort of judgment call without taking Kodachi's and Shampoo's own judgments into account.

                It was settled then.  Judging from her young companions' stories, the chances were slim to nonexistent that when she met her son neither Kodachi nor Shampoo would be present.  She would simply hand the promise over to one of them for safekeeping.  Preferably Kodachi; as the representative of all that was best in Japanese young womanhood she would surely understand more readily than Shampoo, but either would do in a pinch.

                Nodoka drew one deep breath of satisfaction, then began moving again, taking her steps as quickly as decorum allowed.  Her guides hadn't yet noticed that she had stopped for a time, which was a relief.  On this day of days, she had no wish even to inconvenience anybody, let alone do anything worse.  Nodoka smiled broadly, feeling at least one fear that had plagued her for so long fall away, imagining it plunging down a chasm to shatter on the rocks far below.

***************

                As great as Nodoka's eagerness to see her son was, it still wasn't enough to make her run.  And likewise, her first sight of the Kuno mansion in all its sprawling glory didn't cause her pace to falter.

                However, the Saotome matron was conscious of a further increase in the tendency of her knees to tremble.  To think she had once been so impressed by the samurai lineage of Genma's old friend Soun Tendo!  Joining her family to one such as this... well, all Nodoka had to say was that when she finally saw her husband again, she would have to make _very_ sure to show him her approval and appreciation.

                Unfortunately, on entering the mansion she found that Ranma and his fiancées had gone out for lunch.  Ling-Ling suggested a tour of the grounds while they waited for their return, but on questioning the servant further and finding that Ranma was expected back any time now, Nodoka decided it could wait.  She settled herself down to await her son's return, ironically enough in the same room where that son had done his own waiting for a family member only a couple of days ago.

                After exchanging awkward glances and shrugs, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung sat down to wait with her.  It didn't seem right to just slip off and leave Nodoka alone like this.  Lung-Lung tried to help pass the time along by talking about Shampoo and Kodachi, but it quickly became apparent that their companion was just too wound-up to engage in a conversation like that at the moment.  The twins lapsed into silence, their thoughts running parallel with Nodoka's even if their emotions were nowhere near so fervent, all three wishing silently for their wait to finally end, each one straining for the first sound that would announce the prodigal's return.

                Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung were the product of a warrior society, each trained since she could walk to hone her body and mind to a keen edge literally unfathomable to most of the world.  Therefore, when Nodoka's head snapped around, her gaze riveting on the door and her body tensing, the young Amazons dismissed it as wishful thinking.  Neither of _them_ had heard anything, after all.  And yet only a moment later the doorknob turned, and the door swung inward, and Ling-Ling gave quiet thanks once again for the fact that the Matriarch was currently nowhere nearby.

                Nodoka gulped, struggling to breathe.  Time seemed to be stretching most unpleasantly, these last few seconds extending like taffy being pulled to a dozen times its original length.  Would this be her son, or just some other visitor?  She pulled back into her mind every last detail concerning Ranma's appearance that the twins had shared with her, attempting through sheer force of will to ensure that it would indeed be her son, her young man among men, who was on the other side of that portal.  And then... he was through the doorway... time was moving quickly again, even more quickly than usual... Nodoka's eyes swept over his muscular warrior's build, over the casual, combat-ready clothes, over the black hair...  and a massive wave of relief and joy swept over her.  Her son was here at last!  "Oh, Ranma, I've missed you so much!" she cried, darting forward.

                "How about that," Ling-Ling snickered.  "She can move fast in that thing after all."

                "Yep."  Lung-Lung put a hand over her mouth, muffling a few chortles of her own.  "I'm disappointed, though.  Look how he's just standing there all shell-shocked, just because somebody came racing up and grabbed him in a hug."

                "I know what you mean.  Obviously he needs more experience with that."  Ling-Ling sent a long, sultry look toward Ryu, though keeping it from dissolving into a fit of the giggles was probably the hardest thing she'd done all day.  Her Airen was completely stunned, staring at this apparent madwoman who'd latched onto him and was now babbling about what a long time it had been and how wonderful he'd obviously turned out to be.

                Curiously enough, it was the sight of the twins standing there and snickering that started Ryu on the road to recovery.  Having at least one possible explanation for this -- that he was currently the butt of a practical joke -- was far less confusing than no explanation at all.  Maybe that wasn't what was going on, but the possibility was enough to get Ryu's brain more or less in gear.  "Ah... excuse me, ma'am... I don't...?"

                Nodoka barely even registered the fact that he was speaking.  She certainly didn't pay any attention to the words.  Nonetheless, Ryu's action was enough to shake her out of the welcoming-hug stage into the subsequent pull-back-and-get-a-good-long-look phase.  "Let me look at you!  Oh, you're so handsome, R--?!"

                THAT was the sound of her mind skipping like a CD in an earthquake, as the sight of the dragon tattoos coiled along her 'son's' forearms finally registered.

                Ryu, meanwhile, was trying to figure out what to say next.  A little difficult to know just where to begin, given the fact that the crazy lady had just let go and staggered backward, turning as pale as Kodachi in the process.  None of this was making any sense at all!

                Just as it dawned on him that results might be achieved by asking Ling-Ling or Lung-Lung what the heck was going on, Nodoka unfroze.  Her hands were trembling, but manic strength more than compensated for that.  Holding onto the cloth-covered sheath of the Saotome honor blade usually gave her a sense of comfort and stability, but in a situation THIS bad that just wouldn't cut it.  She needed naked steel out in front of her, and she needed it NOW!

                In one deft movement Nodoka ripped the blade from its confines, drawing the sword in a flash of desperate need.  Sheer emotion gave her the strength to break the ties that secured the blade without even noticing.  Unfortunately, said emotion in no way made up for her utter lack of skill and basic clumsiness, and as a result the hilt slipped right out of her grasp.  Even as the sword cleared its sheath it was airborne, spinning away backwards over Nodoka's shoulder, to lodge itself in the ceiling several yards away.  Nodoka turned and stared mournfully after it, realizing that she was going to have to get through this without her security blanket... er, blade.

                She screwed up what courage she could, turned back around, and blurted out, "How?!  How could you do this to me?!  My only son, my own flesh and blood, a member of the Yakuza?!  Have you no honor at all?!"

                "WHAT?!" Ryu exploded.  Politeness could go hang itself, this craziness had gone far enough!  "Lady, what the heck are you talking about?!  Your son?!  I'm Ryu Hibiki, and I've never seen you before in my life!  And I'll have you know I deliberately designed these things NOT to be a pattern the Yaks would use!!"

                "Is so," Ling-Ling assured Nodoka, the situation not seeming quite so funny after the way the woman had whipped out that sword.  Still, Nodoka hadn't seemed angry, only shocked and saddened at what she thought she'd seen.  Maybe she had believed she needed to defend herself or something.  "This not Ranma.  He is our Airen, Ryu."  The cherry-haired girl allowed herself a bit of impoliteness then, and fixed Nodoka with a glare.  "Remember we tell you?  Ranma wears hair in pig-tail."

                "I just thought he must have had a haircut this morning," Nodoka answered absently, staring intensely at Ryu.  Then, finally realizing that eye color didn't match either, she let out a long sigh of relief.  "My apologies, young man.  Please forgive me for my rudeness."  She glanced at the tattoos again, this time with no hint of aversion or condemnation.  "You have the right to make whatever decisions you like with your life, of course," she said with a bow and another apologetic smile.

                Ryu just spluttered, trying to find something intelligent to say.  Ling-Ling, snickering again, moved over beside him; Lung-Lung abandoned her guard position between Nodoka and the katana and joined the two at her Airen's other side.  "No worry, Ryu," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.  "We know what good man you is."

                "Ling-Ling be sure to do something to make up for this to you.  Something extra nice," the redhead said with a wink, "some night soon."

                "Excuse me," Nodoka said politely, interrupting the moment, and earning a curious mixture of relief and further aggravation from Ryu.  "Could you please help me retrieve my sword, young man?"

***************

                Once again, Kodachi extended her awareness along the Heart Link, and felt the same basic thing as she had every other time she'd done that this afternoon.  Her smile grew just a little bit wider.  There was a hint of frustration and eagerness lurking in her fiancé's psyche, but it was just that -- one tiny discordant note, rather than a serious block of anxiety.  Considering that the main idea behind the three of them getting out this afternoon had been to keep Ranma busy, happy, and not worrying about his father, the White Rose was pleasantly conscious of a job well done.

                They were nearly home now, but that didn't mean she or Shampoo would be relaxing just yet.  It had been a while since both girls had sparred with Ranma at the same time.  Kodachi planned to change that once they were back in the mansion.  She was quite looking forward to it, feeling confident that this once, at least, she and Shampoo would win the match fairly easily.  Ranma was accustomed to defending himself from the occasional shiatsu attack from Shampoo, but Kodachi had never really gotten around to learning any points other than the two she'd picked up from his memories.  However, unbeknownst to Ranma, Shampoo had showed her quite a few interesting pressure points the other day.  It would probably only work once, but she was confident that this time when her fiancé did his usual trick of first striking to disarm her, it would backfire on him quite satisfactorily.  Kodachi couldn't wait to see the look on his face, when he used his typical tactic and she deliberately sacrificed her grip on her club or ribbon or whatever to launch her own empty-handed precision strike.

                She was still trying to decide whether to use the Tarantallegra or the Rictusempra point as the three of them entered the front door.

                Ranma didn't notice the people waiting in the room quite as quickly as he might have done; he was a bit distracted by the distinct sensation of anticipated mischief he was sensing from Kodachi.  All three of them were well into the room before Ranma's eyes locked on one particular figure and his knees froze solid.

                It was nowhere near a photorealistic resemblance.  That kind of detail was very difficult when painting on silk, and anyway Kodachi hadn't wanted to take that long in creating her gift to her then-boyfriend.  Not to mention the fact that the White Rose had been working from a recovered memory more than a decade old.

                Despite all this, Ranma knew in a heartbeat just where he'd last seen this woman's likeness.  The picture Kodachi had painted for him after the Heart Link, the single most precious physical possession anyone had ever given him -- the image of his mother.

                "M- Mom?!"  The whisper escaped without any conscious thought.

                Nodoka was already moving, her lingering embarrassment over the misunderstanding with Ryu already forgotten.  THIS was her son!  And even though they'd been apart for so long, he'd recognized her immediately!  Nodoka darted forward once again, as all her heart and mind cried out with gladness over this long-anticipated reunion!

                Well, all her heart, _almost_ all her mind.  At the last minute she swerved to the side, pulled a sheet of old, fragile paper covered with faded writing out of her kimono, and handed it to Kodachi with a briskly-stated "Here, take this, it's yours now."  Only then did she whirl back and grab her son in the embrace she'd dreamed of for so long.

                The act didn't even register with the White Rose just then.  Like Ranma, like Shampoo, she knew very well who this must be.  But how?  How could it be?! Her image wasn't the only forgotten memory regarding Nodoka that had been recovered through the Heart Link.  She had seen one as well that answered -- or _seemed_ to answer, anyway -- the question of just what had happened to Ranma's mother.  It had been several years into the training trip, as she recalled.  The season was winter, and Ranma and Genma were slogging through the wilderness en route to a monastery that young Ranma suspected was only a figment of his father's imagination.  As children often do, he had let his father know full well that he didn't like what was going on.  Not one little bit.

***************

                "Can't we stop for a while?" young Ranma whined.  "I'm cold an' I'm tired an' I'm hungry.  An' there's too many stupid trees anyway.  You outta cut up a few of them for a fire, Pop."

                "Quit complaining, Ranma," Genma growled.  "We're almost there.  And we don't have any food anyway, so what would be the point of a fire?"

                "So catch us a bear or something," Ranma grumbled, but half-heartedly.  He was beginning to wonder whether those stories Pop told of taking down wild animals with only his own skills were really true.  Maybe they were just more tall tales like the ones his old man told when he wanted Ranma to push forward with some crazy training method, about how terrible _his_ Master had been and what terrible trials _he'd_ undergone in his younger days.  Young Ranma didn't have much other than his Pop's words to go by in his life, but he still knew better than to believe all that stuff about how much better he had it than his father had.

                "If there were anything larger than a squirrel nearby I'd have done that already.  Now quit whining, you sound like a girl!  A real man wouldn't think twice about a silly little hike like this!"

                "Yeah, he'd be smart enough not to go on it at all," Ranma muttered.  "Bet Mom would knock your block off if she knew you were draggin' me around like this."

                He'd spoken quietly, but not quietly enough.  Genma came to a dead halt, standing frozen in the snow for a heartbeat.  Then the elder Saotome whirled, turning back to face his son with an intense expression far removed from the casual dismissal of a few moments' prior.  Ranma stopped as well, feeling more than a little fear at his father's sudden change of demeanor.

                "Listen to me, boy," Genma said hoarsely.  Ranma could hear no trace of anger at all in his father's voice, nor see anything like that in his eyes.  In a way, that scared him even more.  He knew he had been pushing his luck, goading his old man's frustration higher, but no trace of that could be seen now.  It didn't make any sense, didn't fit any pattern he understood, and so he did the only thing he could think to do:  stood there and listened as requested, with plenty of frightened intensity of his own.

                "Listen," his father repeated.  "Do you know the last thing your mother asked of me before we left, Ranma?  She wanted me to make you into a strong man, someone she could be proud of.  Not a little girl who starts crying and sniffling just because she had to walk through a bit of snow!  Never mind me, think about her.  What if she was watching you right now?  Think of that, boy, think of your mother's eyes on you right now.  How much would it hurt her to see her only son making such a big deal over such a small thing?!"

                Ranma didn't know what to say, couldn't think of how to respond.  That desperate, pleading look in his father's eyes _hurt_!  And the words were just as bad!  At last, he mumbled something along the lines of an apology, pushed past his father, and started moving again.

                Behind him (which of course meant that this would be no part of his son's memory), Genma smiled.  It was never too early to start cluing Ranma in on how high his mother's hopes were going to be when they finally went back to her.

***************

                After this episode, Kodachi recalled, Ranma would never again mention his mother around Genma.  Eventually all thought of her would be reduced to the basic acceptance that wherever she was, she was gone; once he'd finally forgotten that cold moment in the snow, this acceptance would in turn become a vague idea that she'd probably left Genma not long after his birth.  Even after the Heart Link unearthed this scene, he still had preferred to think that.  But with an adolescent's perspective this memory had made a lot more sense, and all three of them had been fairly certain -- his mother was dead.

                Well, apparently they'd all been wrong, unless the dead had risen from the grave (and considering this business with Yokehi Kodachi was nowhere near ready to count that out).  Or perhaps this was an impostor?  What if this were Yokehi herself, disguised, trying some elaborate plot to slither her way into Genma's heart?!

                That thought was worrisome enough that it temporarily drove all others from her mind.  She glanced over at Shampoo, hoping that her sister's 'Eyes of the Cat' would see through a disguise if there was one.  The Amazon was looking just as stunned as Kodachi felt, staring right at Nodoka without any sign of hostility.  There was no indication that Shampoo saw anything more threatening here than Kodachi herself had.  It was one small bit of relief, anyway.  The White Rose turned her gaze back to Nodoka, who had now pulled back to slightly less than arm's length, Ranma's shoulders gripped in her hands.  If you discounted the sheer unthinking shock present on her son's face, which was only just now beginning to thaw into a small trembling smile, it would make quite a heartwarming picture.

                Kodachi stared at the tableau, her own heart beginning to surge with an echo of the feelings that were very, very shortly going to be flooding through the love of her life.  Later, she would think back to this moment and suspect it must have been the point when she absentmindedly slipped the paper she'd been given into her pantsuit.  She never would be able to say for certain, though.

*********************************************************

                Author's Notes

                 This is only the first half of what was originally written as chapter 16.  After I'd finished the whole thing, I decided it was just too long to be released in one piece.  The author's notes at the end of what became chapter 17 cover this one as well.


	18. The Search is Over

                White Rose

                A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Aondehafka

                Disclaimer: the Ranmaverse characters owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and all that obligatory stuff.  This story based on the anime, not the manga.

*********************************************************

                Chapter 17:  The Search is Over

***************

                Time had passed, though Ranma would have been completely unable to say just how much.  He and Nodoka remained where they had been, seated on the couch in the room where she'd waited for him.Everyone else had left them to their privacy, waiting nearby but out of earshot while Kodachi did her best to monitor the Heart Link without actually infringing on her beloved's privacy.  Once she judged that he'd recovered sufficiently, she and Shampoo led Ryu and the twins back into the room, along with Tatewaki who'd happened by, wondered why everyone was congregating in the hallway like this, and gotten a much more surprising answer than he'd bargained for.

                Ranma glanced over as the door opened, smiling even more broadly as he recognized who had just returned.  "Hey, Dachi-chan, Sham-chan!  Come on over!"  The girls were only too happy to comply; as they stopped next to the couch Ranma explained, "Mom, these are my fiancées."  Nodding to each in turn, he said, "Kodachi Kuno, and Shampoo of Joketsuzoku."

                Kodachi made her most gracious bow and smiled as warmly as she could.  At the same time, she felt a mild pang of chagrin.  Ranma had just dropped something like that out of the blue onto his long-lost mother?  He'd spoken as if having multiple fiancées was nothing more remarkable than just one or none?  Obviously she had jumped the gun a little in leading everybody back here.  Ranma-sama must still be more dazed than she'd thought, to simply assume that his mother would swallow that without a hitch.

                "It's very nice to meet both of you," Nodoka responded, her warmth matching Kodachi's.  The White Rose didn't have time to do much more than blink at this blasé acceptance before the Saotome matron continued.  "These two young ladies," nodding toward the twins, "already told me many nice things about you.  I'm certainly looking forward to getting to know you both better."

                Shampoo sent her own glance of consideration toward her cousins, wondering whether there was some sort of Dance that had let them make Nodoka so readily agreeable to an Amazon multi-marriage.  Come to think of it, Mr. and Mrs. Hibiki had agreed to Ryu's situation with surprisingly little in the way of fuss...

                "We happy to help," Lung-Lung said, innocently driving Shampoo's suspicions that much farther along.  "Is good to see family come back together again.  Even better to help it happen."

                This, Kodachi decided, was the perfect cue to ask Nodoka for more details about that familial separation.  Where had she been all these years?  Why had Genma never spoken of her to his son?  The theory that would fit those facts most easily -- that Ranma had been abducted by his father against Nodoka's will -- just didn't work when other things were considered.  The woman's reaction didn't fit.  She was very happy to see her son again, but there was none of the desperation and mingled grief that Kodachi was sure ought to be there, had Ranma truly been taken without his mother's knowledge or consent.  Yes, the White Rose decided, it was time for some answers.

                On the other hand, it didn't feel right for her personally to be the one asking that question.  She caught Ranma's eye and sent a meaningful glance his way, a signal to him to broach the subject.

                Ranma blinked, reminded by his fiancée's intense gaze of what he needed to say next.  He took a deep breath, braced himself, and started out, "Hey, Mom... listen.  There's something...  I mean, about Pop..."  He stumbled to a stop.  Dang it all anyway, this was HARD!  Stupid ghost witch had to kidnap his old man at the worst freakin' possible time.  How the heck was he supposed to tell his mother this news?!

                "I know he's not staying here," Nodoka replied.  Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from her son, fixing her gaze on the one youth present who had yet to be introduced.  From the story her Amazon guides had told her about the time when Ranma had battled an Oni and saved Shampoo's life, she was fairly certain she knew who this must be.  "Tatewaki Kuno?"  When the tall boy blinked and nodded uncertainly, she smiled and asked, "Could you contact your fiancée at the Tendo home and leave word for them to send Genma on over here?"

                After a long moment of disconcerted silence, Ranma asked, "Uh... how'd you know all that stuff, Mom?"  Just how much detail had Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung gone into anyway?  Had the twins taken the opportunity to start training in Martial Arts Gossipmongering or something?

                Nodoka whipped several sheets of paper out of her kimono and beamed at her son.  "From this letter your father sent me.  He told me how he was training Soun's daughter so she could one day revive her school."  Impossibly, her smile brightened as she added, "He also described how you were instrumental in bringing Tatewaki and Nabiki together, Ranma.  I'm very proud of you."

                "Could I see that?" Ranma asked faintly.  Taking the letter and scanning it quickly, he found enough evidence to conclude that Genma must have been more up-to-date on what had happened in his life than he'd thought.  It wasn't all there, but there was a heck of a lot more than he'd given Genma credit for knowing -- and what was more, many of the things Genma had included in the letter were things Ranma hadn't thought about much, but seemed to have struck his father as quite praiseworthy.  Ranma felt a deep, though faint, pang.  He was too happy right now at having his mother back in his life, but he suspected that when that wore off he would have to deal with a round of guilt even worse than the previous time.  At least, unless it turned out that his old man had gotten all this information from Nabiki only for the purpose of writing this letter, or just because of the way Ranma had kicked his butt before the trip to China.  He made a mental note to check up on that.

                Seeing that Ranma was too busy staring at the letter to respond, and his fiancées were likewise too busy reading it over his shoulders, Tatewaki took it on himself to begin explaining.  "Ah... Mrs. Saotome, concerning your husband... er'h'm, well... as the wife of a premier martial artist you must surely have seen a few things that the general public would have a hard time crediting...?"

                Ranma forced his mind away from the paper, and decided to just spit it out.  "Mom, Pop was kidnapped by a ghost witch two days ago."

                "Oh, my," Nodoka said, drawing in her breath sharply.  Her wide-eyed stare was enough to capture all of Ranma's attention; thus, he remained unaware of the glares everyone else in the room was sending his way.  "Does that sort of thing happen often?"

                "Not really, no.  She tried once before, but we fought her off," Ranma answered.  Tatewaki's glare sharpened a bit on hearing that casually-stated 'we'.  "Actually, we thought she was dead after that.  That's how she was able to catch us by surprise and snag Pop this time."

                "Now, Ranma," Nodoka chided him, "you said yourself this was a ghost.  You were right when you thought she was dead, but that was no reason to think she wouldn't cause any more trouble.  Genma himself shared stories of his younger days with me that make that plain enough.  I suppose he just told them to you as if they were legends, not something that really happened."

                "Yeah.  Something like that."

                "So what does this ghost want with him?" Nodoka asked curiously.  The abduction had happened two days ago; if it were anything too terrible or evil, surely Genma would have already defeated and sealed the abomination and made his way back home.  Of course, he might have done so and pulled into Nerima on the next bullet train after hers for all she knew, but Nodoka would prefer it if the situation were less critical than that.

                Rather than just let her Airen blurt out another shocking revelation, Shampoo spoke up.  "Is because she is ghost -- lived long time ago.  She get released, she see Genma, he remind her of someone else.  Someone else she had feelings for.  You get Shampoo's drift?" the Amazon asked anxiously.

                "Yeah, this time she flat-out told me 'the honeymoon is no place for children' when I tried to stop her," Ranma added.

                "Oh, that's good to hear," Nodoka said with a sigh of relief, cutting right through Shampoo's and Kodachi's ire, causing them to jerk their collective gaze from annoyed at Ranma to incredulous at Nodoka.  "I'm glad to know Genma is still so handsome and virile, to drive women to such lengths."

                After struggling for a bit to process this response, Kodachi managed to ask, "Aren't you the least bit worried that he might be unfaithful to you?  I know we said she was a ghost witch, but this was no ugly old hag.  She had the appearance of quite a beautiful woman."

                Ranma sent an annoyed glance Kodachi's way.  Surely she could have put it more tactfully than that.

                However, the lack of tact didn't seem to have bothered Nodoka.  "No, of course I'm not concerned, dear.  My husband is a good and honorable man.  He might try to do something and fail," the barest hint of a shadow passed across Nodoka's features at the reminder of the fear she'd lived with for so long, then vanished as she took a reassuring look at her son, "but he would never deliberately walk away from honor like that."

                Another long moment of silence followed this pronouncement.  Shampoo eventually ended it, coughing loudly, then saying, "Is moot point anyway.  We have spell set up to break her spells, find her in another two days.  When that happen we will ride in to rescue, break up whatever is happening, and bring Genma back here."

                Nodoka considered that.  It seemed to Shampoo that the woman was none too pleased at the revelation.  This was confirmed a moment later as she spoke up, saying "Dear, I'm not sure that's such a good idea.  In fact, I am almost certain it isn't.  After all, isn't that what you did before, Ranma?  You fought her off, forcefully thwarted her will, stood between her and the man that had caught her eye.  How would you feel if," Nodoka groped for an analogy, "oh, say, someone from Shampoo's tribe showed up in Japan and tried to take her away from you?  It would just make your heart go out to her all the more."

                "I guess I can't argue with that," her son admitted, "but I'm not sure where you're goin' with this, Mom."

                "It would be better to let things be with your father and this sorceress," Nodoka explained.  "If you should fight her and defeat her again, it will just strengthen her determination to come back and try again, sometime in the future.  What we should do is let Genma dearest handle this himself.  Sooner or later this ghost will grow tired of bashing her head against the stone wall of his stoic loyalty, and give him up of her own free will."

***************

                Moonlight streamed down around him, bathing the environs in a silvery glow.  Everything seemed to come into greater focus under the lunar illumination, showing more detail than Genma was used to seeing under the full light of day.  At the same time, the moonlight softened the edges and smoothed the curves of the various trees and flowers and foliage that surrounded him, seeming to deepen the shadows sufficiently to provide an air of mystery without actually obscuring anything enough to risk a misstep.

                This wasn't the first time he'd taken a walk through this particular moonlight.  But Genma still wasn't used to the peculiar quality of the illumination, especially how much of it there seemed to be.  Considering the density of the forest's cover, combined with the fact that there was only a tiny waning sliver of moon visible in the sky, nowhere near this much light should have made it through to ground level.  Still, no need to look a gift horse in the mouth, as the elder Saotome saw it.  And so he walked along, studying the terrain with far more ease than he could have done normally at this time of night, trying to find anything that might help with his eventual escape.

                He resolutely kept his eyes off the figure gliding beside him, forced the awareness of the indulgent smile she wore right out of his mind.  Maybe his captor did suspect what he was really doing on these moonlit strolls she took with him, but if she did she obviously didn't think it worth her while to hinder him.  Genma was determined to make her pay for that miscalculation.

                Yokehi, meanwhile, was multitasking with a prowess a computer might have envied.  She was actually only performing three tasks at once, but any computer capable of envy in the first place would no doubt find her freedom to walk around, interact with her environment, and make her own decisions enough reason to turn the proverbial shade of green.  The multitasking would just be icing on the cake.

                The largest part of the witch's attention was focused simply on enjoying the moment, drinking in the beauty and reveling in the company.  Genma had already become noticeably less fearful of her, and surely that would lead to her eventual success sooner rather than later.  Another portion of her awareness soared ahead on wings of willpower, scouting the area ahead and around her, allowing her to choose the best route for their stroll.  And the final task, the one requiring the least conscious thought but the most energy expended, held a cloak of concealment around herself and her companion.  These woods had many wonderful qualities that served her well as a retreat, but Yokehi had no intention whatsoever of revealing her -- or Genma's -- presence to the permanent residents.

                The combination of those latter two tasks suddenly bore unexpected fruit; sensing what was not too far ahead and off to one side, Yokehi gently placed her hand on Genma's arm and guided him from their current trail onto a different one.  Genma stiffened slightly, and his pulse quickened.  He refrained from looking at Yokehi, already uncomfortably aware that this unusual brand of moonlight caused the ghost to glow with a beauty greater than really should be possible for any woman.

                Yokehi couldn't read those thoughts, but sensing the physical reactions, without catching even a hint of the acrid scent of true fear, was more than enough to brighten her spirits even farther.  As the two of them moved slowly along, the witch tightened the web of concealment she had drawn over herself and Genma.  She didn't want to spook what she had sensed just up ahead...

                Then they were out from under the trees, halting just on the edge of the clearing.  On the far side stood a unicorn, the shadow of the trees that rested over it doing nothing to hide the creature's beauty or majesty.  Its coat shimmered like all the mysteries in the world woven into one fabric.  Its eyes gleamed, far brighter than should be possible in the shadow in which it stood.  Its horn glowed softly, yet shone with presence and power enough to make Genma think wistfully of his dragon fang, left in the Kuno mansion with the rest of his baggage.  The creature moved slowly along, and it was a dance more graceful and powerful than any kata any martial artist had ever managed, or ever would.  The unicorn was engaged in grazing through a patch of wildflowers, chewing and swallowing with evident relish, yet somehow even this mundane act of feeding was a part of the ballet, a vision of unbelievable grace and wonder.

                Genma stared long and hard at the unicorn, feeling emotions well up within him that he didn't understand and couldn't really control.  Drawing a deep, ragged breath, he forced his eyes away from the sight, scanning the clearing instead, desperately focusing on the numerous breaks in the treeline around the clearing.  Each extended out into an additional pathway through the forest.  Who knew but that one of them might be his direct ticket to the outer world and freedom?

                Yokehi first sensed his inattention, then took note of what he was actually doing.  A slight frown creased her brow, then smoothed out as she returned her attention to the unicorn.  It was a scene of beauty that had had few equals in her life, and nothing to surpass it.  Genma's silliness could wait a few minutes.

                After the passage of those few minutes, a subtle change passed through the unicorn.  It paused in its grazing, looking up, not yet alarmed, but curious as if it had sensed the ghost of something unexpected.  Realizing that even her impressive abilities of concealment were nearing their limit, Yokehi took hold of Genma's arm again and led him back out of the clearing.

                She was content to guide him along in silence for awhile, ordering her thoughts, and scanning the area ahead of them for something in particular, something less wondrous than a unicorn.  Eventually, she broke the silence, asking Genma almost conversationally, "Dear, I was wondering something."

                "What is it?" Genma asked gruffly.

                "Just curiosity, really."  Yokehi kept her tone light, yet at the same time used enough emphasis to hopefully get through to the man she had chosen for her own.  "You keep looking around, as if you were trying to decide just which way to run.  Exactly where do you think there is to run _to_?"

                Forgetting in his befuddlement not to look directly at her, Genma turned and gave Yokehi a stare of incomprehension.  Fortunately, his confusion was enough to shield him from any impact the sight might otherwise have held.  "What do you mean?"

                "I mean... look here."  They had just come to an intersection where the path they walked along crossed another.  A drift of soft leaf-mould lay in the perpendicular path; Yokehi gestured toward it.  "What do you see there?"

                Genma took the steps necessary to bring him close enough to investigate.  On realizing what was preserved in the soft mould, his confusion only grew.  Why on earth had his captor/would-be mistress showed him this?  "It's a footprint," he breathed, realizing with a sudden rush of hope just what that meant.  He wasn't all alone here with Yokehi; there must be others nearby.  The dimensions of the print were too small to be either his or hers.  In fact, the small size was an even better sign.  "A child's footprint."  If there were children wandering freely through the woods, then that meant help would be that much more readily available.  It wasn't, couldn't be just some random hermit.

                "You are correct -- for whatever that's worth," Yokehi replied archly.  Then, her tone shifting to brisk and businesslike, the sorceress said, "Pay attention to what I'm about to show you, dear.  I will only be able to hold the effect for a short time.  But for that time, you will see what lies several miles away in a direct line from us."

                Before Genma could ask what that meant, the space before him... _warped_.  The outer edges twisted, spiraling around into what the elder Saotome understood was a tunnel, a twist in space that allowed him to see what was on the other side as if it were only fifty meters away.

                It was a village, actually less rustic and primitive than his dim memories of the Amazon locale he had passed quickly through so long ago.  But it bore a certain resemblance to that area, showing unmistakable signs of being the home of people with no dependence on or care for the technologies of modern life.

                And those people... Genma gulped and staggered backward as he got a good long look at the figures moving gracefully through the village.  Even at this hour of night there were still children present, though it was rather more difficult to see them than was the case for the adults.  This was because the children were, without exception, dusky-skinned to a darkness that would have been invisible save for the unnaturally strong moonlight.  Not so the adults, whose pale skin reminded him somewhat of his Japanese daughter-in-law-to-be.

                However, the elves' slight builds and obvious pointed ears bore little familiarity to anyone Genma had ever seen.

                Yokehi collapsed the viewing tunnel with an audible sigh of relief.  Opening it hadn't been hard, but preventing its notice had taken a huge effort.  Still, it should be worth it.  "Now do you see, Genma?" she asked gently.  "If you left, where would you go?  Why continue to struggle?  I can take you back to Japan, and I fully intend to... when we go back together, and meet your son again to be one big happy family."

                Judging from Genma's reaction, he hadn't really heard any of this.  The elder Saotome gulped a few times, then asked, "What... what are those... whatever-they-are's doing in North America?!"

                Yokehi gaped at him, unable to find words for some few moments.  At last, the sorceress pulled herself together, at least enough to say, "Genma, you just saw an elven village.  And fifteen minutes ago we watched a unicorn!  Hasn't it sunk in yet exactly how far I've taken us?  How on earth can you think we're just in North America?!"

                "Because of the stars," Genma said flatly.  "They're the same now as they were when I brought Ranma through here on our training trip."

                Slowly, Yokehi turned her gaze skyward, glaring at the glittering heavens as if they'd personally offended her.  "Knew I forgot something," she muttered under her breath.

                Pressing his advantage, Genma waved his hand, in one expansive gesture indicating all of the woods and particularly the area where the viewing portal had been.  "Come clean, now.  How much of this is just an illusion?"

                "None of it," Yokehi retorted, gathering as much dignity as possible.  "Not the forest, not the elves, not the unicorn."  She sighed.  "But I will admit that you're correct.  We are in North America.  This forest carries a ridiculously high background level of nature magic, due to the elves who settled here and the magical creatures they brought with them.  That's why it's worth staying here, even though it's so far from the lands of our birth."

                "Oh.  Really," Genma said skeptically.  "Just what does that heavy level of magic do for us?  Besides letting you keep me on a leash more easily?"

                "I'm glad you asked that, Genma dear," the sorceress replied with a sweet-and-saucy smile.  "The answer is waiting right ahead of us."

                Right ahead of them was another area where the trees opened up into a clearing.  For a moment, Genma slowed his approaching pace, suspicious as to what exactly might be lurking there.

                Then he took a long, deep breath as a sudden cross-breeze swept from the clearing down to the two of them, and quickly shifted into a trot.

                Yokehi followed at a more sedate pace, pausing to smile tenderly at the sight of Genma already seated at the edge of the massive feast she'd created.  This was no dinner of fruit, mushrooms, or other bounty of the forest such as they'd had so far.  Spread out before Genma was a meal fit in quality for a Japanese emperor, and in quantity for his elite team of sumo bodyguards.  It was still piping hot, but not enough so to cause him any pain.  Which was good, because the elder Saotome had dived into the feast with a gusto that sent warm fuzzies surging all through Yokehi's heart.  "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," she murmured happily.

                Perhaps some corner of Genma's mind heard her, despite the near-silence of her words.  The older man did pause for a moment, glancing at Yokehi, then subjecting the food spread out before him with a critically-appraising eye.  '_Nodoka's cooking was better than this,_' he thought, but with no real vehemence or conviction.  And soon enough, with Yokehi now seated daintily beside him, he was eating again as heartily as ever.

***************

                Another one of those long, awkward moments of silence followed on the heels of Nodoka's announcement.  It stretched, and stretched, and eventually Ranma decided _someone_ needed to break it.  A quick glance around the room's various occupants made it seem unlikely that anyone else was ready to do so, though.  Ryu, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung were still blinking in surprise, all three of them somehow perfectly synchronized in the gesture.  Shampoo was mouthing the phrase 'stoic loyalty?'; Kodachi had much the same reaction, only substituting the words 'stone wall?'.  Tatewaki had removed himself from Nodoka's field of vision entirely and was edging toward the door, his expression that of someone deciding to leave explanations to other people and get out while the getting was good.

                Nodoka was still smiling cheerfully, not seeming to have noticed any of this.  For a few seconds longer, Ranma struggled with temptation.  Wouldn't it be okay to let her go on thinking the best of things?  But no, he realized unhappily, better to get it over with.  His mother seemed to be carrying around an utterly unrealistic idea of his father, as some kinda paragon who never slipped up, fell short, or made any real mistakes.  And there was no way she was going to be able to hold onto those illusions much longer anyway, not while there was cold water anywhere in Nerima.  Jusenkyo was going to bust his old man right off that pedestal.  Better to go ahead and let the cat out of the bag now.

                "Uh... Mom?  Could we go somewhere else and talk about this a little more?  Like, in private?" Ranma clarified.

                "Of course, dear," Nodoka replied, calmly and cheerfully.  She could see that her son was a little worried, but that was no cause for concern -- her motherly instincts had already informed her of just what must be the cause.  Her son was still a teenager, he was at the time of his life when his manly urges would be at their strongest... and to top it all off, he had managed to acquire two lovely young ladies to share his life.  It must seem inconceivable to Ranma that Genma wouldn't feel the same way, and her son was bravely trying to prepare her for a blow Nodoka knew wouldn't actually be falling.  Still, she mused as she followed him out of the room, perhaps telling him that wouldn't be the best way to set his mind at ease.  Maybe she should just listen to his warning, put on a grave, concerned face, and assure him that she was prepared for whatever might happen.

                The Saotome matron followed her son through the hallways, with Kodachi and Shampoo bringing up the rear.  The procession ended in a large, airy recreation room, one which had an entire wall of windows that looked out into the grounds.  The floor was tiled mosaic, the couches were a decadent mixture of opulence and comfort, and there were numerous elegant paintings along the three non-transparent walls.  However, none of that was why Ranma had chosen this room as their destination.

                He slowly approached the ornamental fountain that rippled and splashed in the center of the room.  Stopping just far enough back that the spray didn't quite reach him, he turned back to face his mother and said, "Listen, Mom.  There's something... something I got to tell you... it's about the training trip.  Something happened... I mean..."  He paused, took a deep breath, and said, "Jusenkyo.  The last training ground we went to.  A Chinese training ground.  Pop took me there, even though he didn't speak any Chinese and he didn't know anything about the place.  Didn't wait to find out any of those details either, just led me out into the middle of it for some sparring as soon as we got there.  That... that's why... I just need you to understand.  He does make mistakes sometime."

                "Oh, Ranma.  I know that, dear," his mother replied gently.  "Your father is a man, and all men make mistakes."  She glanced toward Kodachi and Shampoo, and said, "Just ask these two young ladies.  Young love may make your heart think something different, but I'm sure both of them will admit to you that they aren't perfect.  And I know Genma dearest isn't either."

                "But... this... this one was pretty big, Mom," Ranma countered.  "Jusenkyo -- it's cursed.  There's all these pools of water lyin' around, an' if you fall in one you're cursed with the body of whatever last drowned in that particular pool.  After that, any time you get splashed with cold water, you change.  Hot water changes you back."

                "Oh, dear," Nodoka said, beginning to feel the first real stirrings of anxiety.  "Did either of you receive a curse?"

                "Yeah."  Ranma took a deep breath.  "Both of us.  We got a cure for Pop not too long ago, but it couldn't work for me."  He paused, giving his mother a look that mixed evaluation and pleading.  She didn't look like she was on the verge of fainting or anything; hopefully she wouldn't take this too badly.  "It could be worse, I guess, but it could be a whole lot better, too."  And with no further ado, he leaned over and stuck his arm into the fountain.

                Nodoka hadn't flinched an inch on learning of her husband's abduction by an amorous witch.  She didn't take her son's transformation into her daughter with that much stoicism, but at least she didn't faint or stagger backward.  After all, Ranma had rather built her up to expect something pretty significant.

                Nonetheless, it would be paltering with the truth to say she was pleased.  "R- Ranma?  My son?" she gasped.  "Oh, merciful Kami!  _Are_ you still my son?!"

                "Yes!" Ranma-chan exclaimed in return, plaintively, awkwardly, quite unhappily.

                Seeing that her fiancé was having a little trouble knowing what to say next, Kodachi stepped smoothly in.  "Jusenkyo's change only affects its victims' bodies, Mrs. Saotome.  Genma was cursed to take on the body of a panda bear, but while he was in that form he retained all his personality and intelligence.  It is just so with Ranma."

                "Right.  Is body only," Shampoo seconded.  "Ranma is still all man at heart.  Change does not mess with his mind, does not bring spirit of girl what drowned in pool out to take over, nothing like that."

                Nodoka exhaled in relief.  "Thank you, Shampoo dear.  That is exactly what I was most afraid of."

                "Is not so," Shampoo confirmed again, though unsure as to just which of those two alternatives had been the one Nodoka meant.  "Pool just gave Ranma the body he would have had if he was born as girl.  If Ryu or Tatewaki fall into that spring, he would look totally different from Ranma."

                "I understand."  Nodoka turned back to regard her offspring, feeling a pang of sorrow at the sight of the clear pain in her eyes.  "Oh, Ranma, I'm sorry you've had to undergo such a trial," she said gently, stepping forward and giving Ranma-chan a hug.  "But it could be worse, couldn't it?  I'm sure there are much worse springs to fall into than one that left you in human form.  What if you fell into some bizarre hybrid spring that had had multiple creatures drown in it?  You might turn into some giant winged monster or something."

                "I know.  I know.  It _could_ be worse," Ranma-chan agreed.  Since basically all of her pain had been the result of her mother's initial reaction, Nodoka's latest response had now wiped most of it away.  "In fact, there are some good things about this body."

                Nodoka stiffened, ever so imperceptibly.  "Such as what?"

                Ranma had come up with this list in the weeks following the disappointment at Jusenkyo, when he had finally had to face the fact that he might never be cured.  "Well, for one thing, it makes for a great disguise."  Nodoka nodded.  "For another, well, what you said.  There's things at Jusenkyo a ton worse than this body.  Heck, there even _are_ some springs that mess with your mind when you get splashed.  I'm just really lucky Pop and I didn't fall into those."

                "Are there other advantages?" Nodoka prompted.

                "Yeah, but they're kinda a long story.  I'll give ya the really short version.  A real long time ago, Pop made a stupid deal with one of his buddies to engage me an' one of Mr. Tendo's daughters.  We went there, but the curse really freaked them out and the so-called 'engagement' went over like a case of bad sashimi.  If it hadn't been for all that, I might not've been able to get free once I met Dachi-chan."  Ranma-chan turned and gave said girl a smile.  "Or at least, it woulda been a lot harder.  And believe you me, she's a heckuva lot better person to share my life with than any of Mr. Tendo's daughters."

                "If they're so shortsighted about such a little thing and let it keep them from seeing what a fine young man you are, then that is certainly true," Nodoka said primly.  "Was there anything else?"

                "Kinda the same story over again, actually.  When I first met Sham-chan," another warm smile directed toward a fiancée, "I was in my cursed form, and she thought I was really a girl.  I kinda goofed up and offended her honor without meaning to, just tripped over a local custom I didn't know about.  She had to chase me down and beat me in a rematch to get her honor back.  If I'd been a guy when we first met up, though, things woulda gone a lot different."

                Nodoka nodded firmly.  "Those sound like some excellent silver linings indeed.  Were there any other benefits you thought of?"

                "Nah," her sometime-son replied.  "Once I thought it through enough to see those last two, I didn't really bother tryin' to come up with any others.  Didn't need to."

                Shampoo stepped up to her Airen's side, dumped a kettle of steaming water over her, then glomped him firmly.  "Ranma say the sweetest things," she purred.

                Ranma snaked his own arm around Shampoo and gave her a squeeze, but resisted the impulse to take it farther.  Indulging in a make-out session right in front of his mother probably wouldn't leave such a good impression.  "Anyway, Mom," he said, returning his attention to her, "that was something I had to show you.  Cause... cause you were gonna find out sooner or later, about the fact that Pop did make this one big mistake."

                "Now, Ranma," Nodoka chided gently.  "I'm sure you have had some unfavorable experiences in that form.  Having boys press their attention on what they think is a cute girl cannot be pleasant.  But you yourself said that without this curse, you wouldn't have both Kodachi and Shampoo in your life.  Perhaps one, but not both.  Isn't that worth more than you've endured?"

                "Well, yeah," Ranma said disconcertedly.  "I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about Pop!"

                Again, though for a different reason, Nodoka tensed slightly.  "Did Genma dear suffer some terrible mishap due to his cursed form?"

                Ranma, who didn't know about his father's tenure in Azusa Shiratori's cage and who would have laughed himself sick over it if he had, shook his head.  "I just meant... the fact that he took us there... I mean, without....?"

                "I understand that Genma did make a mistake," Nodoka admitted.  "But it doesn't seem so terrible to me.  I am certainly sorry for the pain it caused you, Ranma, but I am quite glad to get two wonderful daughters-to-be from the same circumstance."

                She paused, then continued decisively, "You don't need to keep trying to protect me, dear.  I know very well that Genma isn't perfect."  She smiled at him.  "And you should be glad he isn't, because if he were he wouldn't be a man and you would never have been born.  I know he has made mistakes, like we all do.  But nothing so terrible as all that.  I have faith in him, in the man I love.  And you should too."

                "I... I..." Ranma swallowed, thinking back to the letter his mother was once again carrying, that listed so many things about his life that he hadn't credited Genma with knowing.  Remembering too his father's reaction to Yokehi, and that the elder Saotome hadn't shown any signs whatsoever of welcoming this intruder into his life.  "Thanks, Mom," he said at last.  "I think I needed to hear that."  Surely, if his mother could show such loyalty, such deep affection, and such a nonjudgmental attitude toward her husband, he ought to take that fact sincerely to heart.

***************

                "Don't get me wrong, Shampoo.  I'm very glad that Nodoka has returned to be a part of Ranma's life."  This was Kodachi.

                "Shampoo agree.  Timing even seem to be good too.  Gets Ranma's mind off worrying for Genma."

                "And it is certainly nice to see them reunited, to feel how happy Ranma dearest is at this development."

                "Is so.  Warm glow is enough to make Shampoo want to turn down thermostat."

                "She seems quite nice, too.  Loving, caring, open-minded..."

                "Ready to accept bigger family than most Japanese would be, Shampoo think."

                "While she seems to be impressed with my familial position, it has not made her turn obsequious or subservient."

                "She not show even hint of common prejudice, that because Shampoo Chinese she is second-rate person."

                "Not only does she accept Ranma-sama for who he is, she sees clearly just how good a person that is."

                "She sees him as man, not boy, and knows how to value warrior's heart."

                "All the same..."

                "All the same..."

                In stereo:  "The woman is a ditz."

                A long, sticky silence followed this pronunciation.  There was no-one else in the room to break it.  Ranma and Nodoka were having dinner together.  Both Ranma's fiancées had of course been invited to come along, but this once they had begged off, telling Ranma that he and his mother should have this time just to themselves.  The two girls were now in Kodachi's studio; she had retired there and attempted for a time to divert herself from thoughts of all the day's upheavals through some therapeutic painting, but it hadn't worked at all.  When Shampoo happened by shortly thereafter and opened the floor for further discussion, Kodachi had abandoned arts and crafts without a second thought.

                The White Rose sighed, half in resignation, half in amusement, and half in some other emotion she couldn't quite identify.  "At least we now know what manner of woman would marry Genma Saotome."

                "True.  But what we don't know," Shampoo retorted, giving voice to a question that had been nagging her for quite awhile now, "is bigger puzzle."

                "Which is?"

                "Where did Ranma get his brains?"  The Amazon spread her hands in a gesture of helpless bewilderment.  "Shampoo know he not a true genius, except when it come to fights and tactics, but he much, much brighter than I can see in either father OR mother."

                Kodachi mused on that question for a while, finding it a very valid one.  At last she said, "All I can say is, maybe he got the absolute best of each parent.  Maybe somehow Genma's positive traits mixed with Nodoka's in such a way that each reinforced the other.  After all," she continued thoughtfully, "it's not that Nodoka seems to be lacking in intelligence so much as that she's just..."

                "A ditz," Shampoo finished, considering it from this new angle.  Eventually she said, "Maybe you right.  Maybe it like cousin Xiao Yu.  How she feel for Mousse make her do stupid things, think stupid things, not see some things any more clearly than he do, but it not change her into drooling moron.  She still had the brain that let her learn quick enough to press me hard in fight sometimes, even though she is a year younger.  Is just that for her, love threw a big kink into the works."

                "Indeed.  Thank goodness neither of us is afflicted so badly as that," Kodachi pronounced.  Shampoo nodded solemnly in agreement.

                After several moments of contemplative silence, the White Rose continued.  "I don't think we can say the same thing for Ranma-sama, though.  Although in his case it is rather different."

                "What you mean?"

                Kodachi shrugged helplessly.  "I mean, that as far as I can see, he hasn't seemed to pick up the first clue as to his mother's... shall we say, handicap?"

                "To Ranma, what matters is that she is here, and she love him.  He not see anything else."  Shampoo paused thoughtfully.  "And really, does anything else matter?  So what if neither of Ranma's true parents will win any awards for their brains anytime soon.  He not just depending on them anymore.  Remember how far he has come since getting away from Genma?  Was not on his own.  He have us, and your father and mother, and Great-Grandmother too.  She is sneaky and crafty and smart enough for a dozen 'son-in-laws'."

                "You're probably right.  Still, it grates on me a little.  That Ranma should see someone through such rose-colored glasses, I mean.  Far better to see things as they really are," Kodachi stated.

                Shampoo gave a shrug of her own.  "Love is blind, I suppose."

                Kodachi opened her mouth to reply... then all of a sudden she shut it with a snap.  Her eyes were no longer on Shampoo.  Instead, her gaze roved down her own side, down the long, snow-white side ponytail that spilled along one arm... and over the colorless skin of that arm... and remembered the very first thing that had struck her about Ranma, in her first meeting with him... or rather, both her first meetings, one with Ranma, one with 'Ranko'...

                "You're right, Shampoo.  I think I'll try to be a little less judgmental," the White Rose said quietly.

                Shampoo blinked.  "Not sure I was trying to say that, but sound good to me."

                "Indeed."  Kodachi took a long, deep breath.  This necessarily did certain things to the top of her pantsuit, things which would have interested Ranma quite a bit had he been there.

                He wasn't, of course, but this once someone else took notice of one piece of the process.  "What was crackling sound?" Shampoo asked curiously.

                "Crackling sound?" Kodachi repeated.  Now that Shampoo mentioned it, there had been such a sound effect, hadn't there?  But where had it...?  As if guided by a dim memory, her hand slipped inside her top, and retrieved the paper she had been handed an eternity ago.  "Oh, this," Kodachi said, memory returning.  "Nodoka gave it to me when we first saw her."

                "What is?" Shampoo asked curiously, eyeing the parchment curiously.  It was yellow and brittle with age, but did not seem so old that any writing should have faded beyond leaving any trace behind.  But even to her Eyes of the Cat, the paper appeared perfectly blank.  "Nothing there."

                "I don't know... oh, wait," Kodachi said dryly, and flipped the sheet over, exposing the ink on the other side.  It was faded, but still legible.  The paper contained both writing and numerous inky handprints, sized to have been left by a small child.  Shampoo could make little sense out of the writing; her current position relative to the paper meant that she was looking at it upside down, and the inky handprints further obscured things.  She suspected it might be Genma's handwriting, but couldn't say for certain without a better look.

                "What it say, Kodachi?" the Amazon prompted after a moment.  On receiving no response, and noting that her sworn sister had frozen into rigid immobility, Shampoo hurried around to a position that allowed her to read for herself.

                This action kick-started Kodachi's higher-order mental functions, at least enough to allow her to read aloud, in a horrified whisper, " 'I will commit ritual suicide.  --Genma, Ranma' "

                Shampoo continued where Kodachi left off, her voice no louder or more sanguine, " 'Unless Genma has raised Ranma to be a man among men.' "

                Kodachi blinked, recovering a bit more mental capacity.  "What?!  Where?  Where does it say that?!"

                "What you talking?!  Say right there!" Shampoo declared, pointing to the blank area below the writing Kodachi had read.

                "Shampoo, this is no time for silly games!" the White Rose remonstrated.  "There's nothing there!  What are you trying to say anyway?!"

                "What you -- oh."  With serious effort, Shampoo pushed all her recent horror far enough over to the side to concentrate.  "I see writing there, but is coming from Eyes of the Cat.  Like time I knew how to open Great-Grandmother's chest without set off trap.  This promise is made only to be call in if Ranma is not man among men."

                "Are you sure?"

                "Absolutely."

                The White Rose wiped sweat from her brow.  "Whew.  What a relief," she breathed.  The paper might as well be a pledge to pick up Mt. Fuji and throw it into the sea, since the condition for its being called in was even more unthinkable than that.

                The sound of the door opening drew her attention.  "Shampoo?  Where are you going?"

                "What kind of stupid question is that?!  Need to go have words with Ranma mother!"

                "No, we don't," Kodachi argued.  "Certainly not right this moment.  I don't think this is any time to rush off without thinking things through."

                "No time to rush?!  Is you crazy?!  What if she trying to call this in right now?!"

                Kodachi arched one eyebrow.  "First of all, she isn't, or we should certainly be feeling Ranma's horror through the Heart Link.  Don't tell me you weren't monitoring it, to see how his dinner with his mother was progressing."

                "Shampoo _was_," the Amazon returned.  "Something kind of distract me just now.  And what reason is that not to hurry?  All it mean is she have not do anything stupid yet."

                "Secondly, seppuku requires Ranma-sama's participation.  You know very well he wouldn't abandon us like that."

                "Yes, Shampoo know that," the Amazon growled, more eager than ever to get this over with and race off to deal with Nodoka.  "That not point!  Point is how much hurt it would be to Ranma, if she ask!"

                That took Kodachi back a bit, but she rallied to make her next point.  "Thirdly, you and I know very well just how wonderful a man Ranma-sama truly is.  And such is evident to anyone who spends even a little time around him.  There is exactly one thing that could conceivably have moved Nodoka to think this promise had to be called in, Shampoo, and that's Ranma's Nyannichuan curse.  And if she had thought that, she would surely have said so when Ranma revealed it to her."

                "You no know that.  Could just be waiting until Genma is there at same time.  Vicious Chinese Amazon expletive deleted paper say Genma and Ranma both do this if Ranma not measure up."

                Rallying came a bit harder this time, but Kodachi managed it quickly enough.  "After all she said after Ranma-sama's explanation?  No, Shampoo.  That reaction just doesn't fit.  She would have just kept quiet if she thought the curse was that bad, not been so reassuring as she was."

                "You not know that!  Sure, what you say is act of honorable, kind person," Shampoo faltered a bit as she brought the qualities 'honorable' and 'kind' into conjunction with 'someone who was thinking of calling this promise in'.  Then, pushing the incongruity aside as not really relevant, she said, "And we not know that!  Only met her today!  Is too soon to be able to make that kind of call!"

                "I don't think so," Kodachi argued.  "And I'll tell you why.  You were standing there when she gave me this..." she gave the paper one glance of loathing, then looked away again, "this accursed document.  But you probably didn't catch what she said at the time.  Did you?"

                "No.  What was?"

                " 'Here, take this, it's yours now.'  She didn't give it to me to hold for a little while, she transferred it over to me entirely."

                Shampoo's brow furrowed.  "But that make no sense.  If it matter to her, and since she keep it so long seem like it would have to, why she do that?  Why she say that, let go of it for good and all so fast, just like that?  Does not add up."

                "Oh, I think it does," Kodachi growled, glaring down at the paper once more.  "Take a good look at this, Shampoo.  See if you don't see it for yourself."

                "If is all the same to you, I rather not look at vicious Chinese Amazon expletive deleted again paper right now.  Just tell Shampoo what you talking."

                "I just meant, look at the handwriting."

                Shampoo drew in a sharp breath, the light of comprehension dawning in her eyes.  "Of course," she said disgustedly.  "Is Genma's.  What you want to bet this was all his idea?"

                Kodachi let loose a most unladylike snort.  "My parents give me an annual allowance larger than some nations' gross domestic product.  And I wouldn't set ten measly yen against you in that wager, Shampoo."

                "Well, at least you would not lose ten yen then."  Shampoo fell silent, pondering with bitter irony how much trouble they were going to in order to rescue Genma.  As far as she was concerned, Yokehi could have him.  She wondered whether it might be possible to somehow sabotage the rescue effort.  Maybe she ought to ask Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.

                "Anyway, I think we can take it as pretty much a given that honor was the only reason Nodoka was holding onto this paper, and that there's no danger now of her bringing this matter up," Kodachi said.  "She wouldn't have passed it off to me so thoroughly, had that not been the case."

                "Right.  She gave to you."  Shampoo gave her sister a meaningful look.  "You know what to do now, right?"

                "Indeed," Kodachi said, calmly and coldly, the word backed with the strength of steel.  She crumpled the paper in her grasp, under the circumstances not caring too much about the damage this did to the old, fragile parchment.  And then... summoning her chi... warping it into the configuration she'd use for the Firewhip Ribbon technique, caring not a thing for what the lack of a proper focus in executing the technique would mean...

                The ancient paper flashed almost directly to ash, passing through only the briefest blossoms of flame.

                Kodachi brushed the ashes away with an air of grim satisfaction.  Ignoring the fading pain of the burns the hot chi had inflicted on her, she said, "That takes care of that."

                "Right.  No more stupid promise.  No more stupid threat.  Nodoka better never ever EVER bring it up, either," Shampoo pronounced.

                "I really don't think there's any chance of that," Kodachi reassured the both of them.  After a moment's silence, she continued, "Still, if I'm wrong..."

                "Yes?"

                "If there ever does come a time when she even looks like _thinking_ to call this promise in..."

                "Yes?"

                Kodachi stared Shampoo in the eyes.  "Xi Fang Gao."

                Shampoo returned the gaze with a grim smile.  "Damn straight."

***************

                "Mmm... Genma..." Nodoka mumbled in her sleep.  It was far too dark in the room for any observer to make out the expression on her face, but the tone of her voice, mixing as it did a sort of yearning warmth with pleased satisfaction, made it clear that the Saotome matron was certainly not suffering from nightmares now.

                A dim figure stood at the bedside, staring intently down at the woman.  The intruder held motionless, tense, balanced on the cusp of motion, yet not quite certain what to do.  It rather boiled down to what sort of dream Nodoka was having.  If she was enjoying the thought of all her family coming back together, well, that was one thing.  It would fit quite well with one possible course of action.  But if the woman was slipping into an erotic dream of Genma Saotome, that would be the cue to exit right speedily.  Shampoo had no desire whatsoever to witness even a glimpse of such a thing.

                The Amazon had spent a good portion of the night tossing and turning and worrying.  Kodachi's reasoning might be sound and solid, but the simple fact was it wasn't enough to satisfy her.  She needed to hear from Nodoka's own lips that she had no intention of calling that damnable promise in, that she had seen as clearly as daylight that her son truly was a man among men.

                Hence Shampoo's presence here, in the guest bedroom in the mansion that had been assigned to Nodoka.  It would be simple enough to wake the woman up, query her on whether she was satisfied at Ranma's manliness, and then apply the Xi Fang Gao.  Either erasing all thought of the oath Genma had sworn, if Nodoka wasn't certain that he'd fulfilled it, or just removing the memory of this visitation if she was.

                The only problem with that was that Shampoo didn't want to resort to that technique unless absolutely necessary.  Not with Ranma's mother, the same woman who had already asked Shampoo to call her 'Mother' too.  If Nodoka did have any thought of possibly calling in the honor promise, then the very next instant would see Shampoo applying the shampoo with no qualms at all.  But if it should turn out that her mother-in-law was as horrified by the thought as Shampoo herself, well, the Amazon would rather go to a pet store and play with a dozen cats than mess around with Nodoka's mind.

                Waking Nodoka up, asking her question, and letting her remember the encounter didn't seem like a very good idea either, though.  Still, she had thought, if worst came to worst it was probably her best option.  And so she had left her bed and snuck her way through the halls to her current situation, staring down at the dim figure that was Nodoka, trying to get up her nerve to wake the woman up before her dream got any more intense.

                She knelt down and reached out, slowly and tentatively; her hand had only crossed half the distance when Nodoka spoke again.  "Genma," she repeated, "I'm so proud.  Ranma is such a wonderful son."

                In a flash of inspiration, Shampoo retracted her hand, gulped a few times, wrapped her thoughts with her beloved's memories, then spoke in the best approximation she could to Ranma's father's gruff tones.  "Are you happy, wife?" she asked.

                Given the Amazon's normal high-pitched little-girl's voice this was a pretty darn poor imitation of Genma, but Nodoka was deep enough in her dream to take it in stride.  "Oh, yes, dear," she said.  "Such a wonderful, manly son..."

                "A man among men?"

                "A man among men among men," Nodoka murmured dreamily.

                "And you're satisfied I've kept the promise?"

                "Yes, dear.  You've made me so happy."

                At that, Shampoo let out a long, relieved sigh.  Kodachi would certainly want to hear this.  She tensed, on the verge of standing and beating a quiet retreat, then noticed Nodoka was still murmuring something, more faintly than before.  Shampoo leaned her head in, curious as to what this should be.

                "...missed you so much," Nodoka complained, rolling over on her side, and wrapping one arm tightly around the Amazon's neck.  Her free hand began working its way down Shampoo's back.

                Before this could get any more embarrassing, Shampoo shot out her left hand and used the sleep shiatsu strike she'd employed on Kodachi so long ago, the one that had let her carry the White Rose through the halls and deposit her in Ranma's bed without waking her.  Nodoka's grip instantly loosened as she dropped into a deeper level of slumber.  Shampoo stood up, brushed a few invisible wrinkles out of her top while recovering her poise, then carefully restored the blankets Nodoka's action had disarranged.  '_Time to tell Kodachi about this,_' she thought, slipping quietly from the room.  '_Just good news, though, not that last part._'

***************

                Two days had passed.  Nodoka made no mention of the document she'd handed over and Kodachi had destroyed.  For obvious reasons, this didn't particularly worry either girl.  Both were now confident that Nodoka just planned to tell Genma she was satisfied and let that be the end of it.  It wouldn't be long now.  The time had almost arrived for what Shampoo privately thought of as 'Operation:  Rescue Stupid Panda From Fate He Deserve' to commence.

                "All right, everyone.  Settle down and keep quiet," Rouge instructed.  She glanced around the room, her gaze roving over the various other people present.  Ranma, Kodachi, Shampoo, Nodoka, Cologne, Ryu, Ryoga, and Tatewaki -- four males, four females.  Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had protested bitterly at not being able to sit in as well, but as far as Rouge was concerned the balance of the spell was more important than their eagerness for exciting entertainment.  "It's almost noon, and that's when my counterspell will sneak its way through the last of Yokehi's barriers."

                "And what exactly will happen then?" Kodachi asked.  "Will you be able to show what you see to us?"

                "All of you will be the ones doing the seeing," Rouge explained.  "All my concentration is going to be on the spell.  It'll be like all of you were there in the middle of what's happening to Genma.  Each of you will see him and his surroundings, not these walls, not your friends, not even your own body.  You'll hear whatever sounds and speech are going on there, too.  Pay attention, because I won't be able to keep up that level of surveillance for too long."

                "I'm sure you won't need to," Nodoka said kindly.  "Just give us a few moments to reassure everyone that Genma is doing all right, and that his captor is growing tired of her exercise in futility."

***************

                Genma's mouth was set in a grim line.  He twisted, turning his forward charge into a roll that brought him up facing a new direction, his fist leading the way before him with a loud kiai.  That is, it would have been loud, it should have been loud... but the sound was dampened by his companion's magics, fading to silence almost immediately.  It felt wrong, like he was being cheated, his power sapped and his freedom hobbled.

                Or at least that was what he told himself, holding onto those thoughts with all the determination he could muster.  Defiance was really the only way Genma had of fighting back at this point.  Slipping off into the woods to escape had failed, both spectacularly and miserably.  Yokehi didn't spend all her time during the day with him; each full day of his captivity had seen her disappear off into the forest for a period of several hours.  Genma had let the first one go by without taking advantage of it, both to see how long Yokehi would be gone and also to lull her into a false sense of security.  When she returned late that afternoon, a round of subtle questions (at least, Genma honestly believed they had been subtle) left him with the information that she'd spent the time strengthening and maintaining the web of magics that sustained her, protected them, and siphoned off power from the forest and sent it on to the home she was preparing in Japan.

                On the second day he'd acted, waiting for a quarter of an hour after she left him, then slipping off into the forest himself... and immediately losing all sense of direction.  He'd wandered helplessly for ten minutes before finding his way back to the very clearing he'd left behind.  Five more trial runs had resulted in the same outcome; the fact that each time it took exactly ten minutes for Genma to return to ground zero finally clinched the thing.  Yokehi might be elsewhere, but her chains around him weren't.

                Genma had spent the next few hours sulking.  Yokehi hadn't said anything to indicate she'd noticed, but he suspected that was the reason she sought out and showed him the unicorn that night.  And it was probably not a coincidence that she'd put so much effort then into talking about how pointless it was trying to get away, and how there was nowhere to go.

                Well, you can knock a Saotome down, but you can't keep him down, Genma decided.  It had taken quite a lot of heavy thought, but eventually he came up with an idea on how to foil his would-be mistress's scheme.  When she left him alone the next day, he set out once more... but this time he refrained from setting even one foot onto any of the paths leading out of his clearing.  Instead, Genma leapt from treetop to treetop, smiling broadly and chuckling right out loud at the fact that this time, his sense of direction stayed firmly functional.

                He had indeed foiled Yokehi's countermeasure, the one that was keeping him coccooned away in coils of magic... and also hidden from the various denizens of the forest.

                The fact that the Saotome school focused so heavily on aerial combat was all that saved him.  Genma succeeded by the skin of his teeth in dodging the swooping strike of an eagle large enough to have carried him off in one claw.  He actually managed to make it back to the forest floor more quickly than if he'd descended via free-fall.  Immediately thereafter the old familiar puzzlement as to which was his left hand and which was his right came back with a vengeance, and sure enough, ten minutes later, he trudged back into the clearing.

                It wasn't just the awareness of the existence of giant eagles that kept him there after that.  The trees were thick enough that keeping to the middle of them would have left him well out of range of oversized avians.  No, it was the thought that where there were giant eagles there might just as well be giant weasels, and staying in the lower reaches of the trees would put him nicely within such a creature's range.  Something that vicious, enlarged to the same degree that the eagle had been... well, Genma would have backed the Master against such a foe (at least, in Happosai's pre-Kodachi glory days), but it was a fight that the Saotome patriarch would personally walk a thousand miles to avoid.

                Unfortunately, walking a thousand miles wasn't currently an option, at least not if he wanted to end up somewhere other than where he started out.  Genma had wracked his brain for other ideas on escaping his predicament, but hadn't managed to come up with anything that looked remotely workable.  Catching a giant eagle and flying away on it made for a few minutes' pleasant fantasy, but to a man with as pronounced a sense of self-preservation as Genma Saotome, there was no chance of it becoming more than that.  Digging a tunnel to freedom didn't even rate that highly -- the thought of all that work was a few moments' UNpleasant fantasy.

                Sending up smoke signals in hopes of attracting attention from the elven village had been an act of desperation, since it seemed all but certain that Yokehi would see the smoke first and take appropriate action.  However, any chance was better than none, Genma thought, and so built and lit a signal fire.  A signal fire that resolutely refused to produce a single wisp of smoke, no matter how many armfuls of green leaves he dropped onto it.

                After that, there hadn't been much else to do but sulk.  The only other idea he'd had since then didn't have anything to do with escape at all.  Genma had thrown himself into training, pushing himself harder than he had in years.  The resulting exhaustion let him fall asleep more quickly in the evening, sleep more soundly throughout the night, and wake up later in the morning.  He also hoped that such single-minded determination, such focus on something that she couldn't share in, would be enough to finally dull the edge of this creature's fixation on him.

                He had to admit, though, that the back-rub she'd given him this morning, working out the kinks and soreness from muscles unaccustomed to quite that level of exertion, had been rather nice.

***************

                "...Right," Rouge replied.  "Even after the vision fades, I'll still have a lock onto their positions.  We can jump right out there to Genma with the Nanban mirror, if it turns out that we need to."  The Amazon mage snuck a quick sidelong glance at Nodoka's expression, then added, "For example, if we should happen to tune in just as she's telling Genma she's tired of his stubbornness and is leaving him to make his own way back to civilization."

                "Oh, that would be nice," Nodoka said, smiling once more.  Remembering something that her son had mentioned to her the previous day, about information-gathering magics this woman had already used to discern that Genma was in no danger, the Saotome matriarch spoke up again.  "If we find that she's still being stubborn, would it be possible for you to cast an augury to find out just how much longer it will take her to finally give up?"

                Since Rouge had already done one of those on her own initiative, and the answer had been 'she won't', the mage sidestepped the question.  "I don't know.  It will depend on what we see here.  Now, everyone be quiet -- I need to concentrate."

                Ranma took a long, deep breath, fighting off a minor spasm of nerves.  As if sensing this, Kodachi brought her arm up and around behind him, gently rubbing his back.  Shampoo, seated on his other side, leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment, then reluctantly disengaged.  That position was nice, but much too distracting.  Later, the Amazon promised herself.

                The combination of gestures settled the slight fluttering sensation as quickly as it began.  The Saotome heir smiled, feeling his confidence rise again, higher than ever.  Everything was falling into place, becoming what it was supposed to be.  He'd been so long without a real family, had spent so much of his life so very close to being alone.  But here in Nerima things had finally begun to change for the better.  Kodachi, Tatewaki, their parents, Shampoo, Cologne, Ryoga, Ukyo, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, and finally Ryu... so many different kinds of relationships, all of them the kind of things he could never have had on his training journey.  Looking back now, it was almost like he'd _had_ to leave his old man behind for a while, to open up enough of a place to fit in all these new emotions and pieces of his life.

                But not forever, no, not that.  That was NOT how it was going to be, Ranma thought sternly.  His family was on the way back together again, the broken pieces drawing toward wholeness, ready to finally join again into something better than it was before.  Already his mother had made her way back, out of time beyond memory.  That she should return, against all odds, just now, precisely during this crisis over his father's abduction... well, it was enough of a sign for Ranma.  The Saotome family would be whole once more.

***************

                Yokehi smiled a contented smile as she watched Genma blur through his kata.  At this rate, he'd be even more sore tomorrow than he had been this morning, giving her an excuse for an even longer, more enjoyable massage.  That wasn't the only reason Genma's fury of increased training had her smiling, though, nor was it the enjoyable sight of watching the martial artist blur through a routine of such skill and power.  No, what really had Yokehi smiling was the memory of the meals she'd fixed for Genma earlier this day, combined with the happy awareness that creating his meals through magic meant she controlled just how much real nutrition he was getting.  At this rate, it wouldn't be long before her man was even more muscular, more lean and mean, more dangerously attractive than ever.  And all without her ever once having to nag him about a diet!  As far as Yokehi was concerned, things were just getting better and better.

***************

                Against one wall of the room stood a grandfather clock.  Earlier, Rouge had calibrated it so that it would strike noon at the exact moment when her spell took effect (and had also muffled the ticking and blocked the sound of the bell that would toll the hour).  All eyes were on the timepiece now.  Ranma held Shampoo's hand in his right, Kodachi's in his left, all three youths' grips tighter than normal with a mixture of readiness and muted suspense.  Ryoga, Ryu, and Tatewaki, to whom the outcome of this exercise naturally held less importance, seemed more relaxed, but tension could still be read in their postures and expressions.

                Cologne and Nodoka, on the other hand, evidenced no sign of concern whatsoever.  Kodachi suspected that Cologne at least was feeling it, but the Matriarch was too good at hiding her reactions to betray herself now.  Nodoka, by contrast, showed her emotions plainly.  Somehow, seeing her fiancé's mother so confident, so unconcerned, showing such faith in Genma, just left the White Rose feeling that much more uneasy.

                As the hour, minute, and second hands on the clock crept ever closer to perfect alignment, she hoped half-heartedly that Nodoka's faith would not turn out to be misplaced.  But though she wouldn't say it to Ranma, that was another wager on which Kodachi wouldn't even risk ten yen.

***************

                Genma glided to a stop, holding motionless in the final position of the final kata of his routine.  He had pushed himself hard all day long, and even though it couldn't be much past eight o'clock in the evening, he was more than tired enough to turn in.

                Yokehi, however, had other ideas.  Perhaps it was the starlight, shining down so fiercely and illuminating Genma's muscular form, sweat plastering his gi to his body.  Perhaps it was the sheer relish he hadn't even thought to hide as he'd gulped down each meal she'd magically prepared for him.  Perhaps it was the fact that he wasn't really showing any signs at all of fear for her anymore.  Or perhaps it was the nagging thought that she had been alone for hundreds of years, even if those centuries had been spent in unknowing slumber.

                The sorceress _had_ been planning to wait another couple of days before making her next move on him, but now, for whatever reason, she found she couldn't hold off any longer.

                "Ready for bed, dear?" Yokehi cooed, gliding over beside Genma.  He grunted affirmatively, ambling over toward the larger of the two piles of fern fronds that served in place of futons.  Yokehi's sleeping place was located about ten feet away from his; when she kept pace with him as he passed it, Genma felt a minor surge of anxiety.  When her fern-futon twitched into motion behind them, following at Yokehi's heels like an oversized verdant hound, that anxiety deepened.  And when he settled down on his own bed, only to have Yokehi's spread out and commingle with his, turning into one king-sized mattress-equivalent, on which the sorceress gracefully seated herself, Genma broke out into a cold sweat.

                Yokehi noted these details, and reluctantly decided that she probably wasn't going to be able to go as far tonight as she'd like.  But at least she could push a little, wear away a trifle more of his stubbornness, ease her way just that little bit farther into his heart.  Now what would be the best approach to take?

                The witch assembled and put on a wide-eyed expression of mingled innocence and contrition.  "Genma, there's something I should have asked yesterday.  Have you been enjoying the meals I prepare for you?"

                The non sequitur knocked Genma for enough of a loop that his brain completely disengaged, allowing his mouth to answer honestly.  "Yes, they're about the best I've ever eaten.  Why are you asking now?"

                "Because I should have asked earlier," Yokehi replied, giving a mincing little pout.  "I shouldn't have just assumed you liked them, from how you dug in and ate.  I'm glad to hear you enjoyed my cooking as much as much as it looked like."

                "Well, you didn't exactly cook them, now did you?" he protested.  "You just magicked them up."

                Yokehi sniffed.  "Just because I used different methods doesn't make it any less of an effort or an act of skill on my part.  It's the same principle as if other chefs might disagree on whether to cook something in a pot or a pan."

                "So what _is_ the difference between a pot and a pan?" Genma wanted to know.  Hoping, too, that he could keep the conversation on this innocent level for as long as possible.

                "I have no idea," Yokehi admitted.  "I've never had to know things like that.  Magic means I can do almost anything in other ways, better ways than fooling with such mundane, petty limitations."  She paused there, giving him a long, significant look.

                Eventually, feeling more or less obligated to say something, and still hoping to keep the conversation on an innocent level, he said, "Well, it certainly does let you produce some wonderful meals."

                "I'm glad you think so, Genma dear.  But I wonder, have you really thought about all the implications?"

                "Um, no?"

                "I didn't think so," Yokehi replied archly.  Quicker than Genma could react, she reached out and trailed her hand across the curve of his chest, over the warm, dry fabric of his gi.  "Have you even noticed?  Your clothing was soaked with sweat just a few minutes back, and now it's dry, clean, with no distressing odor at all.  The same for you personally, too.  It would be no hardship for me to arrange a warm bath for you -- or for us -- but until you ask me for that I'll just keep on cleaning you magically."

                The bath comment seemed to have tied his tongue for the moment.  Yokehi spoke again.  "You are a man who values your comforts, Genma.  I learned this during the time I watched you, deciding on whether or not you were the right man for me.  And you are, just as I am the right woman for you.  Who do you think can provide even a tenth of things for you that I can?  Here, in this forest, you're living more comfortably than you ever did at Soun's.  When we return to Japan together, you won't have to continue training Miss Tendo in order to earn your room and board.  You can do it if you want to, of course, but it will be your choice entirely.  And," Yokehi chucked, "if she runs off again you certainly won't have to search the mountains for a month for nothing.  Not with me at your side."

                At this point, Genma found words.  Contrary to Yokehi's assumption, it wasn't just her offer to prepare a bath for the two of them that had frozen his vocal chords earlier.  No, what had really shaken Genma was a sudden, faint, completely irrational fear that somehow, against all reason, Nodoka might perhaps be watching this.  It made no sense, but at least it distracted him slightly from the full impact of Yokehi's reasoning, gave him barely enough nerve to scrape together a defense in the face of this onslaught.  "But... I... Nodoka..."

                Not much of a defense, to be sure.

                The sorceress heaved a long, mental sigh, consoling herself with the thought that once she finally worked her way past Nodoka's place in Genma's heart, all this loyalty would be hers and hers alone.  "Yes, yes, Nodoka," she replied patiently.  "The woman who just let you go out of her life.  The woman you haven't seen for over thirteen years.  Are you still imagining her to be that pretty little near-teenager you left behind?  She's aged a decade, you know, and will only grow older.  That is what you would go back to?  Stretch marks... wrinkles... gray hairs... someone who will spend more and more of her energy simply keeping a cramped little house clean, and have less and less left over for you..."

                Yokehi pulled back, just enough to allow the full effect of her next tactic to register.  This was going to be something of a risk; if she guessed wrongly she would look like a fool.  But her chosen carried one photograph on his person, a photo of a young man and woman with a child.  The man in the picture was undeniably a younger Genma, and the infant bore a strong resemblance to Ranma, and so Yokehi felt it was reasonably safe to assume the woman was Nodoka.

                Hoping that that was indeed the case, that it hadn't been Genma's sister, the sorceress shifted form.  Not into her alternate serpent body, though... the sight that seared right into Genma's eyeballs was that of Nodoka, as lovely, as young, as flat-out hot as she had been on the day he first set eyes on her.  Or even more so -- that girl would never have worn the provocative outfit that barely clung to this image's curves.

                "I can give this to you too, Genma, if that's really what you want.  Image doesn't mean anything to me," Yokehi's voice said.  "We can play any game you like.  Or if you want, we can keep on with our current one, where you hold out and hang back and play hard to get.  You know it won't change the end result, don't you?  Sooner or later, it doesn't matter in the end.  You'll come to me, and we will be as one.  You know in your heart that that's how it's going to be."  The sorceress made a sweeping gesture, indicating the body she currently wore.  "No faded, dying flower out of the dead past has any power to change that."

***************

                And with that, the vision came to an end.  Tree trunks faded, replaced by paneled walls.  Electric light banished the night's shadows.  The sight of a teenaged Nodoka vanished, leaving only a matron in her thirties, back ramrod straight, hands clenching the sheath of the Saotome honor blade with force enough to warp the cloth covering.

                There was a long moment of silence, as all the witnesses tried to recover their balance, to process what they'd seen.

                Eventually, Rouge broke it.  "Well?" the mage asked impatiently.  "How did it go?"  Carefully maintaining a straight face, she turned to Nodoka.  "Do you still think the best thing to do is let the matter rest?"

                "No," Nodoka snarled, "I changed my mind."

***************

                "Mrs. Saotome, I understand your anxiety, but charging in as quickly as possible just is not a good idea," Cologne said reasonably.

                The room was more crowded than ever.  In addition to everyone who had been there for the invocation of the spell, Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and Ukyo were now present, having hurried in just as soon as Rouge opened the door and indicated her enchantment was complete.  Ryu and Ryoga were now filling the newcomers in, sitting on the other side of the room from Nodoka and using low-pitched tones that she wouldn't be able to hear.

                "And why not?" the Saotome matron demanded.  "Wasn't that the entire idea behind this?  As I understand it, you were already planning to rescue Genma even before I received his letter and made my way back to my son.  Never mind what I said about letting matters slide until time takes care of the problem itself.  I think we can all agree now that that is most unacceptable."  Her gaze shot around the room like sheet lightning, resting on every other person present in turn, daring anyone to disagree.

                "We are all quite agreed on that," Cologne said placatingly.  "I'm not suggesting we should wait much longer.  But consider what we saw of just where they were.  Here it is midday, but night had fallen there.  If we wait a few more hours before moving in to strike, we will catch our enemy not only off-guard, but actually asleep."

                "She seemed to be ready to retire almost immediately," Nodoka said with a frozen, brittle politeness.  "Is there some particular reason you think it will be hours before she is actually asleep?"

                "Bah, child, I suppose you were too busy staring at your husband and realizing how utterly exhausted he was," Cologne responded.  "And no wonder.  Judging from the scuffled nature of the ground, I could tell that he's been putting some serious effort into training katas lately.  Undoubtedly Genma will be asleep before any great length of time has passed.  But I saw nothing to indicate our adversary was anywhere near that tired."

                That reasoning was enough to cause Nodoka to relax, ever so slightly.  But it was nowhere near enough to silence all her objections.  "Well, all right.  I suppose maybe it would be a good idea to wait that long... _if_ we felt it was necessary to catch her when she was asleep.  But why should we believe that, elder?  Surely catching her by surprise will be enough of an advantage!"

                This, Rouge decided, was her cue to speak up.  "Mrs. Saotome, could you elaborate a little more?  Could you describe just what sort of a plan of attack we should use?  We haven't even discussed any details like that yet."

                Nodoka blinked, clearly at a loss as to why there was any need for such discussion.  "Didn't you say you had an artifact that would transport us all to my husband's location?"  Rouge nodded.  "Well, then.  We simply use that, and then in that one instant of surprise everyone strikes her with all the skill and power they can bring to bear.  It might be excessive use of force, but I see no problem with that."

                "M- mother," Shampoo stumbled over the term of address, which didn't exactly feel natural yet, "there is problem.  First time this ghost show up, she take super strong attack and disappear after it.  Everyone thought she was destroyed, but we know now that was wrong.  You not really want her come back again half a year from now, right?"

                Nodoka took several long, deep breaths, then returned her attention to Rouge.  "All right.  I defer to your knowledge of the supernatural.  Is waiting until she sleeps supposed to prevent that?"

                "Not exactly," Rouge replied.  "But it will give me the chance to lay down a boundary ward, which will prevent her from escaping or turning invisible.  That seems necessary in order to keep her from pulling whatever trick she used before, but it will take me nearly a minute to set up once I've arrived there.  That is why we need to wait until she sleeps."

                "...Very well," Nodoka reluctantly conceded.  "So the plan is to sneak in, carry Genma away, and then you trap her forever?"

                "Oh, goodness, no," Rouge replied, grimacing at the thought.  "The ward will require my direct attention to sustain it.  No, it is just to pin her down so that our warriors can defeat her in fair battle."

                '_Fair battle?__  Sound much more like unfair to me,_' Ling-Ling thought.  Truth be told, the cherry-haired girl was feeling a tiny bit of sympathy for Yokehi.  After all, the snake-lady had indirectly helped her and her sister get their Airen-to-be more quickly than might otherwise have been the case.  Ling-Ling still had every intention of accompanying the strike force, though.  It would take something a lot more pressing than a bit of misguided sympathy to cause her to pass up a chance of standing by Ryu's side in battle.

                "Are we sure that will be possible?" Nodoka asked, worried now.  "I had thought we would have your magic to directly aid in the attack.  Without that, aren't we just left with martial arts skills?  After all, my husband is a master martial artist, and he hasn't been able to defeat this creature yet."

                "Are you sure he's even tried?" Ryoga asked injudiciously, then shrank back against the wall as Nodoka rounded on him with a furious glare.  "I... I just m- meant..."

                "Look, Ryoga was one of the guys who fought her last time.  So was I," Ukyo added, drawing the heat off her boyfriend.  "The witch has some kind of mind-control abilities, although I think she can probably only use them on men.  But that would be more than enough to ditch any chance of Genma taking her down on his lonesome."

                "Oh.  I see."  Nodoka glanced anxiously around the room, her gaze shifting from Ryoga to Tatewaki to Ryu, coming at last to rest on her son.  The Saotome matron took a deep breath, then said, "If she does have such abilities, then that settles it.  I apologize for wanting to rush in, but I didn't realize our forces were really only half the strength I thought they would be.  Ranma, I know how much it will hurt you to hold back from this mission.  I am sorry."

                Ranma opened his mouth to explain about the Orb of Amalthea, but before he could get the words out his mother continued.  "Don't worry -- I'll take your place in the assault."

                After that the pain from biting his tongue kept him quiet long enough for Kodachi to respond.

                "That won't be necessary, Mrs. Saotome!"  The White Rose spoke the words as quickly and forcefully as she could, wiping a large bead of sweat from her brow.  Not everyone currently present in the room had yet seen evidence of Nodoka's skill level with the katana she carried, but for those who had Kodachi's reaction was clearly understandable.  "We have an artifact whose power will shield us from such manipulation.  That was an integral part of how she was defeated the first time."

                "Oh, well, that's good to hear," Nodoka replied.  "Very well, Ranma, it looks like we'll be able to rescue your father together after all."

                "Ah... Mom, I think you might want to sit this one out," he said hesitantly.  "I mean, you don't have much training with that sword, right?"

                "And that is exactly why I should go along," Nodoka returned.  Her first excuse hadn't held up for very long at all, but it had been just that -- an excuse.  It had served enough of a purpose by letting her get her foot in the door, so to speak, and now that the subject of her accompanying everyone else had been brought up, she wasn't about to let it die off.  It wasn't enough that that accursed spectral lady-of-the-night should pay for her effrontery.  No, Nodoka herself was certainly going to be there personally exacting payment at the edge of her blade!

                "Could you explain that logic a little further?" Cologne inquired.

                "Certainly.  As the wife of a martial artist I know very well that an amateur can be more deadly than a veteran," Nodoka replied equably.  "Because his, or her, moves are completely unpredictable."

                A moment of silence greeted her, as everyone who had seen Nodoka handle her blade reflected on the grim truth of this statement.  Cologne was the first to recover.  "While that is undoubtedly true, Mrs. Saotome, that logic is meant to be applied only in one-on-one situations.  Yokehi isn't the only one who will be baffled by your attack; you will also force everyone else to hold back as well, because they cannot perceive what you intend to do either."

                Nodoka blinked, a pleased smile beginning to curve across her lips.  "Are you saying I should fight her one-on-one?"

                It had been a long time since the Kuno mansion had seen such a big group facefault.  "NO!" everyone shouted at the same time, after picking themselves up.  Nodoka brushed back a few unruly strands of hair that had been knocked loose by the force of the yell.

                Meanwhile, Shampoo's mind was racing frantically.  Clearly Ranma's mother wasn't going to give up on this crazy idea.  How best to minimize the damage?  Ranma probably wouldn't be happy if she walked over and used the Xi Fang Gao without so much as a by-your-leave.  No, tempting as it was to protect her by washing the idea of accompanying the rescue right out of Nodoka's hair, it just wouldn't do.  The Amazon's brow furrowed, trying to pin down some elusive other idea that was tickling at the outer edges of her consciousness.  Suppose they did let the woman come along... wasn't there something that could protect her... and why did her thoughts keep circling back to the fact that there had been no moon showing in the sky above Genma...?

                Suddenly everything fell into place, and the Amazon blurted out "Convict us!"

                On receiving a room full of blank, confused stares, Shampoo consulted her memory and corrected herself.  "Mean, Invictus.  That is name of sword, yes?"  She stared at Tatewaki through half-lidded eyes.  "Sword someone use to win really cheap victory once, magic sword that only works when new moon is in the sky, makes wielder invincible?"

                "Er, yes," Tatewaki said, fidgeting in his seat and not meeting her gaze.  "Correct in all the particulars, Shampoo."

                "Thought so."  The lavender-haired girl turned back to face Nodoka.  "You take that, would actually work for you to go one-on-one with stupid ghost.  Would certainly keep you safe in fighting her."

                "Shampoo, could I have a word with you?" Ranma gritted out in tones that basically defeated the purpose of speaking in Mandarin.  It was clear to anyone with an IQ above room temperature that he was NOT happy at this suggestion.

                Cologne intervened before things could get out of hand.  She could sympathize with Ranma's lack of sympathy for this plan of putting his untrained mother on the front lines, but this was no time to let anyone lose their temper.  "Stop, child," she said, using the tones of command that were so deeply ingrained into the memories Ranma had acquired from her great-granddaughter.  This cheap trick brought him up short, just as Cologne had intended.  "Your mother is determined to accompany us.  Do YOU want to be the one to tell her she can't?"

                Ranma blanched, and shook his head vigorously.  Cologne smiled.  "I thought not.  Then you should be thanking my great-granddaughter.  This idea is almost certainly the surest way to keep your mother safe."

                "Thank you for your concern, elder," Nodoka said, her Mandarin provoking a massive rash of sweatdrops throughout the room.  "But I'll be just fine."

                Her son eventually recovered enough to say, "R- right.  Okay, Mom, then you'll take the magic sword, right?"

                "I don't think that will be necessary," Nodoka protested.  "This is our family's honor sword, Ranma!  It is certainly a more appropriate choice than some borrowed blade!"  She quick-drew it, ignoring the way three-quarters of the room dived for cover.

                Ryu got back to his feet, abandoning the protective position he'd taken in front of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, brushed the dust off his pants, walked over to the middle of the room, and retrieved the Saotome blade from the ceiling.  "Ma'am, I really think you should listen to them," he said apologetically.

                "That's right!" Ranma exclaimed, finding all the backbone he needed to face down his mother as the perfect way to approach this issue struck him.  "Think about it, Mom -- what would Pop say if I let you go into danger without being there every step of the way to make sure nothing bad happened to you?  He'd think he failed to teach me the first thing about a martial artist's duty.  And he'd be right!  No way am I going to let you do this without doing all I can to protect you!!"

                Nodoka turned that thought over in her mind a few times.  Something seemed wrong with the logic, but she couldn't find an actual point to attack.  "Oh, very well," she agreed at last.  "I'll carry this enchanted weapon instead."  Then she brightened.  "You said it was for defense, didn't you, Shampoo dear?  Then I can hold it in my left hand to shield myself, and strike with our family blade in my right!"

                "Invictus moves of its own volition, in whatever way is necessary to shield you from an attack," Kodachi countered quickly.  "And it can move with speeds far greater than are humanly possible.  That means it could very well slice through your katana and there wouldn't be a thing you could do to stop it."

                After heaving a long sigh, Nodoka acquiesced.  "I see.  I suppose I will just have to lay this sword aside for a little while."

                "It really will be for the best," Ryu said fervently.  Feeling that it was probably safe now, he handed the weapon in question back to her.

                "Might as well go now to the vault and get you armed," Shampoo said.  The Amazon fully intended to make sure Nodoka would leave her katana there, too.  Out of sight, out of mind sounded pretty good to her just then.

***************

                Everyone except Nodoka had had some prior awareness that the Kuno family owned a few bits and pieces of real magic.  Reactions on actually seeing the room that contained the various treasures Godai brought back from his travels were many and varied.

                Nodoka just took it all in stride, though this was due in large part to an incorrect assumption she had made.  She knew that the rich generally had unusual habits, and had decided that the Kunos must prefer to store much of their money here, in the form of these objects, rather than in more usual investments.

                Ukyo staggered backward, grabbing onto Ryoga for stability and reassurance.  She'd made the mistake of casting a 'Detect Magic' spell, certain that most of this stuff couldn't really be enchanted.  Finding out just how wrong she had been left her knees feeling like they had been filleted.

Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung each swept the room with a wide-eyed, wondering gaze.  Eventually, Lung-Lung regained enough presence of mind to remind Shampoo that their birthday was coming up before much longer.

                Cologne stared shrewdly around the room.  For a long moment she struggled with the temptation to bop Shampoo on the head.  Eventually, though, she forced it away.  Simply too much time had passed since her great-granddaughter had engaged in the conduct that could have made an enemy rather than an ally of someone with resources like this.  Clearly it could have been a mistake of hideous proportions, but it was too far in the past for discipline to really be appropriate any more.  Besides, in all fairness, she would have had to give her own noggin a knock or two as well.

                Ryoga and Ryu wore identical worried expressions.  Both were thinking back to a particular bit of Hibiki family history.  Namely, the time their father had gotten lost in a series of caves, had found his way to a treasure hoard, and had packed out as much of the loose gold and jewels as he could carry.  The room they were looking at now had plenty of items, but almost no random jewels or coins.  They really, _really_ hoped those two facts weren't connected.

                The last to recover from the shock was Rouge -- which was not to say that it took her long to react.  Rather, the mage opted to give her response while still suffering from sensory overload.  "So tell me, Kodachi.  Do you think your father might be in the market for a second wife?"

                Kodachi didn't really hear, which was a shame.  It would have been excellent teasing material for the future.  But the White Rose was distracted by the sight of a random scattering of gold coins spread across the floor a little ways into the room.  "That's strange," she noted, bending down and picking up the nearest piece.  "It is most unlike Father to leave a mess like this."

                "Maybe he was in too much of a hurry when he an' your mom left on their trip," Ranma said.  "He probably knocked the bag over when he came in here for that sword he usually takes with him."  The Saotome heir had already noted, without much surprise, that the blade in question was missing from its stand.  Kind of a shame -- that weapon's ability to launch vacuum blades would have been a nice extra ace in the hole for their upcoming battle.  The sword Kaldrskryke would have been much better off in Tatewaki's hands just now.  After all, despite Godai's sentimental fondness for the thing, it wasn't like he was likely to need it on his business trip.

                "Perhaps that's it.  That's not all that's odd, though."  Kodachi turned the coin over and over in her hand.  "It's just a blank disc of gold.  Something as mundane as that, Father wouldn't keep in his private collection.  This room is reserved for special treasures."  She gestured toward a display case that held a number of coins, each of a different size, shape, and apparent age.  Ranma couldn't read or even recognize the script on any of them.  "Those are the only sort of coins that should be here.  He should have just converted these to cash," Kodachi continued, picking up another two coins and confirming they were the same as the first.  "That's what he's always done with this sort of loot."  Ryoga and Ryu breathed a quick sigh of relief at this, causing Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and Ukyo to think identical thoughts of puzzlement.

                "Well, maybe these were something he only just got recently," Ranma said, beginning to sweat.  While he didn't exactly have a problem with admitting that he himself had put these coins here shortly before leaving on the China trip (they were half of the loot he'd acquired during the rescue of the Sakuras, and were his way of saying thanks to the Kuno parents for opening their home to him), now didn't seem the right time to just blurt that information out.

                "I suppose," Kodachi said, dissatisfaction still plain in her tone.  "Oh, well, it isn't really important."  She set the coins off to one side and moved further into the room, stopping before a display case that held a familiar broadsword and sheath.  She opened the case, retrieved the sword, and offered it to Nodoka.  The older woman accepted the weapon and inspected it with all due care, clearly swallowing a hint of disappointment at the fact that the sword was of Western style rather than Japanese.

                "Here, I will take Saotome sword and put it where this was, for safe-keeping," Shampoo chimed in as Nodoka sheathed Invictus.  Ranma's mother hesitated just for a moment longer, then passed over the blade in question, either missing or ignoring the audible sigh of relief the gesture provoked throughout the room.

                "You know, there is lots more stuff here," Lung-Lung pointed out a moment later, as everyone was drifting toward the exit.  "Would it not be good to look for magic weapons for the rest of us?"

                "I don't think there's anything here likely to be of use," Tatewaki replied.

                "Nothing of use?" the lime-haired girl protested.  "Is weapons all over one wall!"

                "But most of them are enchanted to be used against one particular type of enemy," the kendoist explained.  "For example, those greatswords and that battle-axe would be wonderful choices if we had the misfortune to face off against a dragon.  Or at least that's what my father said.  Believe me, Lung-Lung, after the last time Yokehi caused trouble I asked him if he had anything that would have been of use against her.  Other than the Orb of Amalthea, which of course we already knew about, there was really only one thing he could think of."

                "What is?"

                Tatewaki gave a wry grimace, and pointed toward the single largest item in the room.  It was a polearm half again as long as he was tall, a lance with a handle nearly the diameter of Lung-Lung's wrist.  The thickest part of the lance was easily wider than her leg at the knee.  "That.  A Maenad's Lance, I believe he said it was called.  It has a number of strong general enchantments that make it a fearsome weapon against any opponent.  But it also has some sort of restriction on who can even wield it at all, and we don't know what it is."  He shrugged.  "Anyone can carry it around from place to place, but try to hold it as a weapon and it'll slip right through your fingers."

                "Not to mention is too too heavy to use anyway," Ling-Ling pointed out.

                "No, it's much lighter than it looks.  Part of the magic."

                "Can I see?"  Tatewaki nodded reluctant permission, repressing with some difficulty the reflexive urge to caution someone who looked so very much younger than him.  Ling-Ling carefully pulled the lance from its mounting on the wall.  It was light, much lighter than would normally have been possible for a weapon of such size.  She backed away from the wall, shifting the lance to a ready grip, wondering just how it would escape from her grasp.  Would it be as if the handle were suddenly coated in butter?  Would the wood beneath her fingers suddenly take on the consistency of smoke?

                Or would it just stay there securely in her grip, while Tatewaki, Kodachi, and Ranma gaped wide-eyed at the sight?

                Ling-Ling blinked, belatedly realizing just what had happened.  "This what you said no-one can do, right?!"

                "The weapon seems to require that it be wielded by a female warrior who specializes in polearms," Rouge said, the results of her quick-and-dirty scrying spell coming in.  Whatever artisan had crafted the Maenad's Lance clearly hadn't cared about hiding such details.  "Lung-Lung should also be able to manage it.  Perhaps Ukyo as well, though I'm not sure whether her combat spatula quite qualifies."

                "Well, let me try!" the young Amazon girl in question exclaimed, hurrying forward.  Reluctantly, Ling-Ling passed it over.  Her twin held it with no more difficulty than she had.  "Is good!"

                "Don't get too worked up, child," Cologne said dryly.  "Enchanted weapon or no, you're not taking it into this fight.  That thing is far too much larger than the weapons you're used to, not to mention of a different design, and you're going to be fighting with friends at your sides.  I'm sure none of them want to accidentally get skewered on that monster."

                The twins grimaced bitterly, but recognized the essential truth in what the Matriarch had said.  "Oh, all right."  Lung-Lung carefully placed the lance back into its position on the wall.  Ukyo eyed it speculatively, but decided to leave it alone for now.  Still, if the Crepe King or the Gambling King ever reared his ugly head again, she might just have to see about borrowing a certain pointy stick.

***************

                Once again, all eyes were on the clock.  This time, though, they only waited the alignment of two of its hands.  It had been decided to make their move at four in the afternoon, which, according to Cologne, should more or less correspond to midnight where Genma was.

                "Remember, Mrs. Saotome, do not activate the magic of that sword until after I have set the ward," Rouge reminded.  "You will know that I'm finished when I begin to glow a faint blue."

                Nodoka made a vague sound of acknowledgement, only sparing the mage a slight amount of her attention.  The rest was divided equally between watching the clock and brooding darkly over the righteous judgment she would shortly be carrying out on Yokehi.

                "Why exactly is she supposed to wait?" Ukyo queried.  "Afraid the sword kicking on will wake the witch up?"

                "Yes, that's it exactly," Rouge explained.  "And activating the blade here, before using the Mirror to take us there, is certainly not a good idea.  Mixing magics of that high a level is not something you do without running a lot of tests first, to be sure it's safe.  Especially not item enchantments; there's just too good a chance that metaharmonic resonance will occur, and when that happens you can throw all predictability right out the window."

                Ukyo flinched, swore, and hastily dispelled the magical charge she'd instilled into her combat spatula.  "I wish you'd said something sooner.  I spent the last three hours enchanting this thing, and it could've messed us all up."

                "Ah, Ukyo dear, don't you think I realized you had cast that spell?" Rouge inquired.  "Your little temporary boost was nowhere near powerful enough to interfere with the Nanban Mirror."

                "So what you're saying is, I just dumped three hours' worth of work down the toilet for nothing."

                "More or less, yes."

                Ukyo grumbled a few choice comments under her breath, but declined to say anything further.

                "What about you, Granny?"  This was Ranma.  "Aunt Rouge can't add any magic to the direct attack, cause she'll be on the outside of the ward keepin' Yokehi pinned up in it.  Are you gonna bust out with some Amazonian artifacts to make up for that?"

                "No, son-in-law, I think I'll stick with the skills these tired old bones know best."  Cologne fed chi into her staff until it glowed, then spun the weapon through a series of forms, moving it faster and faster until the air crackled with minor sonic booms.  Finishing the display, the Matriarch reminded him, "We aren't trying to obliterate this ghost, remember.  All we really want to do is defeat her, and do it thoroughly enough that she knows she will never be able to stand against those who would fight for Genma."  Ukyo rolled her eyes at that last sentence, after confirming that she was well out of Nodoka's line of sight.

                "And is just about time for that," Shampoo said, nodding toward the clock.  It now read 3:53.  "Let us go over plan just one more time."

                "I will invoke the Nanban Mirror to bring us to the edge of the clearing--"  Cologne broke off as Ranma raised his hand.  "Yes, what is it, son-in-law?" she asked, her tone betraying slight irritation at how quickly an interruption had come.

                "Since it's dark there, shouldn't we be letting our eyes adjust now?"

                Everyone in the room blinked several times.  "Good point, Ranma-kun," Kodachi said, producing her ribbon and sending it dancing out to flip the light switch.  As this was an interior room with no windows or open doors, the action resulted in pitch blackness and a sudden large amount of restless shifting.

                "That's too dark," Rouge observed, casting a faint illumination onto the clock.  The resultant light level in the room was a good bit darker than the unnatural starlight that they had witnessed four hours earlier, but it was still enough to make out the dazed expressions on the faces of Ranma and Ryu, and the all-too-innocent expressions on the faces of Shampoo, Ling-Ling, and Lung-Lung.  Rouge rolled her eyes, suspecting that if the Amazons had been wearing lipstick for the fight, so too would be those two boys.

                "Anyway," Kodachi continued in Shampoo's place, after sending a dry glance toward her sister, "the next step of the plan is...?"

                "We will appear at the edge of the clearing.  Rouge has already confirmed that Yokehi is asleep and has been for some time now.  Everyone will stand quietly, holding back from the attack -- and also refraining from any sudden bouts of foreplay with their chosen partner," Cologne added, sweeping her own gimlet gaze over the various teenaged Amazons present, "while Rouge works her magic.  Once she has done that, Yokehi will be trapped within a thirty-three-yard radius circle, and unable to turn invisible.

                "The activation of the trap will likely awaken her.  Kodachi, you bring out the Orb of Amalthea to prevent her from ever getting off a mind-control spell.  Mrs. Saotome will call upon the magic of her sword and lead the attack.  It should catch Yokehi by surprise; ideally, she will expend the majority of her strength against Invictus' impenetrable defense.  Once our enemy realizes that she cannot win that way, she will change tactics.  There is no way to say for certain just what she will do then; she may retreat, she may dodge around and go for another target, she may pull some completely new trick out of her sleeves.  In any case, Nodoka will continue to use Invictus to absorb her ire until Yokehi moves too far away from her for this to be practical.

                "That is when the rest of us will move in, with all the speed and skill and strength we can muster.  We take her down, and Ranma and Nodoka can tell her just what they think of her attempt to steal Genma away."

                "Elder..." Nodoka spoke up hesitantly, "...doesn't it seem as if you're leaving some holes in the plan?  Shouldn't we make it a little more solid than that, consider contingencies, plan for them a little more specifically than just saying 'see what happens and deal with it accordingly'?"

                "No, child, we shouldn't.  It's a basic principle of warfare.  'No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.'  Since we cannot possibly predict all the possibilities, trying to do so will not only waste time, it will bog our warriors down in trying to remember a mess of useless detail.  It is far better to make a simple, flexible plan that takes into account all the major things we know, and leaves everyone with enough confidence to take their own initiative as events warrant."

                "I see.  Thank you, elder."  Nodoka gave a quick bow.  '_Of course, I should have thought of that myself.  There needs to be provision for Ranma to take whatever actions he sees fit, once we're actually there and can see the fight with our own eyes._'  It was nice to know that her Amazon in-laws-to-be had such a good, clear understanding of her manly son's general worthiness.

                "Is not one major thing we forgetting to talk about?" Lung-Lung wanted to know.  "What about Genma?  Whole point is to rescue him.  Would not be good to catch him in crossfire."

                "No problem," Ranma assured her.  "As soon as the fighting starts he'll clear outta there faster than you can blink."

                "Yes, dearest is much too experienced to allow himself to be caught in the middle of a fight he doesn't understand," Nodoka added.  "He'll withdraw until he can get a good idea of what is happening.  After that, he may even join in on our side of the fight."  The Saotome matron actually giggled then.  "I'm not certain of that, though.  Seeing his wife show up in the middle of the battle to free him will certainly be a surprise.  The poor man may still be rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up by the time everything is over."

                "Speaking of time..."  Cologne gestured with her staff, indicating the clock.  Rouge had never removed the minor enchantment that silenced its tolling of the hour, and none of them had noticed when the minute hand crept beyond full vertical.  It was now a few minutes past four o'clock.

                "Right," Ranma said.  "Let's do this."

***************

                With a shimmer and a glimmer, the Nanban Mirror bent time and space, depositing Ranma and company not fifty feet away from his slumbering father.  Nodoka caught her breath, a sudden tear glistening in one eye.  It had been so very many years, but Genma's snoring sounded just as she remembered it.  It was all the Saotome matron could do not to go over there and give him either the one-two combination of blows to the ribs and breadbasket that she knew would shift him into deeper, untroubled sleep, or the pinch in a rather different area that would wake him up immediately.

                Rouge retreated ten paces from the others and sank down into a kneeling posture, her mind already detaching from the here and now, reaching inward for the strands of power she would spin into the web to hold Yokehi in place.  Reacting as quickly as she had in a long time, Cologne dashed over and jabbed a gnarled finger into her descendant's shoulder, distracting her from her task and calling her attention back to mundane affairs.  The mage opened her eyes again, shooting a gaze of mixed irritation and question toward the Matriarch.

                Cologne made a couple of broad, sweeping motions with her staff, smoothing out the dirt before her while at the same time ensuring she had everyone's attention.  Then she reversed her weapon, bringing the tip into contact with the ground, writing quickly but silently.  -We missed something very important.  I have sensed things in this forest that shouldn't be here.-

                -What sort of things?- Kodachi scrawled with a gymnastics club.

                Rouge, now much paler after having used a quick, low-power spell to discover what her great-grandmother was talking about, pulled out a long rune-scribed wand and answered, -Something like a tiger-sized badger with six legs and a coat made of metal, prowling less than a mile away.-  Blast it all, surprises like this she could have done without!  She had crafted the observation spell of four hours past as comprehensively as she could, but there had been no way for her to make it thorough enough to allow the Matriarch to use her chi-senses.  At least those senses had warned them BEFORE she sealed herself away from everyone in a trance, Rouge thought grimly.

                As if reading her mind, Cologne wrote again.  -Change of plans.  I will stay outside the ward and guard Rouge.  The rest of you will have to deal with Yokehi yourselves.-

                Not feeling right about using her borrowed sword to scratch in the dirt, Nodoka simply nodded, giving a smile of confidence and a nod of determination.  It felt a little odd, to leave such a task to a tiny, wrinkled old lady, but the Saotome matron knew better than to think there was any need to protest.  She had already done that several hours ago, back when she'd first realized that Shampoo's great-grandmother intended to come along on the attack, and the demonstration the Matriarch had made of her skills silenced that protest quite quickly.

                -Very well.  Everybody except Great-Grandmother, back away now.  I am going to set the ward.-  Rouge took a deep breath, deliberately forced away the awareness that there had already been one nasty shock, and began crafting the spell.

                Everyone watched, tension rising higher and higher.  And then, as an azure shimmer broke over the mage, Nodoka exploded into motion.

                Drawing Invictus, the Saotome matron spoke the words that would transform her into an invincible whirlwind of justice.  "[I am the monarch of my fate, I am--]  Oh, dear."

                Half the people were staring in horror at the sword, buried in the trunk of a tree ten feet above their heads.  The rest held their collective breath, their desperate gazes pinning Yokehi, as if they could hold her asleep in her bed through sheer force of will.

                In point of fact, Genma's snoring had completely drowned out all this commotion.  The witch didn't even twitch.

                After gulping a few times and recovering the power of mobility, Ling-Ling decided to give her Airen a break from his apparent self-imposed duty to retrieve Nodoka's fumbled sword.  The cherry-haired girl took a few steps backward, then used her staff to pole-vault into the air.  She landed as lightly and deftly as a flying squirrel on a branch a little below the blade.  With some difficulty, she eased it out of the wood, dropped back to the ground, gave Nodoka as fierce a glare as she could manage, and handed it over.  Nodoka smiled her sheepish thanks, then spoke again.  "[I am the monarch of my fate, I am the captain of my soul!]"

                Watching the blade erupt in brilliant magical light, Kodachi couldn't decide which fact reassured her more -- that Nodoka had just been rendered undefeatable, or that the magic of the sword would now prevent her from losing her grip on it.

***************

                The formation of the ward had not troubled Yokehi's sleep.  The compromises and back-doors that Rouge had painstakingly woven throughout the ghost witch's protection spells were just powerful and thorough enough.  The Amazon mage managed to ease shut the door of her prison without alarming her enemy.

                However, when Invictus switched on, the grace period was well and truly over.

                Yokehi shot to her feet, slumber banished in an instant.  Her mystical senses were screaming a warning at her, a warning loud and clear enough that she was already drawing on her power to bring her to full alertness before sleep had really even begun to fade naturally.  The sorceress blanched, her eyes widening with shock at the sight before her.  How in the name of the Greater Darkness had so many people snuck up on her, people who still weren't registering on her warning spells?!  Only that woman's -- _Nodoka's_! -- sword was clearly obvious to her mystical eye!

                Only a fool blindly engages someone with a magic sword unless they have to.  This was obviously a rescue party for Genma, who was just now sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  Yokehi sent out a fistful of enchanted threads, snaring him and pulling him to her as quickly as she could without hurting him, then rushing backwards away from Nodoka at a speed the Saotome matron certainly couldn't match.  This quickly took her out of the clearing and into the trees.  She paused there, just for a moment, taking stock of the situation.

                It could have been much better, that was for sure.  Obviously, Yokehi growled to herself, she should have spent more time talking to Genma about his family.  The time she'd spent watching him at Soun's prior to making this move on him had given her no idea they had resources like this available!  Not only had they found her here, they had done it without her even having a clue that they were coming!  Even now, she couldn't sense any of her would-be attackers, except for the terrifying blaze of magic that accursed Nodoka was carrying.

                By now Genma was struggling and squirming in his bonds, a distraction she frankly did NOT need.  Yokehi spared an instant to Command him to stillness and reabsorb the magic that had been physically binding him, then hurried through the forest, circling the clearing with the speed of a tornado.  Coming up on one side of it quite far from the spot where she'd first vanished into the forest, the witch peered through the foliage.  Her heart sank even further as she got a good look at the forces arraigned against her.  The sword wasn't the only piece of magic with which they'd armed themselves.  Miss Kuno was carrying that accursed orb that blocked her ability to control men's minds!  If the girl had been much closer, her current spell on Genma might already have been neutralized by it!

                And even worse, Yokehi realized, her brother, who'd come so very near to wiping her out when she last encountered him, was here too!  That the boy was able and willing to use such a terrible attack scared Yokehi on so many levels, it wasn't even funny.  But it didn't frighten her beyond the point of coherent thought -- no, Yokehi could see quite clearly that this was a time to apply that gaijin saying she'd heard a few weeks ago.  '_She who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day,_' she thought, '_except I'd prefer to avoid fighting them at all._'  Well, it had taken them four days to catch up with her after her first escape, and now that she knew they could follow her she'd be more prepared next time.

                She began to back away from the clearing, as quickly as she could while still maintaining an awareness of where all her adversaries were.  Her detection spells were still FUBAR'd, but by searching for heat signatures rather than raw life-force, she could keep track of her unwelcome guests.  Let them have this place!  It had only been a temporary refuge.  She had harvested nearly all the energy she needed by now anyway, sending it on to the home she was preparing for herself and Genma in Japan.  Let them try to run her to ground THERE!  Their offense would break like water against the stone of the -- oh, bloody hell.

                That last thought came as Yokehi's back impacted with a ward.  A very strong, very solid, very well-crafted ward.  A ward, the sorceress confirmed through the rising flush of panic, that she _might_ be able to break... but the energy expended in doing so would leave her much too tired to fight OR teleport away.

                Just for a moment, Yokehi knew despair.  She lowered Genma's inert form from her shoulder, cradling him in her arms, looking down on the man she had chosen for her own.  Surrendering him would allow her safe passage, she was reasonably confident of that... but was she willing to lose?  To lose him, to lose the battle?  How much was she willing to risk for this?

***************

                '_This could've gone a lot better so far,_' Ryoga thought.  Wasn't the stupid witch supposed to waste all her power fighting Nodoka?  She wasn't supposed to do the smart thing and stay away from Invictus!  The former lost boy grumbled to himself, feeling a little bit betrayed.  Someone dumb enough to kidnap Genma to be her husband should NOT be able to make good decisions in the heat of battle!

                "Come out and face me!" Nodoka yelled, brandishing Invictus as she stared into the trees.  "Or are you frightened by this 'faded, dying flower'?!"

                "Yeah!" Ranma yelled.  His mother was on the right track, employing insults to drive an enemy into making stupid mistakes, but he suspected she probably wasn't skilled enough to really use the technique effectively.  "I know you just woke up, but come on!  Don't waste time sneakin' around puttin' on yer make-up!  You don't wanna make yourself look less scary, you want us all quakin' in our boots at the sight and smell of ya!"

                Just for a second Nodoka blanched, but then remembered just how badly this unholy harlot had insulted her.  Her son was just paying the vile spawn of darkness back in kind.  A quick rush of pride kept her silent for a moment longer, and then she resumed her own catcalls and demands for action.

                However, Yokehi seemed not to be interested in complying.  After a couple of minutes, Kodachi interjected her own suggestion.  "She cannot go far, and she cannot turn invisible.  Why don't I start cutting down these trees with my ribbon, to eliminate her hiding places?"

                "That sounds like a good -- AAAUUGHH!"  Tatewaki yelled in shock and discomfiture as a sudden host of threads boiled out of the darkness between the trees not far from where he was standing, surrounding him in an instant in a cloud of whirring strands.  Nodoka turned and raced toward the source of the attack, but it stopped before she could take more than half a dozen steps.  She hurried on anyway, reaching the treeline but finding no hint of Yokehi remaining there.

                Tatewaki stared down in horror at his empty hands.  The threads might as well have been monofilament wire, for all the ease with which they'd reduced his bokken to sawdust.  He shifted ever so slightly, one hand going into his robes for the spare weapon he had brought with him, hoping against hope that what he suspected wasn't true...

                And every last shred of what had been his clothes fell away, leaving him unharmed, but also stark naked.

                "One brush with death from you is quite enough for me, thanks," Yokehi's voice trilled mockingly.  Tatewaki gave an incoherent cry of rage and embarrassment and sprinted for the dubious privacy of the treeline.

                "Hey, do Ryu next!" Lung-Lung shouted, gesturing enthusiastically toward her Airen

                "Since you ask so nicely..."  But this time Nodoka was ready, zipping over into the path of the attack, and letting Invictus shred these threads as thoroughly as their predecessors had done Tatewaki's outfit.  "Oh, fie on you, Nodoka.  Can't you let that girl have her fun?  Just because you're an old, dried-up, faded, dying flower, is that any reason to spoil things for those still young enough to enjoy themselves?"

                "I am quite young enough to enjoy myself still, thank you," Nodoka replied sweetly.  "Splitting your skull open is going to be a particular treat."

                "Bah.  You have to catch me first."  With that, Yokehi stepped out of the trees that concealed her, appearing in plain sight on one of the paths leading out from the clearing.  This particular path held straight for nearly a thousand feet before turning.

                Given that Rouge's ward was only supposed to be two hundred feet wide, the fact that Yokehi was standing right at that bend in the trail was not a pleasant sight.

                Kodachi was the first to recover.  "It's just an illusion.  It must be!  Right, Shampoo?!"

                The lavender-haired girl shook her head, dismay plain to see on her face.  "Not unless she can fool my Eyes of the... my special gift.  Far as I can see, that is really Yokehi."

                "Oh, are you referring to that ward?  The one that was meant to pin me down?" Yokehi's lilting, mocking voice wafted back along the wind.  "It's still in place.  But I'm a sorceress too, you know.  It wasn't that hard to make this place bigger on the inside that it is on the outside.  And since this is an enchanted forest, well, I thought it would make a nice touch to call in more of it.  That ward keeps us in, it doesn't keep anything out.  Nothing at all."

                With that, the witch turned and walked forward, disappearing around the bend in the trail.  "Have fun looking for me and Genma," she called back.  "I assure you, the two of us will be having plenty of fun of our own."

 ***************

                Back in the clearing, grim silence prevailed for nearly a minute.  "What're we gonna do now?" Ryu eventually said.

                "I don't see that we have any choice but to split up and search for her," Tatewaki growled in return.  The kendoist was now 'clothed' in a sort of rough loincloth (or diaper) woven from leaves and vines.  He was carrying a stick larger, sturdier, and heavier than Cologne's staff, and the expression on his face showed far more readiness to use it than the Matriarch usually displayed.

                "Letting her pick us off one by one not sound like good idea to Shampoo," the Amazon protested.  "Did you mean in small groups?"

                "Yes, I did.  You, Ranma, my sister, and his mother in one, Ryu and the twins in another, and the remaining three of us in a third.  That seems best to me."

                "Wait a moment," Nodoka protested.  "Don't all the men need to stay in one group, and carry the artifact that protects from mind-control?"

                "Ah, good point," Tatewaki managed, after recovering from the fact that the woman who'd willingly married Genma had been the first one to spot that flaw.

                Before he could come up with a different division of their forces, Shampoo produced a flask of water and splashed her husband-to-be.  "Shampoo think good division is Ranma, Shampoo, Kodachi, and Mother for one, then Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and Ukyo, and then boys together with Orb of Amalthea."

                Ukyo and the twins traded ironic looks.  '_Good thing we made peace with her_.'  '_Good thing I made peace with them_.'

                "Sounds good to me, Shampoo," Ranma-chan said.  "Okay, everybody -- huh?  What is it, Mom?"

                "We still haven't split our forces the right way," Nodoka pronounced.  "I should be in my own group.  Putting three others with me is wasting them, because my sword will protect me completely."

                Ranma-chan swiftly searched for some logical reason that that wasn't a good idea.  Unfortunately, none came to mind, not even anything that sounded good but was in fact logically flawed.  She settled for saying, "But... Mom... I don't want you goin' off by yourself.  I mean, I had to go so long without seein' you... I don't want to be separated from you now..."

                "Oh, Ranma, I feel the same way," Nodoka replied, clearly wavering on the verge of giving in.  But then her spine stiffened, and she said, "But remember, Genma dearest has been apart from me even longer than you have.  If doing this has even a chance to bring all our family back together more quickly, then we need to do it!"

                "Mom, I, I..." Ranma-chan broke off, deliberately reminded herself of the tests Kodachi had witnessed (in which her father had used Invictus to parry both a shot from a railgun and the concentrated fire of twenty assault rifles), sighed, and said, "I hear ya.  Okay, you take North, we'll take East, the rest of the guys will take South, and the rest of the girls West.  That sound good to everybody?"

                "Well enough," Tatewaki replied.  "Let's move out...  Ryoga, South is this way."

                "I know.  That was just for old times' sake."

***************

                Genma blinked and gasped, like a diver coming up for air.  The last thing he could remember was being carried like a sack of coals over Yokehi's shoulder, squirming and fighting the threads she'd used to bind him.  Then, a period of blank nothingness.

                Now where was he?  It wasn't quite pitch-black, but there was very little light, far less than he had ever seen since his kidnapping by Yokehi.  He seemed to be wedged rather tightly into some confined space.  Black bars wove thickly in front of him, restricting the light.  With a little concentration, he confirmed that that pattern extended down below his current line of sight, pressing against his stomach and legs.

                The similarity to prison bars, combined with the fact that Yokehi was nowhere in sight, seemed to flip a switch in Genma's brain.  All the frustration of the last few days came boiling up at once.  How dare Yokehi do this to him, he mentally growled.  Taking him away from home without so much as asking, making all the decisions for him without any regard for how he felt about it, and now leaving him trapped in a situation like this!  Well, he wasn't about to sit still for such injustice.

Genma braced his legs and pushed back, freeing up enough space to bring one arm up and around in a glancing blow.  It was impossible to get any real force behind it from the constrained rotation, but that didn't matter -- he'd used every ounce of skill at his command to vibrate his fist quickly and powerfully enough that it buzzed through the restraint anyway.  It was wood, Genma realized as he repeated the action, an easier task now that he had the room from his first hole.  His captor had apparently stowed him within the bole of a tree, and then encouraged it to grow strips over the hole.  Well, Genma Saotome wasn't about to stay here like a cache of nuts stored by a squirrel!  He squirmed free, pushed away from the trunk and into free-fall, flipped in midair, looked down a bit late and thanked his lucky stars that there was a path below him rather than a patch of brambles or something, and landed on his feet.

                He began walking along the path, only to stop a few paces later.  What was happening?  His sense of direction wasn't giving him any difficulty at all.  This should have been the start of a ten-minute walkabout over which he'd have had no real control and which would have seen him back to the old, familiar clearing.  But no hint of that had happened yet.  What was going on?

                Genma had no way of knowing that Rouge's ward and Yokehi's countermeasure had ripped the delicate web of magics she'd woven through the area to shreds.  He hadn't even been allowed to realize that the cavalry had arrived for his rescue.  Genma could be a very heavy sleeper when he wanted to be, and in a situation like this -- where his only defense against Yokehi crawling into bed with him in the small hours of the morning and taking things from there would be to not wake up -- he tended to sleep very heavily indeed.  He hadn't even managed to come fully awake by the time Yokehi's magical threads had shot forth to trap him, and she had wrapped him securely enough to prevent him from seeing or hearing anything.

                Consequently, when he turned a corner in the trail at the same time Nodoka came around another bend farther on down it, the sight was a complete and total surprise.

                "H- husband?" Nodoka breathed.  She held rigid for several seconds longer, then darted forward.

                Part of Genma screamed bloody murder at the sight.  This was the same woman to whom he'd promised to bring Ranma back as a man among men or commit ritual suicide, and she was racing toward him with a glowing sword clutched in one hand.  "RUN, NOW!!" demanded that corner of his mind.

                The remainder, a rather larger part, wanted to know just how on earth Nodoka was supposed to have come to be here.  His wife was a traditional, demure Japanese lady.  She kept house.  She had tea ceremonies. She cooked wonderful meals.  She doted on children, especially her son.  She _didn't_ hike randomly at midnight through the American hinterlands carrying a European-style broadsword.

                This majority of his mind considered these facts, then told the screaming little part to shut up, it was getting on their nerves.  Clearly there was no chance of this really being Nodoka.  That meant one of two things -- either this was a trick, or a dream.  Perhaps Yokehi had hit upon the idea of assuming the form of Nodoka at the age she would be right now, tricking him into thinking it really was his wife and lying with her, and then revealing that his defiance no longer had any ground to stand on.  If that was the case, then this image would be warm and welcoming and eager, but it wouldn't know any of the things that his actual wife would.

                If this Nodoka did know such things, then the whole scenario could only be a dream, something conjured up by his subconscious mind to reward him for his sterling behavior tonight.  Yes, that piece of Genma's mind thought smugly, not many men in his position would have held out so firmly against temptation.  A nice dream like this would be only what he deserved.

                By now the woman who was either a poor copy or a warm memory of his wife had caught hold of him, the sword swinging randomly aside in just that sometimes-endearing, sometimes-horrifying way that No-chan had always had, in order to let her hug him without skewering him on the blade.  Cautiously, not wanting to hold back if this wasn't Yokehi, not wanting to give her too much if it was, he eased his own arms around her.

                The length of time that passed during which Nodoka simply held him, quietly crying with happiness into his gi, set Genma's suspicions more firmly than ever on the 'dream' possibility.  This just didn't seem like the kind of behavior Yokehi would use in planning a quick seduction.  Still, he thought, as he noticed her getting herself more or less under control, it would be a good idea to test her further.  Time to see if she would say something only the wife he remembered could know.

                "Have you seen Ranma yet, No-chan?" Genma asked, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes.

                "Oh, yes!"  Nodoka had been expecting quite a different question; she'd rather thought Genma would be shocked beyond belief at the sight of her, wondering and wanting to know how on earth she had come to be here.  Questions about her manly son, though, drove those thoughts right out of her mind.  "You did a wonderful job, Genma.  He truly is a man among men.  The curse was a shock, of course, but after Ranma explained how it led to the circumstances that allowed him to fall in love with both Kodachi and Shampoo, instead of just one of them, well, it all worked out for the best.  I'm so proud of my son, and of the good job my husband did."

                "And... the promise...?" Genma hinted.

                Nodoka blinked.  "I'd been thinking I had forgotten something," she realized.  "I gave the pledge to Kodachi to hold.  We'll get it back from her as soon as this is over, and scatter its ashes from Mt Fuji."

                He hesitated no longer.  This couldn't be Yokehi.  It was his wife -- or rather, a best-case scenario dream of her.  "I am glad to hear you say I have fulfilled my honor promise," Genma said.  "Come, let us celebrate."

                Nodoka made a sound like a pleased cat as her husband's hand came up and began stroking her neck, hitting that one special spot in that one perfect way.  She very nearly let the old, longed-for sensation sweep her away to the inevitable end.  However, the Saotome matron barely retained the presence of mind to pull back and say, "W- wait, dear.  We have to finish this, first."

                Genma blinked.  "We have to finish it before we can start it?"  That was one thing he'd never forget about Nodoka -- her ability to come to conclusions that made no objective sense to him.

                "Not this, that.  I mean, we can't do this and that yet.  I mean..."  Nodoka clamped down on her flusterment, reminding herself that Yokehi could be just over the next ridge.  "What I mean is, we came here to rescue you and defeat that witch who snatched you away.  We need to finish that and get back to Japan first."

                " 'We'?" Genma repeated slowly.  "To rescue me?  Who are you talking about, dear?"

                "Ranma, of course, and his lovely brides-to-be, and the Amazons Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, Tatewaki Kuno, Ryu and Ryoga Hibiki, Ukyo Kuonji, and Shampoo's great-grandmother Cologne and aunt Rouge.  They used Amazon magic to find you and whisk us all out here."

                "I... see," her husband replied, his face now more closely approximating the expression Nodoka had expected him to wear all along.  He said nothing more, still obviously coming to grips with this.  Nodoka took his hand and began gently but firmly leading him back down the trail, along the way she had come.  There was no point in continuing along the path she had been taking, since that would just be backtracking over ground her husband had already covered.  She had passed a divergent path just a little ways back; they would go down that one and see what they found.  The Saotome matron smiled grimly.  And if they should happen to find Yokehi...

                Then that grim expression shifted into alarm.  What if they _should_ find Yokehi, without the Orb of Amalthea to protect her husband from the vile hellspawn's mind-control?!  She stood tremblingly still for a few interminable seconds, then whipped Invictus up to eye level.  "Sword, pay attention.  The whole reason I'm here is to rescue this man, my husband.  If you let our enemy place him under a spell, we will have failed.  I will have failed.  I will have been _defeated_.  So you will prevent that from happening, will you not?"

                Invictus bobbed up, then down, then back to its original level.  Nodoka nodded herself, favoring it with a pleased smile.  "Thank you very much."

***************

                It had taken forty-five minutes of walking to reach the edge of the ward.  Admittedly they had been moving much more slowly than they otherwise would have, keeping to a pace that allowed for maximum caution and awareness of their surroundings, but the discovery of just how much extra space was packed in here still had Ranma-chan's stomach churning with frustrated anger.

                Then, too, there was the shape of the ward itself.  The arcane boundaries were invisible, even to Shampoo's Eyes of the Cat.  But all three teens were able to feel the edge clearly enough, and it was no pleasant discovery to find that it twisted, curled, and bent at crazy angles.  The spell cast by Rouge was a perfect circle, but clearly they couldn't even assume that much any longer.  Yokehi had certainly found an annoyingly effective countermeasure.

                The three of them paced along the ward for a little ways, confirming that its twists and bends didn't just stop a slight distance away from the point where they'd first arrived.  After that, deciding that more discussion and planning were needed, they retreated back to the clearing.

                Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, and Ukyo arrived there two minutes later.  All three of the newcomers wore dazed, glazed, wondrous expressions that frankly irked Ranma-chan even more.  "You guys have any luck?" she asked, sharply enough to draw their attention more or less back to reality.

                "Yeah.  Well, no.  Not like you mean, Ranchan," Ukyo explained.  "But we did see something pretty darn amazing."

                "Was a unicorn."  Unshed tears glistened in Ling-Ling's eyes.  "Not show any fear, let us come right up and pat it.  Was most beautiful thing Ling-Ling ever see in whole life."

                "Never thought Lung-Lung would say this, but thank all good powers that we have not seduce Ryu yet," the lime-haired girl said fervently.

                "But you not see Genma, or Yokehi, no?" Shampoo asked, bringing the conversation back to more important concerns, and staving off a serious show of anger on her redheaded Airen's part.  "You find edge of ward way far away, and it was all twisted and bent?"

                "Yeah.  Well, it's not that the ward is bent.  It's the space that we're in that's folded and twisted and all that," Ukyo clarified.  "I'm pretty sure of that, anyway.  If Yokehi had screwed with the ward itself, I'm pretty sure Rouge wouldn't just be sitting out there on her butt."

                "Speaking of Rouge, we've got some bad news."  This was Tatewaki.  He, Ryoga, and Ryu had just appeared out of the shadows of the treeline.  Ling-Ling noted with much relief that they were still carrying the Orb of Amalthea, so her Airen hadn't been ambushed, overpowered, and placed under Yokehi's control again.  On the other hand, she'd been kind of hoping that the witch might have tried, failed miserably, and sliced his clothes to ribbons in a fit of pique.

                "What's that?" Ranma-chan asked as the newly-arrived group covered the distance to join the six girls in the middle of the clearing.

                Kuno gestured back the way they'd come.  "Remember that when we first arrived here, Rouge took up her position just outside the southern edge of the clearing.  We went as far back in that direction as we could, and when we found the edge of the ward there was no sign of her on the other side of it."

                "Remember what Yokehi said about pulling in more of the forest?" Ryoga asked grimly.  "Take a good look at this clearing.  It's the same size and shape as when we first got here.  It's got the same two piles of leaves that they were sleeping on.  But this isn't the same clearing, not really.  Yokehi's shuffled everything around."

                "If it's not clear yet what we mean, look there."  Tatewaki pointed toward a nondescript tree on the western edge of the clearing.  "When we arrived, there was a very different tree standing there.  The trunk split less than four feet from the ground, and both offshoots curled and twisted in a very distinct way.  And we encountered that very tree some five minutes away from the edge of the ward."

                "That's what I just told them, you jackass," Ukyo said exasperatedly.  "Everything's warped around in here.  What feels like north or south or whatever to us has nothing to do with the true directions outside the folded space."

                "Tell me, Ukyo, just how much versatility is there to this trick of geography origami?" Kodachi requested.  "Could Yokehi be standing less than a foot away from us in a fold of reality, not invisible but hidden all the same, listening to us?"

                "...I don't think so," Ukyo said cautiously.  "But don't take me to the bank on that one, sugar."

                "Hey, Ukyo, I had a question too."  This was Ryoga, who was the one carrying the Orb of Amalthea.  He held it up and forward slightly, drawing her attention to it.  "We never saw any sign of Yokehi or Genma, but this thing did give off a random pulse of light.  Was that because she was lurking somewhere, trying to get control over us?"

                "How should I know?  I've never studied that thing.  Tatewaki has to know more about it than I do."

                The kendoist inclined his head.  "That was my guess.  We had hoped you might be able to confirm it."  Ukyo gave an apologetic shake of her head, and Tatewaki grimaced.  "It would have been nice to think that we had frustrated her, even if only a little."

                "So what we do now?" Ling-Ling said.  "Is no way we manage to pin down stupid ghost witch.  Place is just too big, not enough of us."

                "First, we wait for Mom to get back," Ranma-chan replied.  "Then we need to follow the edge of the ward until we do find Rouge an' Cologne.  We let Great-Grandmother know what's happened, and take things from there."

                "What she can do?  She outside ward, and if Aunt Rouge drop it, Boom!  Witch gone for sure."

                "Yeah, she's on the outside.  But think about it, Lung-Lung... how'd we all get here?"

                The lime-haired girl's eyes widened at the reminder.  "You mean..."  She clamped her mouth shut so as not to give away anything their enemy might possibly overhear, and considered the possibilities.  True, Great-Grandmother had to remain where she was to defend their aunt, but surely she could spare a few seconds to cross over to them with the Nanban Mirror, collect Shampoo, and cross back to Rouge.  Then Shampoo could take the Mirror and return to the Amazon village for some serious backup.  Let this witch TRY to stand up to the combined fury of the other three Amazon mages!  No trick with folded space would save her then!

                "That is a good point."  The words came from no discernable direction.  It was Yokehi, speaking in nearly the same carefree mocking voice she'd used before.  Kodachi thought she detected a slight edge to the witch's words this time that hadn't been there before, but couldn't be certain.  "It would certainly be in my best interest not to let you re-establish contact with whoever is maintaining this prison.  Thank you for reminding me."

                "You can't stop us forever!" Ukyo snarled.  "I may not know a lot about stuff like this, but I know how much power it takes to mess around with space like you've done.  You can't keep switching things around and keeping us going in circles.  Not for long, anyway, it just takes too much power.  And if you were that strong you'd've just busted your way out of the ward at the beginning."

                "Hmmph.  Typical attitude of an inexperienced little hedge-witch," Yokehi replied.  "Thinking that it's all about power.  I don't need to fold space to keep sending you where I want you to go.  I can do that quite easily with a simpler, subtler spell that takes almost no power... and you'll never even realize that I'm doing it.  Or did you think it could possibly have been a coincidence that all nine of you made your way back here within five minutes of one another?"

                The teenagers all blinked at this.  "We see coincidences that big at least once a week," Kodachi informed the concealed conjuress.

                "Really," Yokehi drawled.  "Well, don't take my poor word for it, Ranma.  Just ask your father.  I've decided to allow him to say a proper round of goodbyes."  A 'decision' that had rather been forced upon her; the interval of distraction caused by rebuilding and refining her misdirection spells had been just long enough for Genma to be freed by the Orb of Amalthea and to meet unhindered with Nodoka.  Not something she'd had any intention of allowing.  Yokehi had no plans to admit that in this lifetime, though.

                "Pop?!  HEY, POP!!" Ranma-chan yelled, fearing now that this was the cue for Yokehi to produce her chained, hobbled father and use him as a hostage to force her release.  The redhead looked wildly around.  "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

                "Right here, boy," Genma growled as he and Nodoka appeared at the edge of the clearing.  "What do you think you're doing, yelling your head off like that?  Have you forgotten there's a crazy witch somewhere around here waiting to pounce?!"

                "Oh, Genma, you silly man.  She's not going to give away your position.  I've tracked all of you for all this time."  Genma flinched ever so slightly at the words, realizing that his hopes of Yokehi being miles away ignorant of his freedom were clearly in vain.

                "Yeah, and she was talkin' to us just a minute ago.  Didn't you hear her, old man?" Ranma-chan demanded, more than a little irate that the first thing out of her father's mouth had been not only a rebuke, but a stupid one at that.  Still, at least he'd addressed her as 'boy', not 'girl'.

                "Now, Ranma, it's not his fault.  I stilled the air between you, myself, and him, preventing any of our sounds from reaching his ears."  Yokehi's voice hardened.  "It is time for this charade to end.  I admit that you caught me by surprise, and that you have trapped me here, but that was the first and last of your victory.  I've allowed you to wander around freely, to see just how things are now.  Your mage fashioned the prison walls, but you are the ones caught like flies in a spider's web."

Her voice hardened farther, passing from stone to steel.  "I control things here.  I have no wish to harm any of you, but I will not see the man I love carried away from me.  Contest this further, and you will see what happens when you challenge a sorceress on her home ground."

                "I already know what happens.  We kick her butt!" Ranma-chan proclaimed.  "You're full of it, lady.  You talk big, but you ain't even showed your face yet.  Cause you know that when you do, we'll take you down."

                "And what do you think you have, that can 'take me down'?" Yokehi inquired.  "Will you bash me with sticks and stones, or your fists?  Do you even begin to understand how useless all your skills are against a sorceress in her full power?"

                "Your full power will break like the last dying breath of a diseased harlot against the power of this sword!" Nodoka proclaimed fiercely, waving Invictus over her head.  Genma ducked instinctively, even though the sword had bent its path to avoid what would otherwise have been a near-miss.

                "Ah, yes."  Yokehi let the silence stretch just for a few seconds, then hissed, "Invictus.  That is its name.  And it truly does render you beyond defeat, Lady Saotome.  For the moment."

                "How, pray tell, do you know of this blade?" Kodachi asked, straining mightily and almost managing to keep her voice level.

                "Why, I have been studying it for nearly half an hour now," Yokehi said, her gracious tone not quite managing to hide the ugly undercurrents of menace and confidence.  "An extremely powerful spell, but it certainly has its limitations."  All pleasantness was now gone from her voice, as she continued, "Tomorrow evening, there will be a slim crescent of moon just barely visible in the sky.  It certainly won't add much in the way of illumination.  But it will render that blade nothing more than an inert lump of metal.

                "In fact, its protection won't even last that long.  The magic will sink down into hibernation sometime tomorrow afternoon.  I can certainly wait that long before moving in and removing you from the scene, Nodoka Saotome."

                And that was it.  The line had been crossed.  Ranma-chan stood tremblingly still for a few heartbeats more, then took several steps away from the group, toward the treeline.  "You're not gonna threaten her," the redhead promised.  Her words emerged as little more than a whisper, but quickly grew in power.  "You're not gonna hurt her!  You're not gonna steal my father away!!  You're NOT GONNA SCREW WITH MY FAMILY ANY MORE!!"

                She let the anger come, rising higher and higher, twisting round and round with another emotion -- the determination to see Genma returned, her mother safe, all three Saotomes back together.  As they should be.  As they would be!

                Her face contorted into a mask of feral rage.  Her lips peeled back in a snarl.  Her hands shot forward in the classic Street Fighter pose.  "KIKOTSU BAKUHA!!"

***************

                "Did Ranma forget?  No say 'Kikotsu Bakuha'," Ling-Ling chided in a trembling, small voice.  "Say 'Kame Hame Ha'."

                No-one laughed at the joke.  As they stared at the sight before them, laughter was just about the least appropriate response possible.  The blast of chi had roared louder than any thunderstorm, or any bullet train.  That would perhaps have been a better comparison, Ryu thought grimly, because when the attack came, it shot forth with the directness and power of that staple of Japanese mass transit.  It had blasted trees to toothpicks for nearly a thousand feet and carved a massive trench through the earth in which they'd stood.

                "That was impressive."  Yokehi mentally cursed as she realized the words hadn't come out nearly as controlled as she'd intended.  The sorceress could only hope that everyone was still too stunned at the force the shapeshifted redhead had unleashed to notice the fear and uncertainty which leaked into her voice.  She fell silent, working on rebuilding her control.

                "What'sa matter?!" Ranma-chan yelled.  The drain of that move had been severe and unpleasant, but she could feel the ambient chi swiftly refilling her reserves.  "See somethin' you didn't like, maybe?  Something you couldn't just shrug off?!  I don't even have to hit ya with this!  All I have to do is knock down all the trees!  Whatcha gonna do then, when you got nowhere else to hide?!"

                Yokehi's response was a long time in coming.  When she did speak, though, it was in the same old light, mocking tone that everyone had come to know and loathe.  "Now, Ranma, you shouldn't lie to your stepmother like that.  It's hardly polite.  I know very well that you cannot possibly pull off such a powerful attack more than once or twice."

                "Do I look tired to you?!  KIKOTSU BAKUHA!!"  Another massive swath of trees were reduced to so much sawdust, pulp, and splinters.  "I can do this all night!"

                "Thanks, but you've already done enough."

                "Son-in-law, what have you done?!"  The cry followed hard on the heels of Yokehi's response, and hit everyone far harder.  Ranma-chan, along with everyone else in the clearing, whirled.  Coming up from the south were Cologne and Rouge.  The Matriarch was balanced atop her staff, bouncing along apparently unhindered at all by the fact that she had slung Rouge over her shoulder.  The mage was massaging her temples and groaning faintly.

                Before anyone could recover enough to process this, the Matriarch had closed the distance.  "A massive blast of chi with _your_ life signature just ripped my great-granddaughter's ward to pieces!  What in the name of sanity were you thinking?!"

                "Now, now, it's not his fault," Yokehi's voice trilled.  "It wouldn't have even touched the ward, except that he had no way of knowing I just undid something I'd done earlier."  The witch paused, then said, "I make my acknowledgements.  Here, now, I cannot handle the lot of you. You have won a respite.  But I will return soon enough for you, Genma. Until then, my d--"

                "ENOUGH!" Genma roared, interrupting her.  It was easy to summon this much courage with the sheer power of the force surrounding and supporting him.  "Have you learned nothing in all this time, woman?!  Run away, bide your time, steal me again -- it won't change anything!  I will never betray Nodoka and yield myself to you!"

                "You would not say that if she weren't here.  If all these meddlesome vermin weren't inflicting their presence on that which is no concern of theirs!"  Yokehi's reply was tight, almost choked-off... and the pain in it could be heard very clearly.

                Genma refused to be moved by that.  The sight of a crying woman might affect him, but words?  Not a chance.  "No concern?  Of my son?  My wife?!  My real family, not someone who thinks only what she wants matters?"

                "It's not like that!"  The witch's control was breaking.  "I want to be with you, to please you and give you a good life!  To complete you, as I know you will complete me!"

                "You know nothing of the sort, I promise you that.  Because it's not going to happen!  I'm leaving here with Nodoka and Ranma!"

                "An' if you steal him again, we'll come again."  This was Ranma-chan.  "And so help me, next time we'll bring the whole Amazon Council down on you if we haveta.  You damn well won't survive that."

                "Enough, Ranma.  This is my fight."  Genma turned his attention away from Ranma-chan and back toward the woods.  "I will not abandon Nodoka for you.  You've wasted enough of my time and yours, Yokehi.  Leave, and find someone else."

                "Forget that!"  This was Rouge, who had now recovered enough from the destruction of her ward to stand up.  Her head was throbbing more fiercely than the worst hangover she'd ever experienced, which only added to her ire.  "You're not going anywhere yet!  Show yourself, witch, and swear never to bother us again.  Or the Chinese Amazons won't wait for you to strike again -- I and my fellow mages will track you down and put you down forever!"

                Silence greeted her ultimatum, a long silence that stretched and stretched.  Then, just as Ranma-chan was putting the final polishing touches on a round of insults that would either draw a response or prove for certain that their enemy was no longer present, Yokehi spoke.  "Genma... please..."

                He closed his eyes.  "I've made my choice.  I made it a long time ago."

                "Very well."  The words came brittle as eggshell, as broken as the shell of an egg that would now never hatch.  Yokehi stepped out of the trees, appearing on a pathway some twenty feet away from the clearing's edge.  An arcane glow surrounded the witch, brightening her enough to highlight the glimmering trails of tears that curved down her cheeks.  "L- let the words of my oath be sealed by all the power I possess.  I hereby pledge myself to Nodoka Saotome, never again to try to steal her husband away from her, never again to show my detestable face in her sight.  I p- pledge to all of you, never... never to seek any sort of revenge for this night's events.  Or for anything else.  None, none of you who look upon me now shall ever... see me again."  The witch bowed her head, whispered, "Farewell," and vanished.

                Even through his closed eyes, the disappearance of the light was obvious.  Still, Genma waited a few seconds longer before daring to lift one eyelid.  On seeing no sign of a crying female, he exhaled a long, deep breath.  "Let's go, everyone," he said gruffly.  "Let's go home."

***************

                The house was large, but not inordinately so.  It was well-decorated, but not opulent.  The fixtures and furnishings were of uniformly high quality, but this characteristic was secondary to that of comfort.

                Yokehi stood in the largest room, staring red-eyed at the home she'd built primarily for someone other than herself.  The place already bore something of Genma's imprint, even though he'd never yet set foot in it.

                "Not yet," she whispered harshly.  "But I'm not beaten yet, either."

                The tears had been real, but not the loss of composure.  Yokehi could admit, to herself at least, that she'd been backed into a very nasty corner.  But that Chinese mage had still been suffering from the feedback of her ruined spell, had been unable to think quickly or clearly enough.  The ghost witch had seen it in the gaijin's eyes, had seen the woman accept her oath as being what she had demanded.  They all thought they'd won, driven her to renounce her dreams for good and all.  "But I've not been defeated yet.  I promise you that."

                Yokehi stood ramrod straight for a moment longer, then walked slowly over to a large, comfy chair.  It had been sized for Genma; as she curled up within it she could almost imagine that it was his own embrace curving around her, sheltering her, joining her, completing her.  She took a long, deep breath, and began trying to decide.

                Would it be better to wait until Nodoka died naturally, then move in, restore Genma to his youth, and renew her claim on his heart?  She could simply put herself back to sleep until age or chance took the woman who stood in her way.  There were risks to this approach, of course, but she suspected that was true of all remaining paths to her goal.

                And if there were many such paths left, they hadn't yet revealed themselves to her.  The only other option she could see would be to return to that bizarre area in China she'd recently visited, and avail herself of water from the spring that caused one to become two.  This course bore its share of risks and difficulties as well, but at least there would be no danger of Genma dying before Nodoka passed along.

                Yokehi wiped the last traces of tears from her eyes, and gave herself over to pondering.  '_Decisions, decisions..._'

***************

                The forest disappeared around them, replaced in an instant by the walls of the Kuno mansion.  Cologne pulled Rouge slightly back from the rest of the crowd, and said, "I am going to take my great-granddaughter back to the village.  Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung, you may have the rest of the day and the evening to spend as you wish."  Her gaze flickered toward Ryu, and she added, "Try not to get the poor boy into too much trouble.  And Genma..." her gaze shifted from amused to hooded as she turned it toward the elder Saotome, "I'll discuss ways you can repay us for our aid soon enough."

                As the Matriarch and the mage disappeared, Ranma-chan stepped forward.  "I'll be satisfied just hearing you admit it out loud, Pop.  I saved your sorry hide.  Come on, spit it out, it ain't that hard.  'Oh, thank you son, without you I'd still be trapped there, helpless in the clutches of that awful, awful woman.' "  She smirked at him, all other emotions pushed to the side for now, displaced by anticipation of the admission her old man was going to have to make.

                "Now, Ranma, don't tease your father," Nodoka said gently, not only breaking the moment but grinding it to dust.  With only the barest hint of reluctance she sheathed Invictus, handed it to Kodachi, then stepped over and embraced Genma.  "I'm so glad to be back with you, dear.  Glad we're all here, now, together again for good."

                "And I as well, No-chan," Genma replied, the fervor in his voice almost too great for words to describe.  He was safe, his family was whole, and his wife would never be calling in the seppuku contract.  She even knew about the curse and it didn't bother her!  Truly all was for the best in this best of all possible worlds!

                "Awww... it's a Kodak moment," Ukyo muttered, half-embarrassed to be feeling as much of a warm fuzzy as she was.  This was Genma Saotome, after all, she mentally protested.  The man who'd caused her so much heartache!  But seeing how happy Nodoka was in his arms, how happy Ranma-chan was at the sight of her parents reunited, the chef just could not summon up any real remnant of the old anger.

                "It is indeed."  Tatewaki blinked.  '_Kodak... camera... 'Biki-chan..._'  "That reminds me, I should call the Tendos and tell them Genma is safe."  And maybe by now a certain Tendo daughter would have finished meeting with her lieutenants and preparing for the start of term at Furinkan, and would be free for a dinner date.

                Kuno slipped out the door, followed by Ukyo and both sets of twins.  After a moment of silence, Shampoo spoke up.  "Am glad we were able to rescue you.  For you, for Ranma, for... Mother."  She then leveled a warning stare at him.  "Do not make us go through this again, okay?"

                "I'm sure one kidnapping is the maximum for any one life," Genma assured her with a laugh.  "I'm not going anywhere."  The last of the word struggled to emerge coherently, just barely making it out ahead of a monstrous yawn.  After all, Genma's internal clock was still telling him it was about an hour past midnight, after a day of strenuous exercise.  Now that he was safe and secure here, the last of the adrenaline was fading away.

                "Well, now, Genma dear, I think you should go somewhere.  To bed," Nodoka clarified with a smile.  "Our daughter-in-law-to-be has given me a wonderful room not far away.  Come along now."

                As the Saotome matron led her husband from the room, Shampoo let out a snicker.  From the look of things, Genma had been sinking into drowsiness quickly -- too quickly by far to realize just what was really going to be happening.  The sun might not have set here in Japan, the dawn of the next day might be far off yet, but to someone who was getting very tired of waiting for her sister to claim first turn at a certain privilege, the gleam in Nodoka's eyes had been unmistakable.  "Bet he not get much sleep tonight."

                "I know," Ranma-chan said with an evil grin, "but I ain't cutting him any slack tomorrow morning in sparring practice."  The grin faded a bit, into a more thoughtful expression.  "We've got a lot of time to make up for."

*********************************************************

                Author's Notes

                This is it, folks, the final chapter.  I'm ending where the anime left off, with the introduction of Ranma's mother.  This is the reason for the long gap between the release of the prior chapter and this one.  I had to wait for Viz to get around to releasing the final episode and watch it, to see what sort of things were revealed there.

                This was needed so that I could treat Nodoka's character appropriately.  Even before I saw those episodes, I was fairly certain I didn't want to portray her as some kind of stoic samurai-ko* swordmistress.  And seeing her in action clinched that decision in stone.  Ironically enough, it seems to me that Genma was correct -- if he hadn't gotten Ranma so thoroughly away from his mother, Ranma would never have been even half as skilled a martial artist as he is.  She's just too much of a clumsy ditz, with strong but strange ideas on honor.  It would be interesting to see a Ranma who'd been raised exclusively by this story's Nodoka, I think.

                Another point, that I know has bothered some people, was the fact that until now there's been almost no mention of Nodoka, and never a discussion about her between Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo.  But I believe this to have been necessary.  Until I saw how Ranma reacted in the original series to the revelation of his mother's existence, I could not safely write almost anything about what he thought about her, what his assumptions were regarding her absence from his life.  Any guesses I made could have been revealed as totally wrong by those final episodes.  And so, although Ranma, Kodachi, and Shampoo certainly must have discussed his mother at some point, this story could not cover any of those discussions until this chapter.  Frankly, I cut it pretty darn close by mentioning her as much as I did, with the whole Kodachi-recovers-Nodoka's-image-through-the-Heart-Link bit.

                Acknowledgements for this chapter:  Tarantallegra and Rictusempra (the shiatsu points Kodachi was considering using in the spar that didn't happen) are curses from the Harry Potter continuity.  Considering the ridiculous effects of shiatsu points in the original series, this seemed appropriate.

A long time ago, Gregg Sharpe made some comments about the direction I was allowing Akane's character to take.  I don't think he actually used the words "Tokyo Tendo" (ref to Indiana Jones, for those of you who might not have caught the significance), but he might as well have.  It's a joke I enjoyed playing up, but on another level it's no joke at all.  Some people have probably been a little disappointed at how Akane, though not treated harshly by this fic, is clearly an outsider, a stranger to the camaraderie of the modified Nerima Wrecking Crew.  In my eyes, this is not only necessary, it is a seriously good thing.  In the original series, Akane is the one who has to be rescued time and time again, and though she may (usually but not always) contribute something to that effort, the brunt of the work is ALWAYS done by someone else.  Here, in my story, she learns to stand on her own two feet, and earns her victories.

                Depicting Genma as a bonehead rather than deliberately evil or heartless seems to me to better fit his character as depicted in the anime.  Don't think I've given him too much more credit than he is due in this chapter, though... if you read between the lines, it shouldn't be too hard to determine whether he'd really have been able to hold off indefinitely from giving in to Yokehi.  Of course, the Yokehi of this story would no doubt be a better match for Genma than Nodoka; the witch sees and values him as he is, whereas Nodoka wears a thick pair of rose-colored glasses (that's my interpretation, of course, but if she really understood Genma then what would it say about her that she let him take Ranma on the long training journey?)

                I suspect at least some of Yokehi's taunting Nodoka as an old woman has been inspired by DB Sommer's story The Things We Wish For.  I probably would have had elements of this in my story even if he hadn't included them in his (since Yokehi will never get old and wrinkled it is only natural that she would contrast herself to Nodoka thusly when working on Genma), but possibly not this much.  Anyway, now that you've finished White Rose, go read DB's work.

                *Read Quantum Destinies, too.  That's where the term samurai-ko comes from.  And no, I'm not going to explain what it means.  You have to check out that story to find out.  I cannot think that anyone who has liked White Rose enough to stick with it this far would not enjoy Quantum Destinies greatly as well.

                It's been a long, crazy, enlightening ride, working on this fic.  And I'm not one hundred percent certain that I won't come back in the future and write a bit more.  If I did, though, it would be stand-alone OAV side-stories.  I've certainly left plenty of threads that could be worked into new ideas (See! Ken teach Sakura to be more assertive.  Laugh! as she seduces him.  Tremble! when Masa Kiri returns, intent upon dragging Ken down to irredeemable corruption.  Turn green! as Sakura rips out his liver).  But the main story, the real story, is done.

                To everyone who's ever sent supportive comments, saying they liked the fic, thank you.  It does matter, it does help sustain my determination to provide long, deep, quality works, to keep working on improving my writing skills, and to complete everything I start.  I hope this ending was satisfying for you.

Comments?  Criticism?  Thank-you's for spending two years of my life writing this?  As always, email me at aondehafka@hotmail.com 

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Omake (please note that this is NOT the actual future of the story):

"Congratulations, Ranma!" Godai said enthusiastically.  "You'll make a fine son-in-law.  I wish Hitome and I had been here to learn the news sooner."

"So how did that business deal go, anyway?" Ranma asked, a little awkwardly.  He had plenty of common ground with the Kuno patriarch, and it was generally easy to talk to him, but some things would never be interesting or easily comprehensible.

"Well enough, well enough."  Godai produced a flat wooden box and handed it to his future family member.  "Here, I brought you back a souvenir.  I suppose we can call it an engagement gift now."

Ranma took the box, noting that its dimensions and near-total absence of weight ruled out just about everything in the way of contents.  About the only thing that would work would be a single sheet of paper.  For some strange reason, the kanji for 'just in case' were printed on the top. "What is it?" he joked.  "A scroll of remove curse?"


End file.
